# Documents needed for rentals?



## Almost gone

We still have a bit of time till we arrive in Melbourne (Nov) but I'm trying to arrange the documents we will need to rent a house in the Melbourne area. What documents are good to have? Do I need _certified_ copies or just photocopies? Other advice for securing a good rental property? 
Thanks!


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## Wanderer

Almost gone said:


> We still have a bit of time till we arrive in Melbourne (Nov) but I'm trying to arrange the documents we will need to rent a house in the Melbourne area. What documents are good to have? Do I need _certified_ copies or just photocopies? Other advice for securing a good rental property?
> Thanks!


The usual thing that agents will ask for is a rental history but coming from overseas that can be different but if you have rental history now, getting a letter from current landlord and/or anything that shows your rental history will not hurt.
And then something like a bank statement to show your financials and just normal copies should be OK along with a copy of your passport ID page.
You can open a bank account in Australia from overseas before you leave, ANZ - Personal - Online Banking being one and our other major banks are Commonwealth, National and Westpac.
Opening an account before you leave should make it easier to put some money in so you can access it as soon as you're here and be able to get a bank statement.
Have a look at www.domain.com.au and Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au to get an idea of rental properties and then on selecting a suburb, you could head out there on arrival and head into some real estate agent offices and they'll also have what are called rental lists.
If you're looking for accommodation for a few nights on arrival, the Arden Motel is just on the CBD northern fringe in a reasonably quiet street and a short tram ride into the main railway station from where you could then go by tram or train to various suburbs for checking places out.
Book Accommodation in Melbourne Here >> Arden Motel, Arden St., Melbourne, Victoria
When you hop on to a tram you'll find a ticket machine a bit like European ticket machines and depending on how far out you may be thinking of going, you could get either a Zone 1, 2, or 3 ticket and cheaper to buy weekly.
The Melbourne Zoo is not far from the Arden if you are looking for some entertainment for the kids and plenty to do around the CBD with nice walks over around the botanical gardens just on SE fringe of CBD.


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## Almost gone

Thanks Wanderer you are very helpful!


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## Dexter

At the beginning you would obviously stay in a hotel/motel/hostel. Then, once you have this, you can start working on getting your own place. 

It depends if you rent a room directly from a landlord or an empty/furnished house/unit from a real estate agent.

I can speak of the second option as a safer one. Agents usually require you to present a set of documents, each of them valued at a different score. You must achieve particular point level (usually 90 - 100). They usually want the following:

1. Passport or Australian Driving license/Photo ID. This one is usually worth 50 points. 
2. Bank Card - 20 points
3. Credit card - another 20 points
4. Library card/Student card/Medicare card or any other form of ID - this may vary

In addition, they will request you to provide contact to some referees. I am not sure if it is one or two. If you are new to Australia, you can provide them contact details of your teacher/employer/hotel. If you have been here for quite a while, they will prefer details of your current/previous landlord or real estate agent. 

When getting your own place, try to focus on a unit or a house. Remember, in most cases, they will be unfurnished. At the beginning, you will usually need to pay 2 weeks upfront plus pay 4 - 6 weeks bond (which will be returned to you when you move out). You will usually pay your rent on weekly or fortnightly basis. In most cases, it can be done through BPay. 

If you want cheap furniture, you can look into Fantastic Furniture (quality is far from ideal though). More expensive one can be bought in Harvey Norman, Domayne, Freedom Furniture, Nick Scali etc. This is something to worry about a bit later though...


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## Almost gone

Thanks Dexter! My husband's employer is paying for our short term rental and shipping our household goods thankfully. We are a bit worried about how long it will take to find a place and want to make sure we can move quickly if we find the right place. Thanks again


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## 6436

This is also helpful for me, although I don't have any rental history documents to give... I suppose my friend who I'm renting my room from can do a professional letter before I leave. XD


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## Shining Star

This is very helpful for me, too. I'm moving to Melbourne this October ahead of my family precisely to look for a house where we can live before my family moves in.


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## Wanderer

Silviar said:


> This is also helpful for me, although I don't have any rental history documents to give... I suppose my friend who I'm renting my room from can do a professional letter before I leave. XD


Yes, anything that you have that shows previous renting on a longer term and a good employment history will help.
I'd suspect that most agents will be prepared to acknowledge that someone immigrating will not have a local history.


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## Wanderer

Shining Star said:


> This is very helpful for me, too. I'm moving to Melbourne this October ahead of my family precisely to look for a house where we can live before my family moves in.


If you google something like Moving to Melbourne you'll come across one site that had been set up by some people from the UK it seems but even if not, they could be helpful
Moving to Melbourne Meet & Greet,Furnished Rentals,Airport Pickup Relocation Assistance and then there's Moving to Melbourne Victoria Australia which has a collection of numerous sites that could be handy.


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