Agents requesting one month rent for 12 month lease.

[To DD]

I found our apartment by looking on ST's website and iproperty (which seems to have more properties than ST). I came across a few agents who wanted me to pay a month's rent but I just told them I didn't want to deal with them. Legally they can do this but as PP's have said, the common practice is for LL's to pay if the rent is over $2.5.

I got caught out a few times at the beginning of my search by agents who started acting on my behalf when I hadn't asked them to. I'd call the phone number on the ad to ask about a particular property and the agent would then start to offer to show me a whole load of similar apartments. At first I thought he was acting for all the landlords of the apartments he was offering to show me, but it soon became clear that this wasn't the case - he/she had just decided to act on my behalf. In the end, I'd tell them very clearly that I was only interested in looking at the place I'd called about and that I didn't want an agent acting for me. A few of them (very rudely) told me that I'd never be able to find somewhere by myself as landlord's agents would refuse to deal directly with me but that was total rubbish. I found a great place, negotiated a good price and have a good realtionship with the LL's agent too.

I think it's some sort of bizarre job creation scheme that two agents are involved in the rental process here.

Good luck!!

Good luck!