Renting
Introduction
Many people can't afford to buy a house. Renting a house from someone else might be more affordable and offer a way to try living out of the family home. For example, many people share a house to make the rent more affordable. It can offer the opportunity to try a certain suburb or location. It can also be a good way to try the design, size or location of a house. When you rent a house you become a tenant and have a rental agreement with the landlord (the person who owns the house). The tenant/s pay a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership.
Secure tenure is the legal right to continue living in or using a building or house that is rented from the landlord or owner. It means that the tenant can make a home and stay there for a reasonable time if they want to. It also means that the tenant must do the right thing by paying the rent and respecting the property. Whoever is on the lease is responsible for the property.
Key Points
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As a tenant you can rent a property from someone else.
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Renting a house is a good way to try living with others or testing out the design of a house.
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Tenants have rights. It's important to check tenancy rights in each State as they can vary.
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Renting a property can mean that you might have to shift if the owner sells the property.
Listen
Renting My Own Home
by Rachael and Miriam Haigh
If you’re a person with developmental disability, how can you rent your own place? What can renting look like? How can family members and allies support people with disability to rent? Rachel High has been renting a flat for 15 years. Hear Rachel and her Mum, Miriam, on how she does it. This episode doesn’t cover renting with friends in a share house, but check out the My Home My Way website for more information.
Read
Renting: A basic guide
by South Australian Government
When you rent a place to live you are the ‘tenant’ and you pay money to the ‘landlord’ to live there. You can find rooms, houses and smaller self-contained places to rent listed on the internet, in newspapers or by talking to a real estate agent.
Creating home: individualised living
by WA Individualised Living
A guide for navigating house sharing.
Useful Links
Renting a property
Please select your State for respective government guidelines in relation to renting a property.
Sample tenancy agreement
Completing a tenancy agreement is a typical step in the process to rent your own home. It is a contract between the renter (tenant) and rental provider (landlord).
Tenancy check - your rights.
As a tenant you have rights by which your landlord must abide. These rights may vary from state to state but tenancy checks are applicable throughout Australia.
Housing Choices Australia
Housing Choices Australia (Housing Choices) is an independent, national, not-for-profit housing provider that delivers high quality affordable housing for people on low to moderate incomes and for people with disability.
Tennants Union of New South Wales
The Tenants' Union of NSW is the main resourcing body for Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services (TAASs) and a community legal centre specialising in NSW residential tenancies law.
We are an independent, secular not-for-profit membership-based co-operative under the Co-operatives (Adoption of National Law) Act 2012 (NSW). You can read our rules of incorporation here.
The Tenants' Union works to promote the interests of Aboriginal tenants; boarders, lodgers and other marginal tenants; private rental tenants; public and community housing tenants; and land lease community residents.