Zara's first lease, start to finish

Zara is 19, studying part time and working four shifts a week at a supermarket. In February she and two friends, Liam and Priya, find a 3 bedroom house 20 minutes from campus, listed at $650 a week. Split three ways, that is $216.67 each. The agent's application asks for photo ID, payslips, a reference from her manager and a short rental history, which for Zara is one line: none yet. Her manager's reference and proof of steady income get the three of them over the line, and all three names go on a 12 month lease.

The bond is 4 weeks rent, $2,600, which is $866.67 each. The agent lodges it with the state bond authority, and a week later each of them receives a lodgement receipt from the authority directly. Zara nearly does not notice the receipt email, but Priya insists they each save it: it is the proof the bond sits with the government, not in anyone's drawer.

Moving day is chaos. The agent hands over keys and a condition report, due back within the week. Zara almost tosses it in a box; she is tired and the house looks fine. Liam talks her into an hour of walking every room with their phones out. They log a scuffed hallway wall, a stiff bedroom window, mould spots on a bathroom ceiling, and one cracked tile in the bathroom floor, photographed close up with the date stamped. They note all of it on the report, keep photos of every page, and return it on time. Total cost: one hour and some eye rolling.

In June the hot water system dies on a Friday night. Cold showers in winter are nobody's idea of character building, and they do not have to be: hot water is an urgent repair, and the landlord must deal with it promptly. Zara emails the agent that night describing the fault, so the request is in writing with a date on it. A plumber comes Sunday morning and a new unit is installed Monday. Cost to the tenants: nothing, which is exactly how the law says it should go.

In September a harder wrinkle appears. Priya is offered a job in another city and starts thinking about leaving before the lease ends. This is where the three names on one lease bite: the rent is still $650 a week whether two people live there or three, and the two who stay would owe the whole amount, not two thirds, until a replacement is found and approved. So rather than simply moving out and leaving the others exposed, Priya works with the agent to find someone to take over her room, Zara and Liam agree to the new housemate, and the lease is formally transferred into the new name. Nobody is left carrying a $216.67 a week hole, because they handled the exit through the lease rather than around it.

Zara's weekly housing cost

• Rent share: $216.67, one third of $650 a week.
• Utilities share: about $28 a week, one third of electricity, gas and water usage bills averaged across the year.
• Internet share: $6 a week, one third of a $78 a month unlimited plan.
• Total: about $251 a week to keep a roof, lights and wifi, before food and transport.

The following February the lease ends and the three of them move out. They clean hard, fill nail holes and return the keys. At the final inspection the agent's report claims $400 from the bond for a cracked bathroom tile. Zara opens the condition report photos: the same tile, same crack, dated the day they moved in, noted on the signed report the agency itself holds. Faced with evidence, the claim is withdrawn. The bond authority releases the full $2,600, and $866.67 lands back in each of their accounts. Had the claim gone ahead anyway, Zara could have disputed it, because in most states a bond cannot be paid out without the tenants' agreement or a tribunal order. One hour on moving day, $400 defended.

Her rights at each step

• Application: agents can ask for ID, income and references, but Zara could not be charged a fee just to apply, and no rental history is not a lawful reason to demand extra bond.
• Bond: capped at 4 weeks rent in most states, lodged with the state bond authority, receipt sent to the tenants. Never the landlord's to hold personally.
• Condition report: a short window, about a week in most states, to correct and return it, and her own dated photos count as evidence later.
• Urgent repairs: no hot water must be fixed promptly at the owner's cost, and reporting in writing creates the record that enforces it.
• End of lease: the bond belongs to the tenants unless damage beyond fair wear and tear is proven, and a disputed claim goes to the tribunal, not the agent's discretion.