Renting or buying property in Perth Western Australia - Topic 2

Short term furnished accommodation or an arrangement to stay with friends or relatives is essential on arrival in Perth. Emi-Great offer short term furnished accommodation with specific services aimed at new migrants.

We suggest you rent accommodation like ours because unless you are used to travelling you will arrive feeling tired and stressed and the last thing you need is to have to start rushing around trying to find accommodation or worse still something to buy which may turn out to be totally unsuitable to your needs. Our short term furnished accommodation is for new migrants moving to Perth and is cheaper than equivalent holiday accommodation.

You should be aware that once you have made an offer to rent or purchase a property you are not able to simply change your mind. So do not sign anything until you are certain the property is suitable for you and that you are happy with it. This does not apply with short term or holiday rentals.

Renting in WA

  • Tenants and Landlords are covered by the Residential Tenancy Act (1987)
  • Tenants Advice Service(08) 9221 0088
  • The tenancy act includes all the rights and responsibilities of both tenant and landlord and a copy should be given to you.

WHERE TO FIND PROPERTY TO RENT

Most local real estate offices have listings of rental properties or you will find places in the local newspaper under "Lets" or in the West Australian on Wednesday and Saturday. We suggest that you look at several properties in the area you choose to get an overview of what is available.

HOW TO APPLY FOR TENANCY

Think carefully before applying things to consider are:

  • Cost of rental
  • Other costs - for example water- if the property is not on reticulated system from a bore cost of watering the gardens may be split between tenant and landlord but this should be stated in the agreement. Landlords usually pay the water rates and water consumption should be negotiated and written into the agreement.
  • Check the condition of the property and be sure if there are any items to be repaired you include these as part of your agreement
  • Can you have pets

Once you have decided to apply for tenancy you will most likely be asked to fill in an Application for Tenancy Form The form is a legal document you may be tied to the tenancy if your application is accepted even if you change your mind. It is therefore important you do not fill out the application until you are certain it is the home you want.

You may also be asked to pay an Option Fee - usually one weeks rent when you apply for the tenancy. Make sure if your application is turned down that you ask for a reimbursement of the fee. If your application is accepted the fee should be taken as part of your rent. You should not be asked to pay any other fee prior to the tenancy being accepted.

TENANCY AGREEMENT

A tenancy agreement is sometimes known as a lease and is often in writing although it can also be a verbal agreement. It is better to get a written agreement and we strongly suggest you ask for one before living in the property. It should set out things such as:

  • How much rent and how often
  • How long you agree to rental often a 6 month lease with an option to stay
  • How many people will live in the house
  • Who pays the water costs
  • Any repairs to be carried out by the landlord
  • If renting with a pool who is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance Do not sign if you do not understand or agree with the terms.

Costs associated with a new lease

  • Option fee- usually one week payable on applying for tenancy
  • Security Bond - no more than 4 weeks rent
  • Pet bond - no more than $100 often used for fumigation fees at end of tenancy
  • Rent in advance - 2 weeks the owner can not ask for more
  • Letting Fee - can only be charged by an agent at the beginning of tenancy if the agreement is made directly with the landlord he is not allowed to charge this fee.
  • Stamp Duty

Always insist on a property condition report ask for a form to record any problems within 7 days of renting the property. Record the condition of the property including the gardens and get a witness to sign it with you. If you are not given a form make a statement yourself and get the landlord or his agent to sign it. If you fail to do this you may end up loosing your bond at the end of the tenancy so make sure it is comprehensive and states all marks on carpets, walls etc.

It is possible to have a fixed term tenancy where definite dates are set for the tenancy and in this case either party can only break the agreement under certain circumstances. The owner must always provide you with a form stating why he is ending the tenancy and he is only allowed to force you to leave with a court order if you disagree with his reason. He is unable to ask you to leave if he sells the property or simply changes his mind about renting to you. Basically if you are on a fixed term tenancy unless you don't pay your rent or you breach your agreement in some other way the landlord has a process to go through to get you to leave.

If your tenancy is a periodic tenancy - a tenancy where no period is set for the agreement the landlord can give you notice to quit the property usually no less than 30 days unless he has applied for a court order to evict you for breach of agreement.

You can end a periodic tenancy with a written notice giving 21 days notice to the landlord- you do not have to give a reason.

If you are on a fixed term tenancy you can not end the tenancy unless the owner is in breach of your agreement. For example, if he is not carrying out necessary repairs or if the house becomes a health hazard for some reason.

If you both agree on a fixed term tenancy ending there are often conditions which apply. If the owner requests that you move out before the end of the period you may be able to ask them to help with relocation costs. If you wish to break the agreement the landlord may ask you to pay for readvertising costs and rent to be paid until the end of the agreement if he can not relet the property.

More information can be found on this link

BUYING PROPERTY IN PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Before you decide to buy your house it is important to make a wish list because there is far more choice for your money in Western Australia you probably need to think about what you need or want download the following list to help

FINDING YOUR HOME

There are several options for finding your home the in Perth it is not necessary to ring each individual agency as you would in the UK but you find a particular agent and ask him or her to do the research for you on the criteria you have set on your wish list. Of course this does not stop you doing the following tasks if you wish to.

  • Look on the internet
  • Go look in estate agents windows
  • Check out the local paper
  • Drive around areas you like and find property with "For Sale" boards
  • Look in The West Australian Newspaper and Sunday Times

PUTTING IN AN OFFER TO PURCHASE

As in the UK often people are willing to negotiate on the price of the property but you must realise that to put in an offer here in Australia you have to sign a legally binding contract. Either the vendor -if it is a private sale or your agent will supply the contract and you will put in an offer, sign for it and play the usual waiting game to see if your offer is accepted. If it has to be altered the agent will alter the amount on the contract and you will have to sign the alteration. At the time of making the offer you need to be sure that you have included anything on which the sale relies such as:

  • Subject to finance
  • Subject to termite inspection
  • Subject to Bore and Retic being in working order (the bore is a pump installed to draw ground water and retic the plastic pipes around the garden to distribute the water)
  • Subject to any repairs or improvement the vendor may have agreed on
  • Subject to inspection report being satisfactory - if you are paying for a report

Your agent should advise you on these terms. Don't sign if you are not happy with the conditions it is a legally binding document for both parties - no changing your mind or getting gazumped!

A deposit is payable usually $1000 is sufficient, question why if a bigger deposit is asked for.

The next step is to employ a settlement agent your real estate agent may suggest one but always phone a couple to see if you can negotiate a better rate. This may save you several hundred dollars. Clients using Emi-Great Services short term accommodation are offered vouchers for a settlement agency we use saving you considerable $$$

You can often be in your home within a month of signing your offer contract especially if you do not require finance or you have been to the bank to organise finance before putting in an offer. Banks in Western Australia do not arrange a property survey as they do in the UK they only do a valuation for their own records. If you are not confident of checking out the condition of the property yourself it is wise to employ someone to do it for you such as a local builder you will find builders or building inspectors listed in the Perth yellow pages.

Check out this site for good info on house buying in and around Perth and other areas of Western Australia

Whatever you are planning for we hope you all have good fun finding it! Dont forget Emi-Great Services are here to help you get settled in Perth.

Eve



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