coriuk

We will probably be moving to the Castle Hill area, in October/Novemeber this year. We have two young children so would like to have a property ready to move into when we arrive. Are there any agencies that can organise this.

The Bloke

Check this existing thread or do a search:

http://www.britishexpats.com/forum/s...d.php?t=512964

coriuk

I have seen that thread, looking at a rental initially .

The Bloke

Maybe they can get you some leads though, but I feel that any landlord would rent to someone that is already here, as they want people paying rent almost immediately, rather than someone coming over down the track. This is especially so as the rental market is VERY tight, and rentals are snapped up almost as soon as they are vacated, or the paperwork signed beforehand. I don't think you will have much luck going this route for this reason. On average places are only advertised no more than two weeks, at the extreme, before there gone. So therefore, there wouldn't be enough time for you to plan the details for the move.

coriuk

That doesnt really matter, we are looking at being able to pay rent 3-4 months in advance so we are in a good positon. I would like to be able to contact an agent a couple of weeks before we are due to fly and set something up. I am prepared to loose a few weeks rent in order to secure something when we arrive.

The Bloke

Seeing there are several "Castle Hills" in Australia, it might be a good idea to narrow down the field abit.

Here's another thread you maybe interested in.

http://www.britishexpats.com/forum/s...d.php?t=511321

Geelong Gent

Take this the right way. I know what you are trying to do ie take away the uncertainty of arriving with children and seeking somewhere to live without wasting huge sums on hotels.

However

• The rental market is different to UK
• 12 month leases are more common and with a toughening economic environment landlords are not going to be interested in 6 month leases.
• What bargaining are you going to have when people locally are already offering 6 months in advance?
• Once you are locked in to your lease what if your job changes or you decide your ideal location in miles away?
• Not all properties advertised are the same in reality
• Even when you are here you need to see a place at different times of the day.

Kiwipaul

Another thing you need to be aware of is their are lots of great rental properties over here with a huge choice so long as you are fast at grabbing the choice properties.

BUT Their are also a fair number of dumps and wrecks which you wouldn't want to be seen dead in. So how do you know which you are getting sight unseen as their are far more unscrupulous people here in the real estate game than in the UK.

So don't even consider renting sight unseen unless you have somebody you know and trust to view it for you before you commit.

oliver1982

I agree. There is lots of red tape to get through when rying to rent and it's very frustrating. We couldn't get a place before moving over even though we were offering six months rent upfront. We had to wait until we arrived and had jobs "rules are rules sorry". Somehting I hear a lot over here.

quoll

Absolutely - dont lock yourself into any sort of lease without going and checking it out in person for yourself! Get yourself a holiday let first eg from www.stayz.com.au and then go and have a first hand look at what is available.

The Bloke

In my experience, most landlords will not offer 12 months straight off, using the 6 month option to see if they like the tennant and if the tennant likes the property, but mainly the former is the case.

The Bloke

We both had to provide at least several months payslips or evidence of continuous employment, references from previous landlords and employers, etc etc etc.

coriuk

Thanks for all your advice, a quick google has shown that this service is available http://www.sydneyrentalsearch.com.au/ , i mean if it is there for buying why wouldnt it for rentals. I am actually Australian, (but have lived in Sydney for over 12 years), so i know where i am going . I would actually like to know if any one has experience of doing this, and the outcome.

The Bloke

Do they have a "scratch your back service", as they seem to do everything else
for you?

LisaD_uk

Hi there
I'm sure there are but I haven't come accross any.
We have been here for just over 4 months now and we went round so many rentals it was unreal. There are so many holes out there i can tell you. 3-4 months rent up front may sound good to you but here there is so much competition with 20 odd other people turning up with a rental history and refs 3-4 months up front probably will not be enough to get you a six month rental. We gave 6 months upfront and there were still people offering 12 months at some of the open houses we went to. We did eventually get a really nice house and as we had seen a few with this same agent she put in a good word, we got my hubby's new boss to give a reference. I don't want to sound negative but I just want to give you a realistic idea of what it can be like. My friend moved here having rented a house from overseas but she was very lucky and knew someone who could take a look at it for her, that was up in the sunshine coast and I don't think the rental market is as competitive as here in Sydney especially the Hills area.
We rented a fully serviced appartment for our first month which was great as we had nothing and our container wasn't due to arrive for another 7 weeks. The appartment was located in Marsfield in a complex with a pool. We moved in there and my hubby got a job and then we looked for a house to rent.
I will post you the link just incase you can't get anything from overseas and you need a short term rental.

http://www.executiveliving.com.au/

Good luck to you I hope you find what your looking for.