Moving into a rental: what to sort before the boxes arrive
Moving is one of those jobs that always takes more than it should. The good news is that almost everything that makes week one stressful can be sorted in the fortnight before you get the keys. Here is what we tell our own tenants to prepare, in the order it matters.
Two weeks out: connections and admin
Book your utilities before moving day, not after. Electricity and gas usually connect within a business day or two, but internet is the one that bites. Depending on the building and the provider, a new connection can take one to three weeks, so put it at the top of the list the day your application is approved.
While you are at it, start the address change list. The big ones:
- Driver licence and vehicle registration through Service NSW
- Banks, super and insurance
- Medicare, your GP and the electoral roll
- A mail redirect with Australia Post for the first few months, which catches everything you forgot
One more that most renters skip: contents insurance. The owner insures the building, not your belongings. If a pipe bursts or a storm comes through, the carpet is the owner's problem but your couch, clothes and electronics are yours. Contents cover is inexpensive and worth arranging from day one.
The week before: bond, rent and paperwork
In NSW the bond is capped at four weeks rent and it does not sit with the agent or the owner. It is lodged with NSW Fair Trading through Rental Bonds Online, and you will get your own RBO account confirming the money is held by the government, not by us. If anyone ever asks you to pay a bond in cash with no lodgement, walk away.
Have your first rent payment ready for the day the tenancy starts, and set up the ongoing payment method your agency uses so rent runs itself from week one. Falling behind by accident in the first month is a bad start that is completely avoidable.
Keep a copy of your signed lease somewhere you can find it. You will want it for the dates, the rent figure and the inclusions more often than you expect.
Moving day: ten minutes that protect your bond
Before the boxes come in, walk the empty property with your phone. Photograph every room, inside cupboards, walls, carpet, the oven, the shower grout and anything already marked or worn. Take more photos than feels reasonable. Date-stamped photos of the property as you found it are the single best piece of evidence you can hold at the end of a tenancy.
While you are walking through, find the fuse box and the water mains tap. You do not want to be searching for either one for the first time during a problem.
The first week: the condition report
You will receive a condition report at the start of the tenancy. Go through it against your photos, note anything the report missed and return your signed copy within 7 days. That document, plus your photos, is what the end-of-tenancy comparison is made against. Ten careful minutes now is worth hours of dispute later.
Test everything early. Hot water, heating and cooling, the oven, every tap, every light, window locks and smoke alarms. If something is not right, report it to your property manager in writing straight away. A repair reported in week one is a repair with a clear paper trail, and nobody can suggest it happened on your watch.
Finally, save your property manager's contact details and the after-hours process before you need them. NSW law has a backstop for genuine emergencies when nobody can be reached, but a well managed property should never get there. Knowing exactly who to call at 9pm on a Sunday is worth more than any backstop.
The move-in checklist
- Book electricity, gas and especially internet two weeks out
- Update your address: Service NSW, banks, Medicare, mail redirect
- Arrange contents insurance, the owner's policy does not cover your things
- Bond goes to Fair Trading via Rental Bonds Online, never cash to anyone
- Photograph every room before the boxes come in
- Check and return the condition report within 7 days
- Test everything in week one and report issues in writing
- Save your property manager's number and the after-hours process
Moving into a Gallery property?
Our tenants get all of this handed to them: bond lodgement confirmed through RBO, a digital condition report ready to annotate, clear payment details before day one and a maintenance line that actually answers. If anything in this list is unclear, ask us before moving day rather than after. It is always easier to fix in advance.
A note. This article is general information for NSW tenants, not legal advice. Check the current guidance at NSW Fair Trading if you are unsure about your situation.
Questions before you move in?
Our portfolio team helps tenants through this every week. Get in touch and we will point you in the right direction.