karen1403

Hi everyone!! please help, we are moving out to Oz (Sydney) on 13th Jan due to a job offer but we have a lot to organise and I really need some help.

1. LAFHA - my agent has explained this briefly but I am not sure I understand, basically my salary will be $68k so how do I get this - does my employer sort this out - does the amount depend on rent I will be paying??

2. Apartments - is it just me or are Aussie Estate agents pants? we have sent various emails etc and nothing! we are looking for a 1 bed furnished with pets allowed in Neutral Bay, Mosman area for $2000 a month - is this realistic??

3. Medical - Do we need private medical insurance? my hubby is diabetic and he had been told his medication is free as we are uk citizens but how do we get medical insurance - can anyone suggest good cover?

4. Insurance - do we need home insurance? Is it best to get this in Oz - anyone recommend a company>? Also we are taking our dog so we want pet insurance - any suggestions?

5. Banking - is it best to get a NAB account for my salary to be paid into before I go out? anyone know of the best type of accounts?


Sorry I know its a lot - thank you all so much!!!

5.

freebo

Been here 6 months so will try to answer what I can.

1. Lafha allows you to claim rent/food from your pre-tax earnings, I'm no expert but it can be done via your employer or agency, do a search for Lafha here, loads of comments on it.

2. Rentals are quoted weekly, $500pw is stretching it in those areas, but $550-$600 should get you something, furnished is very rare, except for short term which can cost double that. We found getting a good rental to be easily the hardest part - some are horrible and the competition is fierce, you need all your docs ready with you when you go to view and be prepared to join a queue of people viewing all at once. domain.com.au is where you should be looking now to get an idea of what to expect. Oh and yes, many rental agents couldn't give a stuff, even if you walk into their office they often hardly give you the tome of day, its just about calling them on specific properties or more often turning up at open houses, I doubt you could get something arranged without being here (it took us 3 weeks and 30 viewings).

3. As a UK citizen I think you get free treatment but I'm not sure - what visa are you coming on as this may help someone else to answer? We're on PR and get medicare straight off, think temp residents have a different arrangement.

4. We did our car and contents insurance through NRMA, there are comparison sites here but for us they came out best.

5. We used NAB and have been happy with them, we set up the account before we arrived and picked up cards etc on the first day - look for the migrant banking unit. Bank fees are far more common here, NAB don't charge if you pay more than $2,000 (I think) in per month.

Hope this helps, I'm sure someone will be along to correct anything I've got wrong and add detail.

karen1403

Oh my god thank you this is soooo helpful!!!!! amazing thanks!

I get the impression finding a place to live is going to be a right pain - I am on an employer sponsored visa but I think the agent said it was a 475

I have applied for a NAB bank account today - Thanks!

Bermudashorts

Hi, I thought I would throw my tuppence in too.

1. Your employer will sort out LAFHA, make sure they have agreed and it isn't just the agent making an assumption. It will be based on a reasonable rent I believe.

2. It is not about agents being pants, they aren't going to work with you until you are here, you cannot organise a rental from overseas. You need to get some temporary accommodation for arrival. You have chosen a very expensive area, have you looked on domain? You might get a one bed unfurnished on that budget but furnished properties are very rare. It could be a problem finding a unit that will take a dog.

3. You will need to show you have some medical insurance before they grant your visa although you could cancel it. You will get "reciprocal cover" if you rely on medicare, I am not sure if this would be sufficient with an ongoing need like diabetes, this is really something you should research further IMHO.

4. Do you need home insurance? The answer is the same wherever you live. Do you want to be insured or will you take the risk? You would have no choice but to get it here if you do want it. Don't bother with comparison sites, they are not well developed in Australia and the big players are not on them, you will need to do the legwork.

5. It won't take long to set up a bank account, so you could do it before you move or when you get here. We opted for NAB and opened it before we got here. There are other banks too but NAB seems popular.


You are not going to be on a 475 visa, it will be a 457.
Good luck.

asher

Bermuda shorts is correct you should confirm with your employer that they will pay LAFHA many don't/won't or say they can't! it's up to you to fight for it remember cost of living in central Sydney is nearly equal to central london.

good luck with rentals there aren't a lot around at the moment which is pushing the price up, it's thought this may get better in the near future but i wouldn't hold my breath, I would expect to pay 650 to 700 for a furnished place but you may find some cheaper, start looking on domaine.com.au and realestate.com.au

freebo

and on that note it may be worth looking a bit further out than Mossman/N. bay, a good idea is to spend no more than 30-35% of your income on rent.