You need to be certain of how much you will have to pay when you find a place to rent, that you do not pay any monies you don't have to, and that you have enough money to meet the costs.
At the beginning of the tenancy you may ONLY be charged:
The owner may be liable for a penalty if they require any other payment (s27. penalty $1000).
The bond is paid as security to the owner for any damage to the premises or monies you may owe at the end of the tenancy.
The most you can be charged for a security bond is 4 weeks rent (s29. penalty $4000) unless:
See sections 2.9 The Security Bond and 5.1 Getting the Bond Money Back for more information about the security bond.
If you are allowed to keep a dog or a cat, you can be charged $100 as a pet bond. You can only be charged one pet bond even if you have more than one pet.
The pet bond is to cover the costs of fumigation which may arise at the end of the tenancy because you have a pet.
After you vacate, the owner/agent is allowed to keep the pet bond for 14 days to see whether fumigation is necessary (schedule 1, clause 8).
When you start a new tenancy the owner can ONLY ask for two weeks rent in advance (s28(1) penalty $1000). The owner cannot ask you for the next rent payment until the first rent in advance period has run out (s28(2) penalty $1000).
Your tenancy agreement should show how often you will pay rent after the first two weeks. There is no limit on how much rent in advance the owner/agent can charge after the first two weeks. For example, your tenancy agreement may say that rent is payable monthly. It is important to work out when rent is due and try to arrange for it to coincide with your pay period.
If you pay rent of more than $125 per week, you must pay stamp duty. Stamp Duty is payable to the State Revenue department. The owner/agent will usually ask you to pay the stamp duty to them and then forward it. However, it is always the tenant who is responsible for paying stamp duty.
Stamp Duty must be paid within 3 months and 1 week of entering into every new agreement. If it is not paid you may be charged a penalty.
A licensed Real Estate Agent is the ONLY person allowed to charge a letting fee (s27(2)(c) penalty $1,000). A private owner cannot charge a letting fee.
The letting fee is your contribution to the leasing fee which the agent charged the owner to sign you up for the tenancy. The letting fee cannot be more than one week's rent.
A letting fee can NOT be charged for renewing or extending your tenancy agreement on the same place.
You may be asked to pay an Option Fee when you apply for a place. If you are asked to pay an option fee and you get the place, the money should be put towards the rent. If you don't get the place the money must be refunded.
Be wary if the owner/agent asks you to pay a deposit or holding fee. This money may not be refundable. See section 2.7 The Option Fee for more information.
When you move into rental premises you often need to have services such as gas, electricity and the telephone, connected in your name. There may be a cost for this. Check with Alinta Gas, Western Power and Telstra.
If your place has sub-meters, you may be charged a fee every time the meters are read and accounts prepared. If this is the case it should be
written into your agreement. If it is not you may be able to argue you never agreed to it.
If your place has sub-meters make sure electricity and gas readings are taken when you move in. If the owner/agent doesn't do this, you should do it yourself. Make sure you make a note of the readings, for example on the property condition report. It is also best to have a witness.
If you are going to be paying for water costs, make sure a water meter reading is done (See section 2.5 Water Charges for more information).
Remember to take into account:
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