House hunting in Brisbane: planning rental inspections by car

How do you plan a day of inspections?

Open-home inspections usually run for a short window, often on Saturday mornings, and several in the same area can overlap. A workable routine:

1. List every listing's address and inspection window the night before, then sort them by suburb, not by time.
2. Drop any that clash and can't be reached in time; register for the others so the agent can tell you if one is cancelled.
3. Allow time to park and walk in. Ten minutes between two neighbouring suburbs can become twenty when you're circling for a space.
4. Keep a note on your phone for each place: rent, the date it was last increased, the condition, and anything the agent promised.
5. After the last one, drive the route you'd take to work on a weekday, at the hour you'd take it.

That last step is the one people skip. A flat that looks close to work on a map can sit behind a river crossing or a motorway on-ramp that backs up every morning.

Where can you park at an inspection?

Inner-suburb streets are where you're most likely to get caught out. Brisbane City Council's signs work by colour: green signs show when you can park, red signs show when you can't. A sign marked "Resident Permit Excepted" lets permit holders stay without limit, so as a visitor you obey the time shown. A continuous yellow line means no stopping at any time. You can't park within 20 metres of traffic lights or within 10 metres of an intersection without lights.^[8]

Some inner suburbs are permit areas, where the conditions are signed where you enter the area and apply to every street inside it unless a street sign says otherwise.^[9] If you take the place, you may be able to get a resident permit yourself; resident parking permits in Brisbane explains who qualifies, including the lease length Council asks for.

Note where residents' cars are parked while you're there. A street full on a Saturday morning is usually full on a weeknight too, which matters if the place has no off-street space.

What should you check at each inspection?

Every Queensland rental must meet minimum housing standards. Among other things, it must be weatherproof and structurally sound, in good repair, free of pests, damp and mould the tenant didn't cause, fitted with working locks on doors and reachable windows, and fitted with window coverings for privacy. It also needs adequate plumbing, hot and cold drinkable water and a flushing toilet, plus a working cooktop if there's a kitchen and laundry fixtures if there's a laundry.^[6]

• Run a tap and flush the toilet; open and lock the windows you can reach.
• Look for mould on ceilings, behind curtains and in wardrobes.
• Ask where the car goes, how many spaces come with the place, and whether visitors can park on site.
• Ask about flooding. The Residential Tenancies Authority's new-tenant checklist suggests checking Council's flood information before you sign.^[7]
• Note anything the agent promises to fix, and get it done or put in writing before you sign.

Applying: what can an agent ask for?

Applications use the approved form (Form 22 for a general tenancy). A lessor or agent can ask for no more than two documents in each of three groups: proof of identity, ability to pay, and suitability. They can't ask about past legal action or tribunal matters, breach notices, your rental bond history, or for bank or credit statements. They must offer at least two ways to apply, and at least one must not be restrictive, which means not only through an online platform and not one that costs you money. Unsuccessful applicants' information must be destroyed within 3 months.^[1]

Rent must be advertised at a fixed price, not a range or an auction. Encouraging applicants to outbid each other, or accepting an offer above the advertised rent, is an offence. Rent paid in advance at the start is capped at 2 weeks for a periodic tenancy and 1 month for a fixed term.^[2]

If you're new to the country and don't have a rental history here, offer what you can in the suitability group, such as a reference from your employer or a previous landlord overseas.

Signing, the bond and the condition report

The bond can be no more than 4 weeks' rent. Whoever receives it must give you a receipt straight away and lodge it with the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) within 10 days.^[3] The RTA's acknowledgement usually reaches you in about 2 weeks; you can't be charged for preparing the agreement, the first set of keys or cleaning, and the agreement must show the date the rent was last increased.^[7]

The rent can be increased only once 12 months have passed since the current rent became payable, and that 12 months applies to the property, not to you as a new tenant. An increase needs at least 2 months' written notice.^[5] That's why the "last increased" date on the agreement is worth checking.

At the start you'll get an entry condition report. Return it within 7 days of moving in or receiving it, whichever is later; if you don't, you're taken to agree with the lessor's description.^[4] Take dated photos of every room as you fill it in: it's your evidence when the bond is returned.

Do you need a car to house hunt?

Not always. If you're looking along one train line or a frequent bus route, public transport and walking can cover a morning of viewings, and our guide to public transport or a car in Brisbane shows which parts of the city that works for. A car earns its place when your shortlist is spread across the north and south sides, when you're also checking schools or a workplace, or when you'll be moving boxes the week you get the keys.

The rest of your first-month jobs, from a tax file number to a Queensland licence, are in your first month in Brisbane.