Deciding to move out of home is a huge leap and a brand-new chapter in life, and it will bring a mixture of emotions. It can be exciting, scary, intimidating, but a lot of fun. There is a lot to cover and a lot to organise, so here are a few tips to ease the process of moving out.

Finding the right place

It can be helpful to determine what it is about your new home that is most important to you. This could be that you are close to public transport, close to a school or that you require lots of natural light. It’s beneficial to consider what matters most to you when finding somewhere new to live.

Create a budget

One of the first things to do before moving out is to determine whether you can actually afford to move out. This is a decision not to hurry, and something you need to be realistic about.

Creating a monthly budget that includes expenses such as rent, utility bills (water, gas, electricity, internet), food, petrol or public transport can be very helpful. It’s important to ensure you have enough to cover these costs, along with your everyday allowance, and a little bit left over for unexpected expenses. This is a general budget plan, and each person will have different individual expenses.   

Remember that you will also have to pay for things like bond, possible connection fees, and furnishing the house.  

Budgets don’t have to be intimidating and confusing, they can be quite simple.  

Take your time when inspecting properties

Inspections can be daunting and intimidating, and usually only run for 15 minutes. It is important to keep your cool when inspecting your potential homes and to make sure you don’t rush it.

Write a list of the features you require and check them off as you go. You can also write down any questions you have for the agent so that you don’t forget to ask.

Don’t be afraid to ask the leasing agent any questions or queries you have about the property or the rental process, they are there to answer your questions.

Read your lease agreement

A lease agreement is a legal document that includes the responsibilities of you as a tenant and the real estate agency/landlord.

Especially if you haven’t leased before, it is important to read through your agreement, to make sure you understand everything it details and to ask any questions that you have.

A lease agreement is a document you can always fall back on if you are unsure about something regarding the property.

Signing the lease means that you confirm and agree to everything that is written in the agreement, so take the time to read it all and make sure you understand what you are signing.

You can find more information on lease agreements here:

Victoria

Queensland

New South Whales

Take the condition report seriously

A condition report states the general condition of the property before you have moved in. It is important as a tenant to check that the condition of the home is reported accurately, and that you take any photos and report of any damage you notice.

If there is ever a dispute over repairs, then the condition report can help decide who is responsible for the damages.

It is easiest to fill out the condition report before you move any of your belongings into the house.

Keep important documents organised and in one place

You could find that the important paperwork and emails start to pile up throughout the process – especially if you’ve been looking for a while and are looking to move out with others. Keep an organised folder that you can file all your paperwork in. Create a folder in your inbox to store all your important emails. This makes your information easy to access and you don’t have to spend half the day flicking through your emails and documents to find what you’re looking for!

Household chores

Moving out of home offers a sense of independence and freedom. This also means that you are responsible for the household chores like cooking and cleaning. So, it’s important to keep your property neat and tidy. This is your first home of your own, so take pride in it!

• Remember bin night – Having to wait another week for an overflowing bin to be emptied is not fun. Keep a note somewhere you will always see it with the day you should take the bins out to remind yourself. If you are living in an apartment complex, even if you aren’t responsible for taking the bins out to the curb, remembering when the bins go out will prompt you to take your rubbish down.
• Clean your dishes – Don’t put this off or you could end up with a pile of dirty dishes sitting next to the sink. Keep in a routine of cleaning your dishes as soon as you finish cooking so that you don’t have to worry about them later!
• Keep a list of household essentials – Toilet paper, detergent, washing powder. We all need them and we can all easily forget about them. Keep a list of what needs topping up in the next supermarket run.

It is important to take the moving out process seriously, but to enjoy the experience, it only happens once! Don’t be afraid to ask for help and take advice from people that have done it all before. Little Real Estate also has a customer care team that is available to answer any questions you have about leasing.