Updated October 2026
CM Law’s Ultimate List: Top 50 FAQs on Buying a Residential Investment Property #45. Moving Costs
When buying a residential investment property in NSW, it is easy to focus on the purchase price, mortgage repayments and rental income while overlooking the costs of getting the property ready. Removalists, storage, cleaning and delayed access can all affect cash flow. Planning these expenses early helps protect the money available for repairs and other commitments.
First, separate investment expenses from your own relocation. An unfurnished rental may need only appliance delivery and cleaning. A furnished property may require a complete furniture move. Temporary accommodation usually concerns someone moving home personally; an investor who lives elsewhere is more likely to face delayed rental income.
1. Removalist services
Obtain written, itemised quotes using the same inventory and delivery instructions. Ask whether the price includes packing materials, dismantling furniture, stairs, lift access, long carrying distances, travel time and GST. Confirm minimum charges, waiting time and cancellation or rescheduling fees. A low hourly rate can be misleading if the final bill includes several extras.
The NSW Government’s guide to choosing a removalist recommends checking the contract and insurance arrangements. Removalists are not legally required to insure your possessions. Vehicle or public liability insurance is different from cover for your furniture in transit. Ask about exclusions, excesses, owner-packed boxes and goods kept in storage.
For apartments, confirm moving hours, lift bookings and loading access with building management before booking. Give the removalist accurate access information and photograph valuable items before collection. Keep the inventory with the quote so there is a clear record of what the company agreed to transport.
2. Utility connections
Avoid assuming that every property attracts the same connection fee. Ask the electricity, gas and internet providers for the actual charges and activation dates. An ordinary account connection differs from installing missing infrastructure, arranging a meter or upgrading a service.
Under NSW electricity and gas rules for rentals, landlords pay installation and initial connection costs. Tenants generally pay usage charges where the supply is separately metered. Check responsibility before including a charge in the tenant’s account.
Water charging rules are different: landlords pay water service and sewerage charges. Water usage can only be passed on when the legal conditions are met, including separate metering and water efficiency requirements.
3. Storage, cleaning and repairs
If settlement or renovations are delayed, storage can become a recurring expense. Compare the space required, billing period, access charges and insurance. Include transport into storage and the later delivery to the property. Check minimum rental terms and notice requirements, especially where a short delay could extend into another billing period.
Budget separately for cleaning and repairs needed before advertising the property. Obtain a scope of work so the quote identifies what is included. Carpet treatment, rubbish removal and repairs may be additional services.
An outgoing tenant does not automatically owe the landlord the cost of making an older property look new. NSW moving-out guidance explains that the property should be returned in a similar condition to the start of the tenancy, allowing for fair wear and tear. Compare the condition reports and photographs before proposing a bond deduction.
4. Temporary accommodation and lost rent
If you are also moving home, obtain accommodation quotes that allow for parking, pets, extra nights and cancellation conditions. Investors should separately estimate the effect of a later tenancy start date. An empty property may still incur loan repayments, insurance, strata levies and rates.
For example, an assumed two-week delay at an expected rent of $650 per week means $1,300 in foregone rent. This is a hypothetical cash-flow calculation, not a NSW rental average. Keep lost income separate from actual moving invoices.
5. An illustrative moving budget
The following figures are fictional planning allowances for furnishing a rental. They are not market averages or quotations. Replace each allowance with a current written quote for your property and circumstances.
| Expense | Illustrative allowance |
|---|---|
| Removal and packing | $1,200 |
| Temporary storage | $250 |
| Cleaning | $350 |
| Connection charges, if applicable | $100 |
| Contingency reserve | $500 |
| Total budget | $2,400 |
This example excludes furniture purchases, major repairs, purchase costs and ongoing property expenses. The contingency is money reserved for unexpected costs, rather than an invoice already incurred. A personal relocation may also require accommodation and a separate budget for the household.
Record when each payment is due as well as its amount. Deposits paid before settlement, balances due on delivery and recurring storage payments can fall in the same week. Check whether a refundable booking deposit is already included in the total quote so you do not count it twice. Keep a separate column for amounts paid and amounts still owing.
6. Coordinate the move with settlement
Check whether the contract provides for vacant possession or purchase subject to an existing tenancy. Ask your lawyer to confirm when you can access the property and receive the keys. Avoid treating a scheduled settlement time as guaranteed access for a removal truck.
Arrange a pre-settlement inspection and promptly raise missing inclusions, damage or occupancy concerns with your lawyer. Your options depend on the contract and circumstances. A problem does not automatically entitle you to delay settlement or recover every storage and accommodation expense from the seller.
7. A verified case: damaged furniture and delayed delivery
In Carter and another v Rumbles Group (2019), a couple paid $6,336 for packing, storage and transport from Dickson in the ACT to their new home in Googong, NSW. Several items were damaged. Repairs were unsatisfactory, and some furniture was not returned until tribunal intervention, about 13 months after the original delivery date.
The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal entered judgment for $15,523.41: $13,848.80 in damages plus interest and filing and search fees. It assessed the evidence for individual items. For example, it allowed $100 for cosmetic damage to a mattress instead of the $799 replacement cost claimed because the damage did not affect its functionality.
This was an ACT decision about a household move. It illustrates the value of keeping contracts, photographs, correspondence and repair quotations; it does not establish an automatic entitlement to replacement furniture or reimbursement for settlement delays.
8. Understand your rights if something goes wrong
Household removal services generally attract Australian Consumer Law guarantees, including due care and skill. Transport or storage for business purposes can fall outside these guarantees, so investors should check how their particular arrangement is treated.
Complain in writing, identify the problem and state the remedy sought. Preserve invoices and evidence of damage. Compensation for consequential loss requires a connection to the failure and reasonably foreseeable loss. NSW Fair Trading can assist with consumer complaints; tribunal or court options depend on the dispute.
9. October 2026 update: Smart Rental Bonds
Moving costs also affect your incoming tenants. On 15 October 2026, the NSW Government reported that over 1,800 renting households had transferred more than $5 million in bonds since the September launch of Smart Rental Bonds. These figures describe bonds transferred, not removalist costs or compensation.
Eligible tenants moving between NSW rentals can transfer their existing bond, subject to conditions, a $25 fee and any required top-up. The scheme reduces upfront funding pressure. It does not cancel valid deductions, and landlords’ bond lodgement and claims processes remain unchanged.
10. Prepare before committing
Before paying a deposit, identify who will accept delivery, where the goods will go if access fails and who can approve extra charges. Give your property manager the final inventory and arrange a condition check before the tenancy begins.
Collect quotes, confirm access, keep a reserve and coordinate the proposed move with your lawyer and property manager. CM Lawyers’ conveyancing team can review the purchase contract and explain settlement obligations before you commit to moving arrangements. Early planning helps prevent a manageable setup cost becoming a larger cash-flow problem.
Key resources
- NSW Government — Choosing a removalist: quotes, contracts, insurance and complaints.
- NSW Government — Electricity and gas in rental properties and water charges: landlord and tenant responsibilities.
- NSW Government — Moving out of a rental home: condition reports, cleaning and final inspections.
- NSW Government — Contracts and deposits: purchase and settlement guidance.
- Carter and another v Rumbles Group (2019): official ACT tribunal judgment concerning damaged and delayed household goods.
- ACCC — Consumer rights and guarantees and claiming compensation: service guarantees, exceptions and loss.
- NSW Government — Smart Rental Bonds: eligibility, fees and claims.
- NSW Government — Smart Rental Bonds update, 15 October 2026: source for household and transferred-bond figures.
