Renting in Australia: winning the application without an Australian history
Renting is done the Australian way: you apply. Without a local rental history that feels hopeless, but the rules protect you more than you think — the bond is capped and lodged with the state, savings count as evidence, and what you may and may not offer differs per state.
4 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Yes, you can rent in Australia without an Australian rental history. But you have to apply for it: you view with twenty others, submit an application, and the agent (the letting agent) chooses.
On signing, count on:
- a bond (deposit) of four weeks' rent (NSW) or one month (Victoria);
- plus at most two weeks (NSW) or one month (Victoria) of rent in advance.
The median rent in early 2026 was around $ 824 per week in Sydney and $ 632 in Melbourne.
The find at NSW Fair Trading, the consumer agency of New South Wales: if you have no Australian wage income yet, savings count as evidence. You show them with a bank statement on which you may black out the transaction lines. The pitfall is the forum tip "just offer more": in Victoria, bidding above the asking rent has been prohibited since late 2025.
What may an agent ask for, and what not?
Agents may ask for what is reasonably needed: identity, income, references. What they may not do: charge application fees, and in Victoria since 31 March 2026 nothing outside a prescribed standard form. Important for newcomers: if you have no Australian wage income yet, savings count as evidence, via a bank statement on which you may black out the transaction lines. So you don't have to show your whole financial life, only that you can pay.
What do I pay on signing?
The bond is capped (four weeks' rent in NSW, one month in Victoria). It never goes into the agent's pocket: it is lodged with the state (Rental Bonds Online in NSW, the RTBA in Victoria), which also pays it out again at the end. Rent in advance: at most two weeks may be asked in NSW, one month in Victoria.
| New South Wales | Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| Bond, maximum | 4 weeks' rent | 1 month's rent |
| Where the bond is held | Rental Bonds Online (the state) | RTBA (the state) |
| Rent in advance, maximum | 2 weeks | 1 month |
| Application fees | prohibited | prohibited |
| Application form | what is reasonably needed | since 31 March 2026 only the standard form |
| Bidding above the asking rent | allowed, voluntarily | prohibited since late 2025 |
| Median rent early 2026 | Sydney $ 824 per week | Melbourne $ 632 per week |
Australia quotes rents per week, not per month. A rent that looks low usually isn't. With bond and rent in advance, signing in Sydney quickly puts about six weeks' rent on the bill. The cost indication includes that landing period (bond, temporary rent, bridging until income) as the item most often underestimated.
How do I win without a rental history?
What works: a complete application on the day of the viewing (IDs, proof of savings, employer's statement or contract, and by all means your Dutch landlord's reference in English; agents may weigh it), plus a short covering letter explaining who you are. And start furnished or temporary: six months of local rental history makes the second application stronger by itself.
Beware of the classic forum tip "just offer more": in NSW you may voluntarily bid above the asking rent, but in Victoria that has been prohibited since late 2025. An agent who accepts it is liable. Know the rules of your state before you start overbidding.
The temporary base is not a stopgap but the first step. From a furnished address you arrange your bank account, TFN (your tax number) and Medicare in your first weeks. With an Australian bank account and a first local employer the second application suddenly looks very different.
Choose that temporary address with the school in mind if children are coming: public schools allocate by address.
Can I be rejected because of my nationality?
No. A rejection may be about rental history or income, not about nationality or family composition. For that, both states have anti-discrimination rules with a complaints route.
Why not buy straight away?
Because it usually isn't possible, and otherwise isn't wise. Without permanent residency the existing housing market is closed to foreigners until mid-2029. Even with fresh PR a state like NSW charges a surcharge for whoever hasn't lived there for 200 days yet. The details are in buying a house in Australia. And apart from that, the rule fixed on this site applies: in your first year you don't buy. A rental year in Australia is not a lost year; it is the year in which you learn which suburb, which school and which commute suits you.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.7: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Australia or go straight to step 5.7 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- NSW Fair Trading — what an agent may ask for in an application — nsw.gov.au
- NSW — costs at the start of a tenancy (bond, rent in advance) — nsw.gov.au
- Consumer Affairs Victoria — the new rental rules — consumer.vic.gov.au
- NSW — advertising and rent bidding — nsw.gov.au
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