Best Broadband Plans for Renters Looking to Relocate


Renter connects to the internet

Take it from someone who’s just done it themselves – moving house can be an absolute pain. For renters, relocation is a fact of life. Aside from the physical stress of packing and moving all your furniture and appliances, there’s the hassle of getting everything connected at the new place – power, water, gas – and yes, broadband.

What Should I look for in a Broadband Plan as a Renter?

It’s your broadband internet in particular that can be a troublesome thing to deal with, not least because a lot of broadband plans involve a long-term contract, one which comes with penalties if you leave early. And as any renter knows, with only a couple of months’ notice you can find yourself having to negotiate with your internet provider over a contract you can’t make it to the end of.

No Contract Internet Plans

If you’re mid-way through a contract when you have to move house, most providers will be at least a little bit accommodating. They might transfer your service over to the new place and let you continue with the contract if you’re really lucky. But some others will only let you out of your existing contract if you agree to a brand new one, effectively resetting the clock on your financial commitment to them and making it hard to ever change providers if you decide you want to.

The obvious answer, if you find yourself contract-free and able to choose between any Internet provider you like, is to aim for the telco providers that offer contract-free plans. They’re more common than you’d think, though in some cases you’ll be paying more and/or getting less for the privilege of not having to sign one or two years of your broadband life away.

Ideally, then, you’ll be looking for no-contract plans that offer good pricing, without any financial penalties. It’s all too common for providers to offer what looks like a very reasonable non-contract plan, only to slug you with a “connection fee” that’s only waived if you sign up to a contract plan (the “connection fee” itself is something of a rort, a legacy of the ADSL days when a tech actually had to visit the phone exchange to plug your line in to the right port).

Connecting to the NBN

If the place you’re moving to is already connected to the NBN, you’re in for a much easier time, both in speed of connection and available plan options. But for the time being, there’s still a few places out there that rely on ADSL – and that means you’re going to have to wear a connection fee pretty much across the board, along with a long wait to get connected and the need to endure lengthy downtime if you decide to change providers later on.

NBN services don’t need a connection fee – if the provider charges one, it’s purely for their own bottom line. It can often be connected in minutes rather than days (particularly true of Fibre to the Home connections), making it a much better fit for renters.

Entertainment Broadband Bundles

When setting up utilities for your new home, whether you’re a pensioner or a family with children, it’s important to find special deals that will give you more value for your money like entertainment broadband bundles. With these bundles, not only will you get an unlimited internet connection for your new place, but you also get a free subscription and/or devices that you can use to stream your favourite shows all in one convenient monthly bill.

Best Broadband Deals for Renters

There’s a vast range of offerings from providers to choose from – especially if you’re connecting to the NBN – and you can check our internet comparison page to get an overview of some of the deals available. Let’s have a quick look at some solid options for renters, though, based on the type of connection you’ll be getting.

Southern Phone NBN Broadband Plans

One of the winners in the NBN field is Southern Phone, a local company with a stellar reputation for both the quality of their service and their Australia-based customer support. All of Southern Phone’s NBN plans have no connection fee and no contracts. You can opt for unlimited data starting at $65 a month on the 25/5Mbps tier, perfect for singles and couples, with no contracts to tie you down on those either. If there’s more streaming and downloading going on, no problem. Just add an extra $10 more to your monthly plan fee and you get unlimited-data NBN on the 50/20Mbps speed tier with the Turbo plan.

Last audited 8th of May 2023

Dodo NBN Plans

Dodo recently retired their 12-month plans to go fully flexible with no-lock-in contract NBN offerings. Broadband service starts from $65/month with uncapped data on the NBN25 speed tier. Add $10 and you get the next NBN50 speed tier. Dodo’s NBN100 plan is also one of the cheapest in Australia (check out our Dodo review to know more) at only $85 per month. Plus, your landline needs are also taken care of with all plans already including a home phone connection with pay-as-you-go calls, as well as the option to add entertainment with Fetch TV.

Dodo Plans

Plan
Inclusions
Price
NBN25 Unlimited - Month to Month
  • $5/mth off for 6 mths. Ends 26/03/24
  • NBN25 Unlimited - Month to Month
  • No Lock-in Contract
  • Unlimited Data
  • NBN 25™ Fixed Line
  • Get $20 off Dodo modem.
  • Up to $10/mth off when bundled with energy
  • $60/mth
$60/mth
for first 6 mths, then $65/mth thereafter
Min Cost - $60 for the 1st 6 mths (incl. $79 modem cost)

Last audited 30th of November 2023

iPrimus Broadband NBN for Renters

You can easily connect to the internet through iPrimus’ range of affordable NBN plans. Your best bet would be the Unlimited Standard Plus Plan, which gives you unlimited data offering up to 50Mbps of typical evening speed for only $75/month. Those who need their internet to be best equipped for 8K streaming can try iPrimus’ new NBN350 plan (available to FTTP and HFC customers in select areas). The best part is that it also comes with other perks like an included landline with pay as you go calls and the option to bundle it with Fetch TV from only $10/month. All NBN plans come with no lock-in contract but there’s a $70 modem and setup upfront costs.

iPrimus Plans

Plan
Inclusions
Price
Premium
  • Save: $10/mth for first 6 mths. Offer ends 09/04/24
  • Free Wi-Fi 6 modem if you stay connected for 12 mths. T&Cs apply
  • Premium
  • No Lock-in Contract
  • Unlimited Data
  • NBN 100™ Fixed Line
  • Typical evening speed of 100Mbps downstream and 17mbps upstream
  • No set up fees
  • $80/mth
$80/mth
for the first 6 mths, then $90/mth thereafter
Min Cost - Total Minimum Cost is $210 ($90/mth plan fee + $120 modem cost = $210)

Standard Plus
  • Free Wi-Fi 6 modem if you stay connected for 12 mths. T&Cs apply
  • Standard Plus
  • No Lock-in Contract
  • Unlimited Data
  • NBN 50™ Fixed Line
  • Typical evening speed of 50Mbps downstream and 17mbps upstream
  • No set up fees
  • $80/mth
$80/mth
Min Cost - Total Minimum Cost is $200 ($80/mth plan fee + $120 modem cost = $200)

Last audited 8th May 2023

Telstra Standard Speed

If you’re looking for an all-inclusive broadband plan for your new place, then Telstra’s Telstra TV + Standard Speed bundle is the perfect fit for you. For only $89/month, you get unlimited data on the NBN25 speed tier and an included Telstra TV 3 with 20,000 Telstra Plus points, plus other perks like unlimited local, national, and mobile calls. Calls to 13 numbers are also included. It’s pretty much an all-access pass to the very best streaming experience to complete your home entertainment. If you’re more into gaming than shows and movies, Telstra also offers an internet plan bundled with the Xbox One S console, which already includes over 100 games with the Game Pass Ultimate and 4K Ultra HD Streaming.

Comparing Broadband Plans

The broadband landscape’s changed a lot in recent years, and it’s now a competitive market that gives renters some great options, regardless of the tech you use to connect. Avoid those contracts, always, and use our recommendations as a starting point, because these days, renters aren’t second-class citizens when it comes to broadband. Most importantly, do your research yourself as you know better than anyone what you’re after.

Visit our broadband tables to compare and review broadband plans based on your individual needs.