Things to Check Before Renting an Apartment in Australia

Things to check before renting an apartment in Australia come down to a few categories: the physical property, the lease terms, the location, and the digital infrastructure. Each one has its own pitfalls, so this post walks through them in order.

Inspect the property in person (and document everything)

Photos in a listing are curated. An in-person visit is where you find what they don't show you.

During your inspection, check for water damage on ceilings and walls, mould in bathrooms and under sinks, whether windows and doors open smoothly and locks work, hot and cold water pressure at every tap, and that power outlets actually function (bring a phone charger). Test the stove, oven, and any other included appliances. Check mobile reception in different rooms, since some buildings are dead zones.

Visit at different times if you can. A place that seems quiet on a Saturday afternoon might sit next to a loading dock that runs trucks at 6am on weekdays, or a pub that gets loud on Friday nights.

Take photos of every room, including close-ups of any existing damage: scuff marks, cracked tiles, stained carpet, broken blinds. This matters because when you move in, you'll receive a condition report from the agent or landlord. That report is the single most important document for getting your bond back. Compare it carefully against reality, note anything missing, and return it within the required timeframe (typically 3 to 7 days depending on your state).

Understand the lease before you sign

A residential tenancy agreement is a legally binding contract. Read it fully before signing, not after.

Key things to confirm: whether it's a fixed-term lease (usually 12 months) or periodic (month to month), how much notice you need to give to end the tenancy, what the break lease fees are if you need to leave early, whether rent increases are allowed during the fixed term (in most states, only once per 12 months), and any special conditions about pets, modifications, or maintenance responsibilities.

Understand the financial side clearly. The bond is typically four weeks' rent, lodged with your state's bond authority (not held by the agent). You'll pay two to four weeks' rent in advance. You should not be charged application fees, background check fees, or any upfront costs beyond bond and advance rent. If someone asks for these, that's a red flag.

Each state has its own tenancy authority: Fair Trading NSW, Consumer Affairs Victoria, the RTA in Queensland, and equivalents in other states. If something in the lease looks unusual, check it against your state's rules or contact the relevant tenants' union.

Check the internet connection type

This one catches people off guard. Australia's NBN rollout used different technologies in different areas, and the type of connection at your address directly affects the maximum internet speed you can get. You can't change it as a renter.

FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) is the best. It supports the highest speed tiers. FTTC (Fibre to the Curb) is also solid. FTTN (Fibre to the Node) relies partly on old copper lines, and depending on your distance from the node, you might not be able to get NBN 100 speeds at all. HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial) uses the old pay TV cable network and varies by area. Fixed Wireless and Satellite are common in regional areas and have different speed and latency characteristics.

To check, go to nbnco.com.au, enter the address, and see what technology type is listed. If fast internet matters to you (working from home, streaming, gaming), do this before you apply, not after you move in.

Check the commute to your workplace or campus

A 12 month lease is a long time to regret a bad commute. The problem is that most people check the commute once, at whatever random time they happen to be looking, which tells them almost nothing about peak hour reality.

For an accurate picture: open Google Maps, enter the rental address and your workplace or campus, set the departure time to your actual morning commute time on a weekday, and check both transit and driving. Then check the return trip at your typical evening departure. The two directions can differ significantly. Look at the route details too: a "35 minute" commute with two transfers and a 15 minute walk from the station is very different from a direct train.

If your city is supported, Citymapper gives a more detailed transit breakdown with real-time tracking and disruption alerts. Walk Score (walkscore.com) is useful for a quick read on how walkable and transit-accessible a location is, scoring any address from 0 to 100.

If you're checking multiple listings, PadNav can do this in one step: enter an address, see commute times to each of your saved destinations with a step-by-step transit breakdown, and pick a specific day and time for a realistic peak-hour estimate.

Check nearby amenities

Beyond the commute, think about what you need within walking distance on a regular basis. Supermarkets, pharmacies, cafes, gyms, parks, medical centres, public transport stops. A place can have a great commute to work but nothing useful within a 20 minute walk, which gets old quickly.

This is hard to check thoroughly from a listing. You can browse Google Maps, but doing it for every place you're considering takes time, and it's easy to miss things or forget which listing had what nearby.

PadNav pulls nearby amenities automatically as part of each evaluation, with walk times to each one, so you can see at a glance whether the essentials are within reasonable range.

How PadNav handles internet, commute, and amenities in one step

PadNav was built to handle the location research side of this checklist. You enter an address and get a single evaluation page covering commute times (transit and driving, with step-by-step breakdowns), NBN connection type and maximum speed, nearby amenities with walk time estimates, a street view image, and an interactive map.

Instead of checking the NBN site, then Google Maps for the commute, then scanning the area for amenities, you do it once per listing and compare everything side by side. You can set specific departure times for commute calculations and customise which amenity categories matter to you.

Available at padnav.com, currently supporting Australian addresses.

Quick checklist before signing

Property: visited in person, checked for water damage, mould, appliances, locks, mobile reception, and taken dated photos of existing condition.

Lease: read the full agreement, confirmed bond amount and lodgement, checked break lease terms, verified no prohibited fees, understood maintenance responsibilities.

Internet: checked NBN connection type at the address via nbnco.com.au, confirmed it supports the speed tier you need.

Commute: checked travel time at your actual departure time on a weekday, both directions, transit and driving.

Amenities: confirmed that everyday essentials (supermarket, pharmacy, transport) are within reasonable walking distance.

Condition report: completed thoroughly within the required timeframe after receiving keys, with photos attached.