 Housing and Safety When you arrive in Australia, you will probably stay in temporary accommodation. You will soon have to look for a place to rent to suit the size of your family and your budget. Housing in Australia varies. You might have different rooms such as a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms. In Australia, it can be very difficult to find a place to rent because there is shortage of rental properties. Be patient. It might take time and may not be perfect but eventually you should find a place to suit you. There are many different types of housing in Australia. You might live in a house or an apartment and properties are usually owned privately. Housing can be very expensive so speak up if you need advice. Renting You are responsible for looking after your home and paying your rent on time. You might be able to get money from the government to help pay your rent. This is called rent assistance. Ask about this at Centrelink. Rental properties are advertised in newspapers through real estate agents and on the internet. You might find it hard to rent at first because you have no record of being able to pay rent. Your settlement service provider can help you. Everyone who rents has to sign a lease or tenancy agreement. This is an agreement between you and the person you are renting from. Don't sign a lease until you understand it and don't sign a lease without looking at the property. You will need to make a list of any damage you notice and make sure the real estate agent knows about these problems before you sign the lease. Adrian is a housing service provider. A real estate agent is employed by the landlord to manage the property. So they will take applications and find suitable tenants for the landlord and also manage any issues that are coming up in the property such as repairs. When you find a place to live, you will have to pay a bond, usually four weeks' rent. This money is kept aside to make sure you look after the property. You will get this money back if nothing is damaged and the property is clean when you move out. Looking after your home. It is your responsibility to look after your home. This includes things like mowing the lawn, keeping carpets and curtains clean and paying for things like gas, telephone and electricity. When you are set up in the house, you have to look after the properties and you have to keep clean. The house is very, very clean. It is very, very important in this country. If you are living very dirty things, you know the agents and landlord is not happy. It is no good because this country is very, very clean. Sometimes your home will be inspected by the real estate agent. This happens to everyone who rents property in Australia. They are checking that you are keeping your place clean and that nothing is damaged. Renting in Australia is very competitive here and you have to really think about what you can do to give yourself the best chance of securing accommodation. So the way we can do that is by getting a good rent reference. That is the best way. If you have a clean and tidy garden, house and you pay your rent on time then you will get a good reference from your current landlord so if you want to move anywhere in the future then you can do that quite easily. Rubbish and recycling. Everyone should put rubbish in bags before putting it in the bin. Only use your own bin. Put rubbish that can be recycled in the recycling bin. For example, paper, plastic, glass and tins can be recycled. You may need to put the bin near the road for collection on your suburbs rubbish collection day. Rubbish is usually collected once a week. Ask your real estate agent about bin collection. Water usage. Australia is a very dry country with little rain. Australians try to reduce the amount of water they use by ensuring water taps are turned off after use and using less water. In many areas there are restrictions on using water and you may not be able to water the garden every day. Ask your settlement service provider what this means for you. Safety in your home. Some things in the home can be quite dangerous if not used properly. If you don't know how to use an appliance, ask someone to show you. You must pick up and ask otherwise you could put yourself and your family in danger if you don't understand how things work here. In Australia there is hot and cold water that comes from the tap. Make sure you do not burn yourself. Electrical and gas appliances such as heaters, stoves and ovens must be used carefully and always turned off when not in use. Don't let children stick anything into power points or the toaster. They are very unsafe. And keep dangerous things like cleaning products and electrical appliances out of their reach. Don't ever leave young children at home alone without adults. Houses in Australia should also be fitted with smoke alarms. Make sure they work by testing them and never cover them. The alarm will go off when there is lots of smoke in the house to warn you there is a fire and they could save your life. While Australia is generally a very safe country, it is important to learn about ways to protect yourself and your family. Learn your address and keep important phone numbers and contact details near the telephone so that you and your family members can use them in an emergency. You can also exchange phone numbers with friends or neighbours and agree that you can ring them if you need help even at night. Keep those numbers near the phone. Make sure you ask who is at the door before you open it. Don't forget to take your keys with you when you go out so you can get back into your home. Always lock your doors and windows when you go out and at night. In an emergency, if there is a fire, accident or somebody trying to break into your house, telephone 000 for help. Settling into your home. Take the time to settle into your new home. Introduce yourself to your new neighbours. Find your closest shops and see what is around your suburb. Organise your furniture so you feel comfortable. This is your space. In Australia, family members usually sleep in bedrooms and children often share a bedroom. Landrooms are for the family to get together. Make sure you open your windows regularly to keep the air in your house clean and fresh. If there are things you don't understand, that's okay. Speak up. Ask for help.