Is moving to save $30 a week on rent worth it?

The short answer: Moving to save $30 a week on rent usually costs more than it saves once you count the bond clean, overlapping rent and moving costs. In our case it cost more than $2,000 upfront to avoid a $1,560 a year increase. We moved anyway because of timing, a bigger home we would need soon, and our strength as applicants, not because of the price.

The number that wasn’t the decision

I’m a buyers agent, and I rentvest myself. I rent where I want to live and own property where the numbers make sense for the long term. It works, but it has a cost most people only see once they use it.

The short version: moving to a cheaper rent cost us more than it saved, and we did it anyway.

The renewal and the listing across the road

The renewal for the place I rent came in recently at $30 a week more than we were paying. Felt above market, so before accepting it or pushing back, we had a look at what else was out there at that price.

That’s when the coincidence landed. Across the road, same block, a four bedroom two bathroom had just come up, one more bedroom than our three bedroom, at the exact moment we were weighing up the renewal. Same layout, same size, same build year. Air con in the second bedroom too, which we don’t have. Listed at the rent we’re already paying, not the higher one.

If that listing hadn’t appeared right then, we’d have stayed. We weren’t planning on moving. We liked where we were and intended to renew.

We’re also planning on expanding the family in the next few years, and three bedrooms wasn’t going to cut it forever, not with me working from home and needing an office. This just meant the problem got solved years before we actually needed it solved, for no extra cost.

What moving actually cost

Easy to look at that and call it a no brainer. It wasn’t, once I ran the numbers.

$30 a week is $1,560 a year if we’d taken it rather than pushing back. Against that: bond clean, $1,000. Crossover rent paying both leases at once, roughly another week and a half to two weeks of rent. More than $2,000 gone, upfront, to avoid a $30 a week bump.

We also didn’t need removalists. It’s literally across the road. Most people running this same comparison won’t have that. Removalists, van hire, a wasted weekend packing boxes, it adds up fast.

What moving doesn’t fix

Moving doesn’t buy certainty either. Rent still goes up over time, on this property or any other. And there’s no guarantee this landlord offers us a lease again when the time comes. They could sell, move in themselves, or just not renew, and we’d be looking for a fourth place before long.

There was another factor sitting under all of this. Rental markets are competitive. How you present as an applicant matters: employment, income stability, how settled you look on paper. Right now we’re a strong tenant on paper. Wait until we actually need the space, further down the track, and there’s no guarantee we’re still in that position.

Why we moved anyway

Someone glancing at this sees thirty dollars cheaper and calls it obvious. Run the actual cost of moving against it and it isn’t, not even close. What made it worth it wasn’t the price at all. It was everything sitting underneath the price: the timing, the applicant strength, the years we skipped waiting for a problem we knew was coming.

What rentvesting costs

Third move in three years for us now, after five years in the one place before that. Nobody really tells you this part of rentvesting until you’re in it. Long stretches where nothing moves, then a run where everything does. You’re accepting leases end, a good deal can show up with zero warning, and sometimes you wear a real cost more than once for something you don’t need yet.

I’d do the same thing again. I wouldn’t tell someone else it’s automatically right for them, though. Plenty of people would look at more than two grand gone and an unknown rent trajectory and decide the flexibility isn’t worth it. Fair enough. Different priorities, not a wrong answer.

People love talking about rentvesting for the access and the flexibility it gives you. Almost nobody talks about what that flexibility actually costs when you cash it in, especially after years where it didn’t cost you anything at all. This is what it cost us. Third time in three years.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth moving rentals to save $30 a week?

Usually not on price alone. A bond clean, one to two weeks of overlapping rent and removalists can easily exceed a year of savings, so the decision needs other reasons behind it.

What does rentvesting really cost?

Flexibility has a price when you use it. Leases end, good options appear without warning, and you can wear moving costs more than once, sometimes for space you do not need yet.

Does moving give a renter more certainty?

No. Rent still rises over time and a new landlord can sell, move in or decline to renew, so moving does not remove that risk.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is general in nature and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is not financial, legal, or tax advice. The Nelis Group accepts no liability for actions taken based on this content. You should seek independent advice from a relevant licensed professional before making any decisions and always confirm the latest rules and thresholds with your state revenue office or relevant authority.