An American's Guide to Renting in Australia

In the US, your security deposit sits in a bank account controlled by your landlord (or their property manager). In Australia, your bond is lodged with an independent state government authority — not your landlord. Your landlord cannot touch it without your agreement or a tribunal order.

This is a significant protection. At the end of your tenancy, both you and the landlord must agree on how the bond is distributed. If you dispute any deductions, you apply to the state tenancy tribunal — a free and accessible process designed for exactly this situation. The bond cannot simply be withheld because your landlord feels like it.

US rental applications typically lean heavily on your credit score. Australian applications do not use credit scores in the same way — instead, they rely on rental history. Your previous landlord or property manager references carry enormous weight. A clean rental ledger (showing on-time rent payments) from a prior tenancy is the single most valuable thing you can have.

Expect to provide: 100 points of ID (passport works), proof of income, bank statements, employment references, and rental references. If you are new to Australia and lack local rental history, be honest about it and come prepared with overseas references, employer letters, or a larger upfront payment offer.

In most US states, landlords need your permission to enter unless there is an emergency. In Australia, landlords have the legal right to conduct routine inspections — typically every three to six months — with written notice (usually seven to fourteen days). This is standard practice across the country and is not considered unusual or intrusive.

You will receive a notice in writing before any inspection. You do not need to be home, but you can be if you prefer. Use it as an opportunity to flag any maintenance issues in writing.

Most Australian rentals are let completely unfurnished — no fridge, no washing machine, often no light fittings. This surprises many Americans who are used to at least appliances being included. Budget for this when you are planning your move. White goods (fridge and washing machine particularly) are a significant upfront cost, though you can find second-hand appliances affordably through Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree.

In many US states, a landlord can end a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days notice for any reason or no reason. Australia has been moving away from this. As of 2026, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and the ACT have abolished no-grounds evictions — landlords must have a specific legal reason to terminate a tenancy.

However, Western Australia and Tasmania still permit them. If you are renting in WA, you have fewer protections against non-renewal than you would in Sydney or Melbourne. This is one of the most significant state-by-state differences to understand before you sign.

Pet rules in Australian rentals have changed significantly in recent years. Victoria and the ACT now require landlords to actively approve or reject pet applications on specific grounds — blanket bans are effectively gone. Queensland also restricts no-pet clauses. NSW and SA have made progress too, requiring landlords to respond to pet requests.

Western Australia is the only state that still allows landlords to charge a separate pet bond (on top of the regular bond). In other states, this is not permitted.

Many Australian apartment buildings are managed under a strata scheme, similar to a condo association in the US. The building is governed by an owners corporation (or body corporate in Queensland) which sets rules about noise, common areas, renovations, and sometimes pets.

As a tenant, you are bound by these rules even though you are not the property owner. Your landlord should provide you with a copy of the relevant by-laws. Breaches of strata rules can technically be grounds for tenancy termination, so it is worth reading them.

One thing Australia has that the US largely lacks is a dedicated, address-based rental property review platform. RenterSay lets tenants leave anonymous reviews of properties they have actually rented — covering things like maintenance response, property condition, and whether the landlord respected entry notice requirements.

Before signing a lease in Australia, search the address on RenterSay. You might find useful information from previous tenants that simply was not available to you in the US.