h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

While horror stories abound when it comes to renting, not all stories are so bad.
In 4 years of renting, starting when i was 20 having moved out of home straight to a place I rented with my fiance, I have admittedly only lived in two different houses, and I have never had a problem with either place, or landlord.
First piece of advise, never go private if you can avoid it, ALWAYS rent through a real estate agent. It may be a little more expensive (or maybe not, my first house was a 3 bedroom duplex with huge lawns back and front for only 125 Australian dollars a week gloat ) but the benefits of a real estate agency far outways any cost.
Everything, and I mean everything is done on paper (and if it isn't it should be!), so you have written proof of everything, any repairs you asked for must be submitted in writting and the landlords/real estate agents reply is in writting too, any damage to the house before you move in is noted and signed by both you and the landlord/real estate agent before you move in (or in my case they gave me one week to "get settled" and then sign it, so I could "get a feel" for the place first).
The other bonus is that real estate agencies look after many places, so things like minor repairs and that are approved as a matter of course because they are too busy to concern themselves with it.
Plus rent inspections are not carried out very frequently (I have had 1 inspection and that was 13 months into the renting of my current address)

Renting sucks cause it is expensive, but not all renting stories are horror stores.

One gripe, what is the deal with not allowing posters to be stuck up on the walls!! All my mates have had the same clause in their rent contract "No posters or wall hangings to be placed on any wall unless a hook is already provided". While I dont wish to go banging nails into every wall I see, surely blu-tack would be alright, right? Wrong!