Settling-in services in Australia: what is included

What do settling-in services include in Australia?

There is no standard package, so the answer is the lists the firms publish. Two firms we list publish theirs, and we read both on 7 October 2026.

Relocate Australia builds three levels. Standard lists an initial consultation, unlimited home search, inspection shortlisting, real estate agent liaison, a condition report, utility assistance and a welcome pack. Deluxe adds a short-term accommodation search, school search and a city orientation covering transport and essential services. Platinum adds airport transfers, settling-in assistance (banking, insurance, car hire and memberships) and house set-up with furniture options and five shopping hours (Relocate Australia).

Journee, in Perth, sells separate services. A home set-up is a two-day on-site service that covers buying essentials such as beds and appliances, coordinating deliveries, unpacking and setting up the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. A schools package covers school research, enrolment, uniforms, booklists and bus timetables for up to three children. Orientation tours run for a half or full day. Its property search package lists utility connection guidance (Journee).

These are two examples, not a ranking. Other firms in our directory list settling-in among their services, and the lists differ.

Which tasks stay with you?

Task	Who does it
Visa	A registered migration agent or a lawyer. A relocation firm only through one of them.
Rental	You, or a tenant agent you hire.
Utilities and internet	You, or a firm that lists them.
Furniture and set-up	You, or a firm that sells set-up.
Schools	You, or a firm with school search.
Tax file number, Medicare, bank account	You. Check the official sites.

Visa. Only a registered migration agent, an Australian legal practitioner or an exempt person may lawfully give immigration assistance, and nobody can guarantee a visa (OMARA consumer guide). A relocation firm that is not one of these should not advise you on a visa.

Rental. A tenant agent can search, inspect and liaise with the agent, but bond and rent-in-advance rules are the state’s. In NSW the bond is at most four weeks’ rent and rent in advance at most two weeks (NSW Government). In Victoria the bond is one month’s rent, more above AUD 900 a week (Consumer Affairs Victoria). See renting in Australia as a foreigner.

Tax file number, Medicare and a bank account. These are the steps people list for the first weeks. We could not read the ATO and Services Australia pages, because those sites block our tools, and we did not find a bank page we could read. This guide therefore says nothing about who qualifies, what to bring, whether you can start before you arrive or how long each takes. Check ato.gov.au, servicesaustralia.gov.au and your bank’s own page, and compare them with what a firm tells you.

Which steps need you in person?

We cannot answer from official sources for the tax, Medicare and bank steps. For the rest, the price lists show what firms can do remotely or on site. Journee sells single property viewings that include a video tour, photos and a summary report from an on-site expert, so a rental inspection does not have to be you. Its home set-up is an on-site service of two days. Ask each firm which tasks it does without you, and which need your signature or your presence.

How long does it take?

We found no official timelines. The durations on the price lists are a two-day on-site home set-up at Journee, five shopping hours in Relocate Australia’s Platinum package, and 60-minute video consults at Journee. Everything else is a question for the firm. Ask how long each task takes for your household, and what happens if it takes longer.

What do these services cost?

Relocate Australia lists Platinum, with settling-in help, from AUD 5,500 plus GST, about EUR 3,417, and extras such as housekeeping, personal assistance, furniture rental and nanny services at AUD 100 an hour, about EUR 62. Journee lists home set-up at AUD 2,495 to AUD 2,995, about EUR 1,550 to EUR 1,861, a schools package from AUD 795 per family, about EUR 494, and orientation tours from AUD 650 for half a day and AUD 995 for a full day. Euros use 1 EUR = 1.6097 AUD (ECB reference rate, 5 October 2026). See what relocation services cost in Australia for the whole list and the payment terms.

Does my employer’s package already include these services?

Possibly. Corporate programmes are priced per case and not published, according to our research on 6 October 2026. Ask your HR team which tasks are covered, which firm does them, and what you must do yourself. Then you only buy what is missing. The first 90 days guide gives the order of the first weeks.

What should the written task list say?

Because the packages differ, ask any firm to put the scope in writing:

1. The tasks it will do, one line each, such as utilities, furniture, school enrolment or orientation.
2. The tasks that stay with you, such as the visa and the official applications.
3. How many viewings, tours, hours or days are included, and what an extra hour costs.
4. Whether GST is included, when you pay and what is refundable.
5. The consultant’s name, and who covers when they are away.

Should I buy the service or do it myself?

You can do every step yourself. A service makes sense if:

• you arrive with a family and need schools, set-up and a home in the same weeks;
• you cannot be in the city to inspect homes or receive deliveries;
• you want one named person to ask when something goes wrong.

To compare firms, read how to choose a relocation service in Australia and open the Australia hub. To ask for an introduction, get matched.

What we could not source

We could not read the ATO and Services Australia pages on tax file numbers and Medicare, or a bank’s page for newcomers, so we give no rule or timeline for them. We found no official timelines for any settling-in step. The two price lists are the only published scopes we read, and other firms may list more or less. Prices change, so check each page before you decide.