The decision about how and where you want to give birth, and if you want to go private or public, is very personal. We help you weigh up your options by looking at the pros, cons and costs of going public vs private. If you already know you want to go private, jump straight to our expert picks for the cheapest health insurance for pregnancy and birth.

On this page:

• Public vs private care for pregnancy and birth
• Public hospital vs private hospital
• How much does it cost to give birth?
• Top four tips for pregnancy and health insurance
• Best policies with cover for pregnancy, birth and assisted reproduction

Public vs private care for pregnancy and birth

In Australia, doctors in private and public hospitals alike provide high-quality care for pregnancy and birth. The main advantage of going private is that you can choose the obstetrician who cares for you during your pregnancy and attends the birth.

However, the rate of “natural” births is higher in public hospitals. The statistics are pretty clear on this: there are more natural births (non-instrumental vaginal births with or without pain relief) in public hospitals and more caesareans in private hospitals.

糖心Vlog tip: It’s important to choose the right obstetrician for the type of care you want. Ask about their rate of interventions, particularly caesareans.

Public hospital vs private hospital

Giving birth in a public hospital as a public patient

Pros

• Lower rate of interventions and higher rate of natural births.
• Only very small, if any, out-of-pocket costs.
• Usually better facilities if you have a high-risk pregnancy or a sick or premature baby.
• Some hospitals have birth centres or midwifery programs where you can get more personalised, continuous care with your own midwife. Book in early as these programs are very popular.

Cons

• You often don’t know the doctor and midwives attending your birth and may see a different doctor/midwife each time (unless you are part of a continuous care program).
• Food and facilities may not be as nice as in a private hospital.
• You often have to share a room with other mothers and their babies.
• You may be cared for by junior doctors, who will call in a specialist when needed.

Giving birth in a private hospital as a private patient

Pros 

• Continuity of care with your own obstetrician and their midwives during your pregnancy. 
• Food and facilities may be nicer than in a public hospital. 
• Better chance of getting a private room and your partner may be able to stay with you. 

Cons 

• Higher rate of interventions and lower rates of natural births. 
• High out-of-pocket-costs. 
• Your obstetrician may be on leave or may not make it in time for the birth. 
• You usually won’t know the midwives who attend your birth and provide postnatal care.  
• If your baby or you need intensive care, you may need to be transferred to a public hospital. 
• Doctors and anaesthetists are often not on-site so have to be called in. 

糖心Vlog tip: Some public hospitals may encourage you to use your private hospital cover as a public patient in a public hospital without any cost to you 鈥� while there is no difference in your medical care, you may have a better chance of getting a private room.

How much does it cost to give birth?

Public patient

If you go to a public hospital as a public patient, you’d normally be fully covered by Medicare. But out-of-pocket costs could arise for:

• shared care with a GP who doesn’t bulk bill
• scans or pathology outside of hospital
• childbirth classes.

Private patient

Even if you have private health insurance, large and sometimes unexpected out-of-pocket costs can arise for private care. Health funds are not allowed to cover out-of-hospital care. Therefore, each time you visit your obstetrician, you may have out-of-pocket costs. 

The amount depends on if and how much they charge above the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee. The largest cost may be the pregnancy management fee 鈥� you’ll pay out-of-pocket costs between $1250 and $4550, with the highest costs being in NSW and the ACT. 

Out-of-pocket costs as a private patient with health insurance for the birth itself usually range between $400 and $500, plus your excess for the hospital accommodation. 

How to save money on your pregnancy if you have private health insurance

• Check with your health fund to find an obstetrician who uses the fund’s gap scheme for the birth and can attend to you in a hospital that has an agreement with your health fund.
• Use shared care with a GP who bulk bills.
• Ask your obstetrician to detail all costs beforehand.
• Consider being a private patient in a public hospital. It’s less likely that you’ll have unexpected out-of-pocket costs for blood tests, X-rays, ultrasounds, and the anaesthetist and paediatrician.  
• Check with your health insurer to find out how soon you need to upgrade to family cover so that your baby is covered.
• Once you’re pregnant, check whether you’ve served the waiting period. If you give birth before the waiting period is up, consider going to a public hospital as a public patient. 

Top four tips for health insurance with pregnancy

1. Take out private health insurance well ahead of getting pregnant. There is a 12-month waiting period that applies to the date you’re admitted to hospital for the birth. 
2. You won’t be covered if you have a premature birth within the waiting period or even if you give birth only a few days before the end of the waiting period.
3. Initially, only the person giving birth needs pregnancy cover. Once you’re pregnant, check with your health insurer how soon you need to upgrade to family cover so that your baby is covered.
4. Check with your obstetrician and the private hospital or fertility clinic whether they have a no-gap agreement with your health insurer. If they only have an agreement with another insurer, you can switch before giving birth without serving a waiting period for pregnancy, birth and assisted reproduction. 

Best policies with cover for pregnancy, birth and assisted reproduction

Exclusively for 糖心Vlog members, we list below the best policies in each state that cover pregnancy, birth and assisted reproduction. Log in to unlock this member-only content, or join 糖心Vlog to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews.

Our recommendations include open funds and restricted membership funds in every state. Find out more about the best restricted membership funds. Some of these funds are more “open” than you may realise, and they can offer great value policies. They’re for employees of specific industries or professions, such as the armed forces, teachers, union members or CommBank.

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Last year, however, after reading news reports of AustralianSuper鈥檚 reinvestment in big coal companies, she wrote to her super fund to express her concern and to try to get some answers.聽

鈥淚 would sign petitions, write emails and things like that. Responses would come back months later, copy and paste responses that didn鈥檛 address any individual issues raised,鈥� she says. 

In the last 12 months, AustralianSuper have backflipped on their 2020 divestment from Whitehaven coal, purchasing shares worth around $400 million and becoming the largest single shareholder in the company. 

AustralianSuper tells us they remain committed to reaching net zero by 2050, but activist groups such as Market Forces say that is simply 鈥済reenwashing鈥� given Whitehaven鈥檚 massive coal mining expansion plans around Australia. 

鈥淎ustralianSuper is greenwashing by suggesting that its massive stake in Whitehaven is consistent with its climate commitments,” Brett Morgan, senior superannuation funds analyst at Market Forces says. 

Cate felt the same. 

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 get the response I wanted to hear when I inquired about fossil fuels. Eventually I just decided there was no hope here and voted with my money.鈥� 

Cate moved her around a quarter of a million dollars out of AustralianSuper to a fund she felt more ethically aligned with. In a world of confusing fund names and labels and competing claims, it’s a move few Australians make and one that advocates say could be about to get harder. 

Treasury consulting on new sustainable labels 

The federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has instructed Treasury to come up with a new labelling scheme for financial products. The idea is that clearer, better defined and common rules for using terms such as 鈥済reen鈥�, 鈥渆nvironmental鈥� and 鈥渟ustainable鈥� will unlock greater levels of green investment from private capital, in line with the federal government鈥檚 Net Zero goals. 

Submissions on the Sustainable Financial Product Label Policy Framework closed in March and Treasury has yet to announce their next steps or what direction the policy will take. 

Super Consumers Australia鈥檚 Susan Quinn says one proposal is a 鈥渓oose and principles-based鈥� disclosure scheme that could lower the threshold for the quality of evidence required to substantiate sustainability claims and make greenwashing harder to detect and enforce.聽

鈥淣o doubt the super funds’ marketing teams would love it. But it would make things even harder and less certain for people who are navigating green claims by super funds. And it could seriously undermine the effectiveness of anti-greenwashing laws that we already have,鈥� she says. 

Industry advocates say the proposed changes won鈥檛 help

In the last two years, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has taken major high-profile legal action against a number of super funds for greenwashing. In 2024, Mercer was ordered to pay over $11 million by the Federal Court for misleading customers and Active Super copped a penalty of over $10 million for greenwashing misconduct in 2025.

Quinn says these recent actions show that the current system is already working to prevent greenwashing and that Treasury鈥檚 new labelling proposals are trying to fix a problem that doesn鈥檛 exist and may make it easier for the super funds to get away with greenwashing.聽

鈥淧eople who are interested in green investment have been shocked to find out that their supposedly sustainable super is still sitting in fossil fuels or other things that are big no-nos for them. Super funds could do so much better to help people understand what their sustainable products really are. A start would be to just be open about all the companies they’re invested in,鈥� she says. 

She says it’s hard to see how a loose labelling scheme is going to make the general public鈥檚 understanding of what these products mean better. 

鈥淲e keep seeing funds do things like apply ‘tolerances’ for fossil fuel investments. So they’ll still invest in a company that makes money from fossil fuels, as long as it’s below a certain portion of the company’s revenue. Then they’ll slap a ‘sustainable’ label on the super product. This means lots of disclaimers in the fine print and we want to see regulators do more to clamp down on it,鈥� Quinn adds.   

Industry backs reforms聽

While industry advocates are skeptical of the proposed changes, those within the superannuation industry have a different perspective. Louise Davidson, CEO of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors, which is the peak body representing industry super funds, says the Council supports the Treasury consult鈥檚 principles of improving customer understanding.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very complex area, and we would like to see product innovation continue. There鈥檚 a balance but we think there is an opportunity to leverage existing laws and also enhance the information available to retail investors and superannuation members to minimise both complexity and compliance burden,鈥� she says. 

Criteria must be scientifically-based

Katarina Thompson, the acting managing lawyer at the Environmental Defenders Office, takes a balanced view, agreeing that a new labelling regime could be positive, but with the caveat that it has to be 鈥渄one right鈥�. 

鈥淐hanges could be really positive, as long as the regime is robust and any criteria used to verify the financial products are scientifically-based,鈥� she says. 

She says the current way of operating is far too complicated for consumers, who have to investigate and interrogate products to understand what super funds are doing with their money, even when they claim to be in 鈥済reen鈥� or 鈥渆thical鈥� fund options. 

鈥淭here is a lot of vague language and language that is not necessarily backed up by publicly available, independently verified science being used in the superannuation space. That is really problematic for consumers鈥� ability to check the veracity of the claims being made. There is a lot of room for improvement,鈥� Thompson says. 

 Concerns that the new scheme might mislead consumers

However, advocates remain concerned that the proposed idea of introducing 鈥渢hresholds鈥� for what level of a product鈥檚 investments can be not aligned with environmentally sustainable investments is a worrying precedent. 

One of the proposals being considered by Treasury in the consultation is that investment products with less than 30% exposure to unaligned investments be considered to meet the threshold to use certain sustainability labels. 

鈥淎ny product claiming 鈥榞reen鈥� or 鈥榮ustainable鈥� labelling should not be exposed to companies expanding fossil fuel production, not at all, in any way,鈥� Brett Morgan from Market Forces says. 

Quinn says the government needs to conduct independent testing to gather evidence about what Australian consumers think and expect each of these environmental labels to mean and make sure the new scheme abides by these expectations.聽

鈥淲e’re concerned that the super industry is trying to shape a labelling regime that works for them, not the people it’s really supposed to benefit. There’s a big disconnect between what people at super funds think is sustainable or green, and what millions of people across Australia think,鈥� she says. 

鈥淚f the government forges ahead with a labelling scheme without rigorous consumer testing built in, it’s pretty much guaranteed to enable more greenwashing,鈥� Quinn adds. 

A spokesperson for Treasurer Jim Chalmers鈥� office says ensuring markets and consumers have clear and credible information on climate and sustainability, including in superannuation, will be key to achieving net zero. 

鈥淥ur government has always taken a consultative approach on these issues, which is why we have recently consulted on options to make sustainable financial products easier to understand and assess,鈥� they say. 

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These have been trying times for tenants across Australia 鈥� national rental vacancy rates have hit a record low and the cost of leasing somewhere to live in most capital cities continues to increase, according to Domain鈥檚 latest quarterly rental report released this month.

As they do so often, scammers are stepping in to exploit the demand.

Consumer regulators, banks and real estate and tenant groups are warning of criminals creating fake rental listings to steal money or sensitive information from those looking for somewhere to live.

Securing a rental requires a serious investment of time and money, so there鈥檚 lots to lose if it goes wrong. Our tips below will help you steer clear of dodgy offers.

How to avoid a rental scam:

• 1. Research the property
• 2. Research the person or company advertising the property
• 3. Know the official renting process
• 4. Exercise caution

1. Research the property

Use established real estate platforms and be wary of listings on social media

Scammers setting up fake rental listings tend to advertise them on social media or online classified marketplaces, so be careful of properties or rooms being put up for lease on these forums.

The Tenants鈥� Union of NSW recommends using established real estate sites like domain.com.au and realestate.com.au to find somewhere to rent.

Most of the properties or rooms listed on these platforms are offered by professional property managers, so have been vetted and verified as authentic.

It’s also a good idea to limit your searches to leases advertised by established real estate agencies.

Look for realistic prices

Ads for rentals in every state and territory have to list a fixed amount you鈥檒l be expected to pay each rent cycle.

They can鈥檛 list a price range or invite you to make a bid, so avoid anyone doing this.

Using a trustworthy real estate platform to understand average rental prices in the area where you want to live will help you spot any offers that are too good to be true. 

Your or tenants’ union might also offer their own rent tracking and comparison tools.

Check the address

Look for the address of the property and use Google Street View to make sure it matches any photos included with the advertisement.聽

But beware that scammers can steal photos and property descriptions from legitimate sources, so do a reverse image search on photos and put the text from the ad into a search engine with quotation marks at the beginning and end if you鈥檙e suspicious.

If the same images and description appear on a listing for a property in a different location or are used on lots of other listings, you鈥檝e likely encountered a scam.

Inspect thoroughly

You should thoroughly inspect a property, inside and out, or send someone you trust to do this, before agreeing to rent it or handing over any money.

Someone running a fake listing won鈥檛 let you do this and will go to great lengths to make excuses for why it鈥檚 not possible, often claiming to be overseas or interstate.

Don鈥檛 settle for just driving past the property or looking at it from the outside 鈥� offering to let you do this is another common rental scammer tactic.

2. Research the person or company advertising the property

Work with professionals

Most home owners who want to rent their property pay a professional property manager, such as a real estate agent, to find tenants and run the leasing process.

Therefore, dealing with an established real estate firm in the area where you want to rent will reduce your chances of being caught up in a scam.

A legitimate agent negotiating a lease will follow an official application and screening process, which should take some time. 

Beware of anyone trying to rush you into handing over money straight away.

Check a property manager鈥檚 details

If a property manager works for a particular real estate agency or other group, they should be contacting you via official channels associated with that business.

Make sure their emails come from an address that includes the agency or business name, rather than a personal email service, like Gmail.

If you鈥檙e suspicious, contact an agent鈥檚 employer using details you鈥檝e found yourself to check they are who they say they are.

Real estate agents also have to be licensed. The website of should have information on where you can search your local register.

3. Know the official renting process

Renting has become crucial to meeting Australia鈥檚 housing needs. Therefore, there are a growing number of regulations that dictate the course of any legitimate rental process.

Despite some broad similarities, rules and responsibilities for renters, property managers and landlords vary by state and territory.

Avoid falling for scammers by familiarising yourself with what information you should be given and what payments you can be asked for in the state or territory where you鈥檙e planning to rent.

Check the links below to see information from state and territory governments and consumer protection agencies on taking out a lease in:

Paying rent in advance

Each jurisdiction has limits on what fees and charges managers can request from tenants before they move in, but these vary by location.

For example, in most states and territories, renters can鈥檛 be asked to pay more than two weeks of rent in advance, but in some states they can be asked for four.

Avoid dealing with anyone asking for more than what鈥檚 allowed in your state or territory (you may not be able to rely on them to provide you with a property) and report them to .

The bond process

The maximum bond or security deposit you can be asked for also varies: in most states it鈥檚 four weeks worth of rent, but in other areas it鈥檚 six.

Luckily though, when you鈥檝e paid a bond, almost all jurisdictions have similar strict rules on where this money has to be sent.

In everywhere except the Northern Territory, a bond can鈥檛 be held by the property manager, owner or landlord.

Rather, it has to be lodged with a government body, often a bond authority or revenue office. 

Different states and territories have different rules about whether the renter, property manager or either of these transfers this money to the relevant government body.

But most states decree that it has to be done within a certain time and that the renter should be given a receipt to prove the process has been completed.

The exception to all this is the Northern Territory, where landlords can hold a bond themselves.

Securing receipts

Tenant groups and consumer protection agencies recommend securing and keeping receipts for any payments you make.

Depending on the state or territory where you鈥檙e renting, this may be provided automatically for a bond payment, but you might need to ask the property manager or landlord for receipts of other fees, such as rent in advance.

4. Exercise caution

Securing a property can require lots of frantic back and forth with a property manager, often by email 鈥� a process which can be easy for scammers to prey on.

Business email compromise (BEC) scams see criminals gain access to the email accounts of businesses and send messages to clients asking for money or sensitive information.

Businesses in the property sector have been the target of these operations, with criminals using the BEC method to impersonate real estate agents and conveyancers in order to convince home buyers or renters to hand over sizeable sums of money.

Be wary of any unexpected emails coming from a property business you鈥檝e been dealing with that ask you to send money to a particular bank account, especially if it鈥檚 one you haven鈥檛 used in your previous dealings with that business.

If you receive a suspicious request like this, call someone at the business to verify using a phone number that you鈥檝e found yourself and isn鈥檛 included in the suspicious email.

Don’t get ripped off. Our expert tips can help you spot and avoid the latest scams.

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The cost of living is back on the agenda after turmoil in the Middle East put a rocket under fuel prices, pushing up costs everywhere from groceries and eating out, to travel and postal deliveries.

Farmers, airlines, restaurants and other businesses are passing extra charges onto customers to deal with spiralling overheads.

With the government warning the economic consequences of this far-flung conflict will be with us for some time yet, we鈥檝e got five ways you can keep more of your money in your wallet.

• 1. Shop smart for fuel
• 2. Choose cheaper groceries
• 3. Know your travel rights
• 4. Check the sales and wait for EOFY
• 5. Avoid scams and get help

1. Shop smart for fuel

The spike in petrol and diesel prices has been one of the most immediate and obvious consequences of the recent international turmoil.

Bowser prices jumped soon after war broke out between Iran and the US in late February, rising by as much as 50 cents per litre in two weeks in some parts of Australia, according to the ACCC.

Prices have dropped (for petrol) or at least stabilised (for diesel) in most parts of the country since the federal government cut fuel taxes at the beginning of this month, but going rates can still vary widely between retailers.

So comparing prices before you fill up could save you a decent amount of money.

Luckily, this has become easier thanks to several states recently upgrading their fuel price comparison platforms to provide more information and make them easier to use.

How to compare fuel prices where you live

There are over 40 free fuel price apps and websites operating in Australia.

Each state and territory government runs a database of petrol prices that retailers are required to report to. Some share this information on their own apps and websites, while others make it available to third parties.

ACT: Most service stations are included on NSW鈥檚 , but third-party services are also available.

NSW: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

Northern Territory: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

Queensland: Has a government-run database. Data is provided to third-party apps and websites, including RACQ, PetrolSpy, MotorMouth and FuelRadar.

South Australia: Has a government-run database and a .

Tasmania: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

Victoria: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

Western Australia: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

2. Choose cheaper groceries

The fuel crisis has already hit food, with the Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association recommending its members add a surcharge to cushion against rising transport and supply costs.

In bad news for those who grow what we eat, the Middle East crisis has also impacted fertiliser supplies. This has combined with high fuel costs to put an extra squeeze on the producers of our grocery staples.

The National Farmers’ Federation has been lobbying supermarkets to increase shelf prices and pass some of these extra earnings back to growers and producers, while a major dairy co-operative has announced it will lift prices for its milk from next month.

As these pressures flow through to what you pay at the checkout, it鈥檚 worth knowing prices for the same or very similar grocery products often vary widely between supermarkets.

糖心Vlog regularly compares prices at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA, and our latest grocery basket survey found a difference of over $25 for the same basket of goods.

Checking grocery prices at different retailers near you and planning and dividing your shop between outlets can help you save.

3. Know your travel rights

Travel, especially overseas, is a big investment, and disruptions to holiday plans can leave you significantly out of pocket.

And upfront costs are set to increase. Qantas and Virgin Australia have announced plans to hike fares and reduce the number of services they operate, after jet fuel prices more than doubled in less than two months.

Continuing tensions in the Middle East also raise the chances of a sudden escalation in conflict putting a stop to your jaunt, especially if you鈥檙e transiting through the region.

With the holiday stakes this high, it鈥檚 important to know what you鈥檒l get back in costs if your travel plans are upended.

If you cancel a plane ticket yourself, you鈥檒l be at the mercy of your airline and its terms and conditions. In short, you鈥檒l be unlikely to get your money back.

But if your carrier steps in to cancel the service itself, you will usually be entitled to a refund or credit.

So if you’re unsure about an upcoming journey, wait and see what your airline does.

Travel insurance is a must when heading overseas, but keep in mind that we haven’t seen any policies that provide cover for claims resulting from war.

Your policy also won鈥檛 cover you if you travel to a country with an Australian government 鈥楧o Not Travel鈥� warning. See which nations meet this threshold on the government鈥檚 .

Check out our guide to travel insurance during war for more info, along with tips on getting your money back from accommodation and third-party booking sites.

When buying travel cover, see which policies offer the best value for money with our international travel insurance review, and take a look at our guides to the best insurance for popular destinations, including Japan, Bali, the UK and USA.

4. Check the sales and wait for EOFY

Got household appliances that need replacing?

Some of the latest TVs and phones from big brands are fresh into stores, meaning discounts on older models. Runout deals have also been spotted on laundry and cleaning gadgets.

These clearance sales are a good chance to grab a bargain on an older TV, washing machine or robot vacuum cleaner.

鈥淲ith TVs especially, our expert testers say models change little year to year, so you鈥檙e unlikely to miss out on much by grabbing a slightly older release,鈥� says 糖心Vlog TV expert Denis Gallagher.

Look at a TV鈥檚 model number to know which year it鈥檚 from. Our guide to buying a bargain TV explains how to spot models from 2025 or earlier.

If you don鈥檛 see something you like in the current sales, or your favoured buy is still at full price, put off an impulse purchase and wait for the end-of-financial-year (EOFY) sales.

The fiscal year may not end until 30 June, but last year we saw EOFY deals dropping as early as start of May.

Once they get underway, you can expect most major retailers and manufacturer brands to get in on the action, with discounts averaging 20鈥�50%, and sometimes as high as 80%.

Such bargains might end up being well-timed 鈥� inflationary pressures across the economy resulting from the conflict in the Middle East could push up prices of all goods, including tech and appliances, in coming months.

When the sales begin, check our product reviews and rundowns of products to avoid to make sure you鈥檙e not being handed a dud.

5. Avoid scams

It’s worth remembering that stress can make us more vulnerable to scams, and dealing with rising prices and disrupted travel can certainly add to stress.

Scam losses ticked up for the first time in several years in 2025, according to the ACCC鈥檚 Targeting Scams report.

Mobile number fraud and cons targeting people buying and selling on online marketplaces are among the latest schemes consumers are being urged to watch out for.

Check out our investigations into SIM swap and phone porting and fake PayID schemes for tips on how to spot some of these scams.

And read our rundown of the five scams to watch out for this year for a heads-up on the other tactics you might encounter in coming months.

Where to get help

If you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed by expenses or struggling to make ends meet, contact the National Debt Helpline (NDH) on 1800 007 007 for a free chat with a financial counsellor or visit the .

You might also be eligible for a No Interest Loan (NIL, worth up to $2000) to go towards the cost of essential goods and services.

NILs are provided by not-for-profit Good Shepherd, in partnership with local community organisations across Australia.

Visit the to find your local provider and check if you鈥檙e eligible.

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We’ve crunched the numbers from our lab tests, insurance comparisons and investigations to come up with some simple steps you can take to reduce your cost of living this year on everything from energy bills to grocery costs.

“Saving money doesn’t always have to be a grind,” says 糖心Vlog editorial director Mark Serrels.

“Sometimes it doesn’t even require huge amounts of sacrifice! Something as simple as switching your health insurance or being more selective about your energy provider can save you hundreds 鈥� sometimes thousands 鈥� of dollars.” 

On this page:

• 1. Turn off appliances at the power point
• 2. Switch your health insurance provider
• 3. Look for a new car insurer
• 4. Review your home insurance
• 5. Change the way you wash your clothes
• 6. Get smart with your beverages
• 7. Change your energy provider
• 8. Spread your weekly shop

1. Turn off appliances at the power point

Energy costs are one of the biggest concerns for Australians. In our June 2025 Consumer Pulse survey, 84% of Australians told us they’re concerned about their electricity costs. 

Choosing energy-efficient appliances, turning off lights you’re not using and making sure your home is well-insulated to reduce heating and cooling costs are well-known ways to manage your spending on electricity. 

But what about the energy being stealthily consumed by appliances in standby mode? 

“There are several appliances around your house that cost you money even when you think you’ve turned them off,” says Denis Gallagher, 糖心Vlog digital home product manager.

“Wireless routers and printers are particularly notorious for being the biggest energy hogs. 

“Turning your appliances off at the wall when they’re not in use will make sure you’re not wasting unnecessary power and money.”

Total possible savings: Up to $240 a year.

2. Switch your health insurance provider

If you’re among the 45% of Australians with hospital cover or the 55% with extras cover, chances are you’re paying more than you need to. 

Our experts independently compare the policies of 48 health funds (some commercial comparison sites compare as few as seven) and time and again we see significant savings on offer if you shop around. 

While the two biggest health funds 鈥� Medibank and Bupa 鈥� dominate with a combined market share of more than 52%, it’s often the smaller funds where we see savings. 

But while switching to a cheaper policy can save you some cash, our longstanding advice is to carefully consider whether or not you at all, especially extras. 

Our recent Consumer Pulse survey shows increasing worries about the price of private health insurance, with 81% of Australians expressing concern about this household cost in our June 2025 survey. 

If you do want to hang on to your health insurance, our experts calculate that if you switch your hospital insurance to a cheaper policy there are potentially significant savings. 

“The same cover with a different insurer can be hundreds of dollars cheaper,” says 糖心Vlog insurance expert Mark Blades.

“Whether you have a Gold, Silver or Bronze policy, it’s likely that you’ll be able to find a cheaper deal that will give you exactly the same amount of cover.”

Our experts found that: 

• People with Gold policies could save up to $2130 a year by moving to a cheaper Gold policy.
• People with Silver policies could save up to $1150 a year. 
• People with Bronze policies could save up to $840 a year.

Total possible savings: Up to $2130 a year.

3. Look for a new car insurer

Car insurance is another household cost causing concern for Australians. In June 2025, our Consumer Pulse survey found 77% of us were worried about the cost of car insurance. That’s an awful lot of people troubled by how much they’re being asked to pay.

The good news is our expert analysis found that, in all states, average premiums for the most expensive policy are more than double the average premiums for the cheapest, so there are savings to be found.

Our experts found that, in most states, you could save significantly if you switched from the most expensive to the cheapest policy, but, of course, some cheap policies won’t give you the coverage you need. The policies our 糖心Vlog experts recommend have superior cover, and they’re often cheaper than average policies.

Our experts found that when we looked at the average premium of the cheapest policies that scored high enough to be recommended, compared to the average of all other policies, there were savings to be had in every state.

• In ACT you could save $422
• In NSW you could save $317
• In NT you could save $567
• In Qld you could save $87
• In SA you could save $302
• In Tas you could save $204
• In Vic you could save $378
• In WA you could save $298 

Total possible savings: up to $567

4. Review your home insurance

Not surprisingly, this is another of those increasingly expensive household costs causing concern for Australians. Some 80% of those we surveyed in our June 2025 Consumer Pulse told us that they were concerned about the price of their home insurance premiums. 

As with the other types of insurance we’ve looked at, shopping around can save you thousands of dollars. 

Here are the potential savings you can make for insurance if you were to switch to one of the policies we recommend in our review:

• NSW: $160 
• NT: $1480 
• Qld: $1595 
• SA: $847
• Tas: $832
• Vic: $609
• WA: $309

The ACT is not included in this list because in our most recent 2025 comparison, the average price of our recommended policy in ACT was $59 higher than the market average. Because we take cover, as well as price, into account when making recommendations, we sometimes recommend policies that are not the absolute cheapest available.

If you’ve been with the same insurer for more than 24 months, 糖心Vlog insurance expert Daniel Graham advises calling your insurer to ask them if you can get a better deal.

“You should also get quotes from at least three other insurers to compare and find the best value 鈥� some will match or beat competitors鈥� premiums. And new customers often get a discount to sweeten the deal,鈥� he says.

A good place to start is the 糖心Vlog home insurance review. We鈥檝e compared more than 50 different home insurance policies from across the market to help you find the right cover for your building and contents.

Total possible savings: Up to $1595 a year.

5. Change the way you wash your clothes

Because we regularly test laundry detergents and washing machines in our laundry lab, we can accurately calculate how much you can save by tweaking the way you wash your clothes. 

“There are lots of opportunities to make savings in the way you do your laundry,” says 糖心Vlog head of reviews and testing Matthew Steen. 

“Washing full loads in cold water rather than small loads in warm, and switching to a top-performing but cheaper detergent 鈥� and using less of it 鈥� will save you about $700 over the course of a year.” 

“We found in our testing that this approach gets clothes just as clean but costs significantly less. Cutting out unnecessary fabric softener could further cut your costs by as much as $295. 

“And reducing your reliance on a dryer will add even more savings: we calculated you could save nearly $480 a year just by switching to line drying,” he says.

Our washing machine reviews can also help you save if you’re in the market for a new machine: we factor energy use into our ratings, so if we’ve scored it high enough to be recommended, it will be efficient to run.

Total possible savings: Up to $1473 a year.

6. Get smart with your beverages

If you’re a coffee lover, buying your drinks rather than making them yourself can end up costing you more than you might think. 

Sure, that mid-morning coffee might only be a few dollars, but if you’re buying one most days that will quickly add up. 

When we looked at the cost of making your coffee at home, including buying the machine itself, parts, maintenance and all the ingredients, we calculated it could set you back about $724.50 for one double-shot of coffee each day for a year. 

To buy the same coffee from a cafe each day for a year would end up costing you about $2007.50. 

This means you could save $1283 by making your coffee at home, a significant saving for most of us who are watching our budgets.

Total possible savings: Up to $1283 a year.

7. Change your energy provider

With concerns about gas and electricity prices on the rise for many Australians, finding the cheapest retailer is something that could really help you save. 

Unfortunately, many of us sign up to a plan based on a cheap initial offer, but when the deal ends we stay with the provider on the newer, more expensive plan. 

Energy retailers love to lure us in on cheap rates, knowing that we’ll probably stick with them even when the prices go up. 

to help make it easy for people wanting a better deal on their energy bills. Bill Hero guarantees it will find annualised savings on your first bill, and that you’ll save more than the price of your annual subscription. If it can’t, you can cancel immediately for a full refund. 

Exactly how much you’ll save will depend on a lot of factors, but Bill Hero says the average first-switch savings for its customers is $380. 

A Bill Hero annual subscription will cost you between $49 and $79, depending on whether you’re looking for a better deal on your electricity, gas or both. So all up you’ll be looking at savings of between $301 and $331.

Total approximate savings: $316.

8. Spread your weekly shop

Since June 2024, 糖心Vlog has been conducting quarterly grocery basket surveys to help consumers find savings on their weekly shop. 

Each quarter, we create a basket of between 15 and 20 items, including a range of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy, frozen and pantry items and compare the prices across the country at Aldi, Coles, IGA and Woolworths supermarkets. 

We frequently find that the difference between the most expensive basket of goods and the cheapest is significant. We also find that specials and discounts can make a big difference to the overall cost.

Our research emphasises a few key changes you can make to help save on your grocery costs, an expense that continues to worry Australians, according to our regular Consumer Pulse research, which in June 2025 revealed that 86% of us continue to be troubled by how much we need to spend on food and groceries. 

To save on your weekly shop, here are three things you can do:

1. Check the unit pricing: It can be hard to compare prices of different-sized products from different brands, but unit pricing lets you compare prices based on the price per unit e.g. 100g or 1L. All supermarkets are required by law to include this information in labelling, both online and instore.
2. Shop around: Switching between stores and shopping at different supermarkets to take advantage of specials can deliver significant savings. 
3. Change your routine: Swap expensive cuts of meat for cheaper alternatives; look at frozen fruit and veg, particularly if shopping for produce out of season; and give the ugly fruit and veg a go. Also, don’t be afraid to try home-brand products. Our expert testing often finds that these ranges outperform more expensive options at all the supermarkets. 

So how much can you save by switching from the most expensive to the cheapest option? 

When we compare the amount you save by choosing the cheapest basket of goods instead of the most expensive, we see that on average the difference is about 31%. If you were spending $240 a week on groceries 鈥� the estimated average Australian households spend 鈥� reducing what you spend by the average difference we see in our surveys would deliver savings of more than $3860 a year.

Total approximate savings: Up to $3860 a year.

The post How to save up to $11,500 this year appeared first on 糖心Vlog.

Some home and contents policies we review exclude all cover for animal damage. While this may seem strict, at least you know where you stand. We take a closer look at the fine print of the 86 home policies that provide at least some cover for animal damage to figure out what they will and won鈥檛 cover.

Does home insurance cover animal damage?

Most home insurance policies typically cover sudden and accidental damage caused by animals. But not if the damage is caused by your own pets or common pests. So they generally won鈥檛 cover items ruined by Spot or Mittens, but what they actually will cover varies from policy to policy and is often full of exclusions.

What animal damage does home insurance cover?

Sudden damage

For damage to be covered by home insurance, it needs to be sudden and immediate 鈥� they won鈥檛 cover damage that happens gradually over time. For example, if a possum crashes through your roof overnight or a kangaroo breaks a fence, the repairs are typically covered because the event is unexpected and immediate.

However, insurers exclude gradual or preventable damage, such as long-term infestations of termites, or repeated damage from animals that occurs over weeks or months. The key distinction is whether the damage was a one-off incident caused by an 鈥渆vent鈥� versus something that developed slowly and could have been prevented with maintenance.

Trapped animals

Almost one-fifth of policies with animal damage cover in our comparison specify that they will cover damage caused by an animal that has become accidentally trapped inside the house, including birds. QBE though, will only pay for damage to living areas, and will not cover damage to an enclosed crawl space, the outside of buildings, your roof cavity or contents in the open air.聽

Insurers that offer cover for accidentally trapped animals including birds:

• AAMI
• Apia
• GIO
• QBE
• RAC
• RACT
• Suncorp
• Sure
• Youi

What animal damage does home insurance not cover?

Pets

Insurers usually make a distinction between animals you own, or allow to be there, and those you don’t. Some insurers refer to animals “kept at the premises” or animals you permit to be there, but they essentially mean the same thing 鈥� pets owned by you or your guests. And generally, if the animal is allowed there, damage they cause isn鈥檛 covered.

So that means that damage that your own pet causes is not covered. But also, if your friend brings their dog over during your coffee catch up, any damage it causes won’t be covered either.

A few policies will cover some damage caused by pets under the Accidental Damage optional extra. But this comes at an extra cost, and with its own set of exclusions.

Insects and vermin

Insects and vermin are specifically mentioned in some kind of exclusion in 95% of the policies we compare that offer some level of animal damage cover.聽

Two thirds of these policies exclude all damage caused by insects and vermin. Other policies exclude all damage they cause except for fire and liquid escape, while others exclude all insect-related damage but still cover fire damage caused by vermin.

It pays to read the fine print of your policy carefully; there are a few policies that state they will cover damage caused by these creatures, but not if it鈥檚 caused by chewing, clawing or eating. So actually they won鈥檛 cover the most likely damage.

The definitions of insects and vermin vary too. In some cases it means just insects and rats and mice, while other definitions include native wildlife such as possums, as well as bats, termites, lice, and other species. We鈥檝e seen cases where possums are explicitly classified as vermin under some policies, while in others they鈥檙e explicitly excluded from the definition of vermin.

You鈥檒l usually be able to find out exactly what is meant by these terms in the glossary or definitions section of your PDS 鈥� if you’re reading it online, use Ctrl+F to search the document. Don鈥檛 rely on AI, because it often gets the answer wrong (we鈥檝e tried).

You also can鈥檛 count on your policy to cover structural damage from termite infestations. The “action of termites” is specifically excluded by over half of the policies we analyse, and the remaining policies exclude insect damage or damage from insects eating, or only cover such damage if it results in a fire.

Birds

There is a lot of variation in the cover offered for damage caused by birds. Some policies refer specifically to birds, but if yours doesn鈥檛, you can assume they are included as “animals”.

Overall, 24 policies we review that provide cover for animal damage exclude any damage caused by a bird. A further 41 list specific exclusions for actions like chewing, scratching, or soiling; which rules out most of the ways in which a bird might cause damage. So even if you鈥檙e covered for animal damage, most policies are unlikely to cover any bird damage.聽

Some policies will cover damage by birds if they鈥檙e accidentally trapped inside and some cover bird damage to door and window glass or birds colliding with the property only. RAA only covers damage from birds if it results in a fire.聽

The post Does home insurance cover animal damage? appeared first on 糖心Vlog.

1. Home insurance covers your pet鈥檚 accommodation if you can鈥檛 stay in your home

Overall, 95% of the home insurance policies we compared will pay to house your pets if your home is too damaged from an insured event to live in. Only AHM, Aldi, Bupa鈥檚 lower-tier policies, Huddle, Honey, RAA and RACQ restrict emergency accommodation to just the humans in your family.

A few insurers 鈥� Australian Seniors, Bupa, CBA, Everyday, Huddle and Real 鈥� specify that the offer of temporary accommodation is extended only to dogs and cats, while the rest use the term 鈥減ets鈥�, with most mentioning that they鈥檒l pay for commercial boarding facilities if your family needs temporary accommodation.

2. Home insurance will pay if your dog bites someone

If your dog injures someone, your home insurance could cover their medical bills 鈥� even if it happens when you鈥檙e away from home. Home insurance policies include cover for legal liability, so if you or a family member is deemed responsible for an accidental injury, as is usually the case when you鈥檙e responsible for a dog and they hurt someone, your home insurance could pay for things like legal fees, medical bills or compensation.

Some insurers limit this to just dogs, while others extend cover to dogs, cats and horses. Injuries or damage away from your property is covered by contents insurance, while injuries or damage on your property is covered by building insurance, and combined policies cover both.

3. Some home insurers cover vet bills

The following insurers will contribute to vet bills if your pet is injured in a road accident:

• Bank Australia
• Bank of Melbourne
• BankSA
• COTA
• Great Southern Bank
• Guild
• Guild
• HCF
• Hume Bank
• Kogan
• NAB
• National Seniors
• Over Fifty
• St.George
• TIO
• Westpac

And you can add cover for vet bills as an optional extra to policies from GIO, RAA, RACQ and Suncorp.

4. Home insurance will cover damage by uninvited pets

Other people鈥檚 pets that have not been invited onto your property are generally covered, so if they cause sudden accidental damage, you can make a claim for the cost of repairs 鈥� provided it鈥檚 not excluded by one of the other clauses in your policy.

5. Almost no home insurance policies will cover pet damage to your home

While you’re generally covered if an uninvited animal shows up at your house, if it’s your own pet doing the damage the news isn’t so good. Of the 98 policies we analyse, 97 policies specifically exclude all damage caused by pets in their standard version (the exception is Youi 鈥� it provides cover for fire caused by pets, but that鈥檚 it). This exclusion includes your guests鈥� pets, and pets you鈥檙e minding too. Basically, damage they cause won鈥檛 be covered if you鈥檝e allowed the animal to be on your premises.聽

You can pay for the accidental damage optional extra to get some cover for pet damage, but this comes at an extra cost, and with its own set of exclusions.

The post Does your home insurance cover pets? You might be surprised appeared first on 糖心Vlog.

This article is for people who are considering buying extras cover, or upgrading their existing cover, in order to claim benefits for orthodontics. It is primarily written for families whose children need braces, but the advice is just as valid for adults considering orthodontics.

Is it worth getting extras for orthodontics?

Not all extras policies are created equal. Some might only cover a couple of hundred dollars worth of orthodontics per year, while a few premium policies will pay out over $2500. If you’re considering using extras to help manage the cost, you have to consider a few things.

It only works if you claim back more than you spend

This is the most important part, and it’s actually not too difficult to calculate whether an extras policy is likely to save you money. If you spend more on premiums than you claim, you’re wasting your money. Good cover for orthodontics comes at a price, so you should be looking at ways to reduce the amount of time you’re paying for a top-shelf policy.

Our research shows that that claiming against only one course of orthodontics won’t be enough to cover the premium over three years.

Extras policies that include cover for orthodontics typically cost around $2100 a year for a family 鈥� more if your household income is higher than $202,000, due to the lower government rebate. Over three years you might expect to pay $6300 in premiums. But the average annual limit for claiming on orthodontics is generally around $800鈥�$1000 per year, per person, and there is usually also a lifetime limit of around $2500.

As you can see, you will have paid out more in premiums than what you’ve claimed back if you’re only claiming for one child’s braces (or even possibly two). So to make a policy worthwhile you’ll need to make sure you’re getting extra value through other claims.

Even if you include rebates for twice-yearly dental checkups for two parents and a child, most policies don’t stack up financially.

You’ll also need to claim things like optical and physio

In almost all cases, making sure you also claim on services other than orthodontics is the only way to make your extras policy worthwhile. Claiming on glasses, physio, massages and psychology are all ways to get value from your extras. Will your orthodontic treatment require a tooth extraction? Get it done at your dentist and you may also be able to claim a couple of hundred dollars for this as well (dentistry and orthodontics will have seperate caps).

Plan your year in advance. Know how much you will need to claim to make it worthwhile. Extras can be a good budgeting tool, but you still need to write up that budget.

Who should get cover?

If you just want cover for a child who needs braces, you might be on the lookout for a child-only policy. Unfortunately, only Navy Health and Defence Health offer children-only policies, so unless you qualify to be a member of one of those funds, you’ll likely need to get cover for at least one parent to fund braces for your child.

There’s typically little or no price difference between policies for childless couples and two-parent families. However, if you’re a single parent you’ll pay more to cover your children than you would to cover just yourself. The good news is, adding extra kids doesn’t affect the cost of a policy.

If you’re a two-parent family and your main focus is cover for the kids’ braces, a cheaper policy covering just one parent might be worthwhile. Actual discounts depend on the fund, and not all funds offer discounts for single parents. The downside to this plan is you’ll have one less person on the policy able to make claims for physio and optical, so consider whether this will make it harder to claim back the full premium.

When you should take out cover

Extras policies typically have a 12-month waiting period for orthodontic cover. Since a typical course of orthodontics lasts between one and two years, you will need cover for two to three years (including the waiting period).

You can’t know ahead of time what your policy will cost in two years, but a five per cent increase every year on 1 April is a good estimate. If you’re expecting your income to increase past the rebate thresholds, your premium will increase even more.

Health funds usually reset their annual limits on 1 January or 1 July. If you start your course of treatment in the last few months of the year, you can spread your claims out over three benefit years. Check with your health fund when their benefits reset.

Starting treatment during the waiting period

What if you can’t wait? Can you still claim against your extras? Funds have different rules, but will usually still cover you if the treatment is ongoing after the waiting period ends. The important factor is when you pay your orthodontist, not when you actually receive the treatment. In this case, you shouldn’t take the pay-up-front discount, as your health fund will be unlikely to cover you.

The post Should you get health insurance for braces? appeared first on 糖心Vlog.

To any renter searching for a home, a successful application comes as a huge relief. 

For Ella, it was a lifeline.

An engineering apprentice in Brisbane, Ella needed a new rental to escape domestic violence. One month and several rejections later, she found a one-bedroom apartment managed by LJ Hooker.

The agent asked Ella to use a third-party platform called Rental Rewards to pay her rent; the platform charges $8.91 per quarter. 

鈥淚鈥檓 on apprentice wages, so half of my weekly income goes to rent,鈥� she says. 鈥淲ith petrol prices, and the cost of food at the moment, I鈥檓 scraping by every week.鈥�

Ella is one of many Australian renters who feel pressured by their real estate agent to use third-party platforms, commonly known as 鈥淩entTech鈥�, to pay their rent or request maintenance. Many are concerned about extra fees and how their data is being used.

According to a 2025 study by Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC), close to half of all Victorian renters are required to use apps or other technology as part of their renting arrangements.

Despite recent laws introduced across Australian states giving renters the right to say no to using these platforms, many tenants say they are given little choice.

Alternative methods not always reasonable

The law in Ella鈥檚 state of Queensland says renters must be given a 鈥渞easonably accessible鈥� option to pay rent that doesn鈥檛 exceed normal transaction fees, so Ella asked her agent if she could pay using an alternative method.

The options LJ Hooker provided, such as a costly post office money order, cheque, or getting her employer to deduct rent from her salary weren鈥檛 accessible to Ella. When she asked for a direct debit or BPay option, the agency refused. 鈥淚 think they purposefully made the fee-free option difficult.鈥�

Although she tried to argue for a fair alternative, Ella says she needed to move in immediately as her domestic violence situation was getting worse. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e been cornered into it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 just wanted to pay my rent. There鈥檚 no point arguing.鈥�

In response to 糖心Vlog鈥檚 questions, LJ Hooker said it 鈥渢akes compliance with tenancy legislation seriously across all states and territories in which our franchisees operate, and these obligations form part of our franchise requirements鈥�.

LJ Hooker went on to say: 鈥淓ach franchise is responsible for ensuring its operations comply with [legislative] requirements.鈥�

Tenants not in a position to stand up for their rights

Other states have gone a step further than Queensland.

Laws in both New South Wales and Victoria specifically state that tenants must be provided options like EFT or Centrepay to pay their rent. In NSW, tenants also cannot be forced to use an app for other renting matters such as requesting repairs.

Tenants Union NSW CEO Leo Patterson Ross says that even when agents are breaching the law, tenants are often not in a position to stand up for their rights and that some agents 鈥渄ismiss the law because they鈥檙e not worried about the consequences鈥�. 

鈥淲hat is really needed is an active and visible regulator,鈥� he says.

Deputy CEO of Tenants Victoria Cameron Bloye agrees. He says tenants aren鈥檛 empowered to make complaints. 

鈥淯nfortunately, many renters are not willing to risk damaging the relationship and they’ll put up with some pretty bad conditions and breaches of their rights to avoid any kind of conflict,” he says.

Despite increased powers for enforcement bodies in NSW and Victoria, Patterson Ross says many renters still fear retaliation.

In an email seen by 糖心Vlog, a Belle Property office in Sydney told their tenants to begin using the third-party platform PropertyMe and did not provide them with other options for payment.

Belle Property told a tenant 鈥渨e have implemented MePay, which will be the required method for paying from the 2nd of March 2026鈥�. Belle Property also said 鈥渁ll maintenance must be reported through your PropertyMe tenant account. Maintenance requests will no longer be accepted via email or phone unless it is an emergency鈥�.

Patterson Ross says any NSW tenant who is told they must use an app is being misled by their agency. 

鈥淓ither they don鈥檛 know the law, in which case they are breaching their code of conduct by not knowing the law, or they are actively trying to mislead and deceive the tenant.鈥�

In response to questions from 糖心Vlog, Belle Property says it 鈥渄oes not support any approach that is inconsistent with legislative requirements鈥�.

An imbalance of power

A spokesperson from NSW Fair Trading says in the past year it received 32 complaints relating to payments on third-party platforms.

Fair Trading鈥檚 Rental Taskforce has seven active investigations and has conducted a further nine investigations in the past 12 months. A spokesperson from Queensland鈥檚 Residential Tenancy Authority says it managed seven investigations this financial year.

Although Tasmania and Victoria (as of 31 March 2026) have outlawed third-party fees to pay rent altogether, some tenants are still worried about how rental platforms use their data.

Stephanie*, a Victorian tenant in her forties, pushed back against Belle Property when they asked her to use Ailo, another RentTech platform. She says she was 鈥渜uite alarmed鈥� at what information was collected.

Ailo鈥檚 privacy policy states they can disclose personal information to related entities, financial product issuers and credit providers.

Its website states that Ailo is regulated under an Australian Financial Services License and follows strict laws to protect information. Ailo also says it will never sell personal information to third parties.

Although Belle Property offered to discuss other rental payment options, Stephanie says her agent kept pushing her to use the app, taking six weeks to finally provide an alternative, fee-free payment method.

Stephanie says the interaction was a reminder of the power imbalance between tenants and agents. She lives with a chronic illness and says that standing up for basic legal rights as a tenant can be a scary experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to fight that fear that it could affect your housing in any way, or have a black mark put against you. You don’t feel that you’re empowered as a tenant,鈥� she says.

Privacy concerns

Experts say renters like Stephanie are rightly concerned about how their data is being used.

Chandni Gupta, digital policy director at CPRC, says 鈥渢here鈥檚 very little transparency at the moment in how businesses, including real estate agents, collect, share and sell our personal information, and what they do with it鈥�.

Given these apps are used for rental applications, paying leases and requesting repairs, Gupta says that 鈥渢he amount of data being harvested can give rise to social profiling and potentially exclude people from being offered a home to rent鈥�.

Lina Przhedetsky, a postdoctoral research fellow at Melbourne Law School, says rental apps may fit the definition of tenancy databases in some jurisdictions, given the nature and purpose of information they collect.

Tenancy databases can be used to blacklist tenants from applying to new homes and are tightly regulated across Australia. Przhedetsky says laws governing these databases are playing catch up and 鈥渄on鈥檛 apply very neatly [to rent tech] because they’re designed for a different technology鈥�.

Gupta adds that federal privacy laws are similarly not fit for purpose. Currently small businesses are exempt from the Privacy Act, a category most real estate agencies, as franchises, fall under. 鈥淭he Privacy Act needs to apply to all businesses, no carve outs or exemptions,鈥� she says.

Requesting repairs through AI

Rental apps have also embraced the use of artificial intelligence (AI), which some tenants say worsens their renting experience.

Jack*, a Newcastle resident renting through agency Thompson and Clarke, was told to request maintenance through an AI chatbot on a property management platform.

Jack says when he moved in, he had several urgent issues to raise with his agent, including a broken oven.

When Jack brought these issues to Thompson and Clarke directly he says he was given no choice but to use the chatbot to request repairs, despite his rights under NSW law to opt out. In emails seen by 糖心Vlog, he was told by a property manager that control over which platforms were used to manage maintenance requests was determined by the rental agency.

Jack says using the chatbot was 鈥渇rustrating鈥� as it could not comprehend basic maintenance issues. 鈥淚 think I would have an easier time explaining the issues to my toddler,鈥� he said.

After several months of communicating with the platform and his agent, Jack says the maintenance issues still have not been fully resolved.

Thompson and Clarke told 糖心Vlog the agency 鈥渄oes not require tenants to use any specific third-party platform to report maintenance鈥� and that 鈥渢enants are always able to contact our office or their property manager directly鈥�.

Who benefits from tenants using these apps?

CEO of Tenants Union NSW Leo Patterson Ross says that even though third-party platforms are being presented to renters as a way of making leasing easier and more convenient, they often perpetuate the problems experienced by tenants.

鈥淭he tech solutions being put forward are being designed in the [landlord/agent鈥檚] interest, to support the part of the industry that has the power and is making the money,” he says.

In a search of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) records, 糖心Vlog found that Ray White executives have a financial stake in one of the app companies recommended by the agency. 

Ray White CFO, Luke Richardson, and CFO and Trustee of the White Family Office, Andrew Jamson (who manages the investments of the family that owns Ray White), both hold significant shares in the holding company for rent tech company Ailo.

According to Queensland Tenancy Law, property managers must disclose any financial benefits they may receive if the tenant uses a specific payment method. However, 糖心Vlog was unable to find any disclosure of the financial connection on either Ray White or Ailo鈥檚 websites.

糖心Vlog is not alleging Richardson or Jamson have acted illegally. 

A Ray White spokesperson says individual franchisees are free to choose their own systems and that they expect any individual office and agent to comply with disclosure obligations. 

鈥淎ilo is an independent company with its own shareholders and its own commercial relationships, both within the Ray White network and with agencies outside it. Ray White does not mandate the use of Ailo across its franchised network,鈥� the spokesperson says.

But despite real estate agencies insisting tenants have a choice, many say the actions of agents mean they feel they do not. 

鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a discretionary good, we鈥檙e not buying something just for fun or entertainment,鈥� says Przhedetsk.

鈥漌e鈥檙e talking about an essential service that a consumer can鈥檛 walk away from.鈥�

*Names have been changed.

The post Real estate agents pressuring renters to use third-party apps appeared first on 糖心Vlog.

When the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) introduced the payment card surcharging framework in 2003, it opened the floodgates for businesses to charge customers an extra fee if they used a credit or debit card to pay for goods or services. Prior to 2003, the major card networks such as Visa and Mastercard prohibited this practice.

The move by the RBA was meant to encourage consumers to seek out and use the lowest cost payment method they could find. It was a measure aimed at counteracting the increasing costs to merchants being applied by the networks, which were then passed on to customers. 聽

But defining how much merchants were allowed to charge proved problematic. In 2016, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) gained the power to enact a ban on excessive surcharging 鈥� defined as merchants charging customers more than it cost to accept the debit or credit card payment.

The allowed amounts charged to consumers ranged from 0.5% to 2% of the cost of the purchase for credit cards, and from 0.85% to 2% for debit cards, depending on the size of the business (smaller businesses charge higher surcharges since they pay more to use payment card networks).

It鈥檚 fair to say that these approximate caps have been routinely exceeded by businesses large and small in recent years. Airlines, in particular, have been notorious for their massive surcharges, though they often called them something else, such as a 鈥渉andling fee鈥�.

Aligning with consumer preferences

Now the RBA has come full circle and committed to banning surcharging altogether.

鈥淭he surcharging framework, introduced more than two decades ago, is no longer achieving its intended purpose of steering consumers towards making more efficient payment choices,” the RBA said in a statement.

“The increased prevalence of businesses surcharging all cards at the same rate, challenges with enforcing the current surcharging framework, and consumers using less cash have reduced the effectiveness of the surcharging regime.”

The RBA also noted that removing surcharges 鈥渁ligns with the preference of most consumers for payment costs to be incorporated into advertised prices鈥�.

Professor Angel Zhong of RMIT says the total surcharging ban, which is set to take place in October, 鈥渞eflects the reality that, in a cash鈥憀ight economy, surcharging no longer works as an effective consumer choice mechanism鈥�.

鈥淔or consumers, the key benefit is simplicity: the advertised price should increasingly be the final price, reducing confusion and frustration at checkout,鈥� Zhong says.

But she cautions that it鈥檚 soon to celebrate the end of unfair card fees. 鈥淧ayment costs do not disappear, and how much is absorbed by businesses versus passed on to consumers will depend on how the reforms are implemented in practice.鈥�

The secret rise of debit card surcharges

In mid-March, the ACCC announced that it had launched an investigation after receiving tip-offs about high surcharges from customers of Hyatt Regency Sydney.

The regulator found that customers paying with a debit card attracted a surcharge above Hyatt鈥檚 costs of acceptance, unless the customer inserted the card into a payment terminal and selected 鈥渃hq/sav鈥�, something customers would have had no way of knowing.

It highlighted how tricky the surcharging space had become, and that surcharges were increasingly and stealthily being applied to debit card purchases.

鈥淭he ACCC expects all businesses to comply with the law and ensure their payment systems and staff are informed of different card types and apply the correct surcharge amounts for each, as it can vary between credit cards and debit cards,鈥� ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said at the time.

Free and fair way to pay

When 糖心Vlog recently sent out a petition to ban debit card surcharges, more than 24,000 people signed.

糖心Vlog head of policy Morgan Campbell says card surcharges are a product of another time, and Australians will be glad to see the back of them.

“At a time when so many are doing it tough, the last thing consumers need is to be hit with a surprise surcharge at the checkout, particularly when many businesses no longer accept cash,鈥� he says.

The forthcoming ban means card payments will be “simpler, more transparent, and most importantly, more affordable for consumers”, says Campbell.

“In a cost-of-living crisis, this fair, free way to pay is more important than ever.鈥�

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