Part 3: Ep 3: Sorting out legal documents

Hi.

It's good to meet you in person, finally.

I got you a tea.

I hope you like it.

Thanks, Lawrence.

Welcome to Australia.

Thank you.

How are you settling in?

For the most part, still settling in.

It's great that we have a common friend in Lena.

She's mentioned that you'd be able to help me with a couple of things and answer a few questions.

Of course.

Lena's a great friend, and I'm happy to help with anything at all.

Perfect.

I've been trying to get my documents in order, and I've been asked to see a JP.

I don't know what a JP is.

Okay, so a JP stands for justice of the Peace.

A justice of the peace is a person who witnesses someone making a statutory declaration.

Perfect, because I've also been asked to make a statutory declaration.

Yeah, so that's a written statement that you sign and you declare to be true before a witness like a JP.

I've also been asked to get a few documents of mine certified.

To certify something means to verify that a copy of an original document is true.

Why would anyone want to do that?

It's done for really important documents like your passport or your birth certificate.

So you don't have to submit the original ones and then run the risk of losing them.

By the way, JPs can certify copies of original documents, too.

That's good to know.

Oh, I'm also looking to rent an apartment,

and they asked me to provide a bunch of different documents,

but I don't know what to give them.

Your birth certificate, your pay slips, and your driver's license.

Then if you're successful in your application, you'll have to sign a lease agreement.

What's a lease?

That's an agreement between you and your landlord, which you sign before you move in.

and it'll outline your rights and responsibilities as a tenant,

and it will also tell you what's expected of your landlord.

Well, thank you for explaining everything.

My head's just spinning with all this jargon.

Guess a little start somewhere, though.

Where can I find a JP?

Well, there should be one in the area somewhere.

We can look it up online, if you like.

We can help you.