What to Consider Before Moving Out of Home for the First Time

Welcome to the world of doing anything to get that security deposit back.

This article is part of our series 'What You Wish You Knew as a Student'. You might find in-article games where you could play to win. To read more articles from this series and find more games, head here. 

There comes a time when all of us have to stop living with our family and move out of home.

For some it comes earlier in life: you might be fresh out of high school and ready to spread your wings. And for others it’s later in life when they’ve already finished studying and maybe already working.

Whatever your journey looks like, moving out of home is both physically and mentally a huge deal.

And while there is a lot to consider, these are just some of the things you should have on your moving-out-of-home checklist.

Can you afford it?

We could go on for ages about budgeting when moving out of home, but the fact of the matter is you need to make sure you can actually afford it.

Look at how much money you have coming in and how much rent you’d have to pay.

But it doesn’t end there. You also need to consider what else you’ll need to cover once you move out of home. This could be bills like electricity, phone, internet and insurance..

The big expenses as well like new furniture, appliances, cooking and cleaning supplies, cutlery, plates, etc... the list goes on.

Plus, essentials like groceries once you’ve actually moved in and random expenses like medical bills or other emergency expenses. Have a look at your savings and consider setting up a budget before you sign that rental agreement.

Sign up for utilities if you need.

Moving into your new home is like getting a new phone – you have to set it up to make it just right. So depending on if you’re moving into your own place or if you’re renting, you might need to sign up for some utilities.

If you’re moving into a home where people are already living, chances are you won’t need to sign up for these (but will most likely have to still pay for them so find out if it’s part of your rent or separate).

But if you are moving into a brand-new home, you might need to set up electricity, gas, water, internet and anything else you might want.

Furnished or unfurnished.

Same as utilities. If you’re looking for a place to rent think about whether you want to rent a furnished place (you rent the place with their furniture) or an unfurnished place (you’ve got to bring your own furniture).

If you’re moving into a place you’ve bought, sorry but you gotta BYO furniture.

There are some pros and cons to choosing an unfurnished or furnished place. If you’re moving abroad for a year for study, for example, you might want to go for a furnished place.

But if you know the place you’re moving into is going to be semi-permanent, maybe getting an unfurnished place and your own furniture is the right decision.

How are you going to move your things in?

Now the step of trying to get your own belongings in. Don’t wait until the day of moving to figure out how you’re going to do this because it won’t be fun 😅

Find out if you need a removalist or movers (you might if you’re moving big furniture like a couch or bed), or if you can ask your friends and family to help.

Pro tip: movers are expensive so if you’re only moving a few things and belongings try to get some friends with cars to help and rent a trailer if you need!

Changing your address.

This one’s for after you’ve moved. But you might need to update your address with different organisations and government bodies.

These will be for places like the Australian Electoral Commission, the Australian Tax Office, Medicare, Centrelink, MyGov, your driver’s licence and more.

Honestly there’s a long list of places where you will need to update your address and it’s different for everybody. But think about categories such as government, transport, insurance, healthcare, bank/financial and education and work your way through what applies to you.

If you’re moving out of home for the first time, congratulations! Make sure to be a good roommate (clean up the microwave and put away those dishes!) You should move out because you want to. But if you need to move out and are having financial issues, contact your local housing authority to find out if there’s any financial assistance they can help with.

It’s never a bad thing to ask for help.

• NSW – Housing NSW
• ACT – Housing, Planning and Property
• Victoria– Office of Housing
• Queensland– Housing and Homelessness Services
• Northern Territory – Social Housing
• South Australia– Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI)
• Western Australia– Department of Communities
• Tasmania – Services Tasmania