knav2013

Housing market for short-term properties is really competitive. Had untold problems with landlord.
I was evicted many times. First time landlord messed-up my stay dates, they double booked apartment. When I refused to leave/stood my ground, they called police, changed locks, then turned off electricity to apartment, so I could pack bags in the dark.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi..._Victoria.html

http://bit.ly/2fGLvPt

The Tribunals and Courts don't completely protect tenants from mogul landlords. After 6 months of living in an apartment, ended up in Tribunal because the landlord claimed I was living under a licence agreement. Tribunal Member Kefford clearly teamed-up with the landlord and said the tribunal had no jurisdiction to hear the case. She read aloud the title of the new agreement landlord had sent me, "licence agreement", without bothering to ask if I had signed it.
Then she made up bogus reasons for the decision, like GST was included in the rent, so it cannot be a tenancy. We didn't even cover that at the hearing:

http://www.aussielegal.com.au/forum/...=119446#119446

I've rented apartments in Thailand (of all places) and had less grief than what I did in Melbourne.

Bazza Boy

Pete, Melbourne has got a problem with these African gangs. More so than most other cities in Oz. This crap about '1st world problems' and 'you get it anywhere' is meaningless drivel.

jad n rich

Gangs of particular ethnicity are one problem, but gangs are formed by many races. Drug crime seems to be a far bigger problem.

ozzieeagle

These things come in waves, it'll all be over in 18 months or so.

It hasn't changed my habits. There is one thing you do have to be careful with though and that's if you have a late model car and someone touch bumps you... Do not get out if you think it's suss. Thats about the only new issue from this current "fad".

I promise you, All of South London was far far far worse 40 years ago than the worst part of Melbourne today.


I've just been out up the road here in inner Melbourne in one of the most Islamic parts actually.... no issues as always and in fact I left my back door unlocked as I always do, without giving it a second thought. I do have a very mean looking American Staffy though who is actually as soft as they come.....err except with other dogs. Wife got him as a rescue dog aged 2 from Lort Smiths when I went to the UK last year to make her feel safe, whilst she was on her own for 6 weeks.......he's done that alright lol !

Beats all other security put together.... except for some bugger trying to actually steal you dog. Looks almost identical to this one....





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evets

Nice post and have to agree. Most parts of Melbourne I have lived in, I have not seen any trouble like I have seen in parts of Glasgow or London. When I left the UK, East London was introducing a metal detector scheme like America for certain schools to deal with knife issues.

While Australia may have its issues, I think the majority of suburbs are pretty safe even the ones on the very outskirts.

Inner Melbourne/CBD does have its own issues with alcohol fueled dramas, but then the same could be said for any major city in the world.

I do see Electronic signs up in my suburb about car robberies and theft, but honestly not seen anything. I think I could go out for the day and leave my door open, then again I am fortunate to live in a small block with my front door way of the main road.

I recently was stopped coming back from the shops, police doing some random checks. They could not have been nicer, I doubt I would have got the same experience in London, worst still if I was in America may have been shot!!!

Pete39

Hi Bazza Boy,

Cheers for the response. As if leaving home, friends, family, jobs etc in the UK isn't in itself enough to do your head in - when you read about home invasions, 'kick-ins'& carjackings, its making me wonder what the hell we are doing the move for now. Having said that, people on this forum have in the main being reassuring and say they haven't experienced crime in Melbourne on a day to day basis so maybe its just me.

Buzzy--Bee

Good news does not sell papers.

spouse of scouse

If people 'experienced crime on a day to day basis' in any Australian city (or indeed, in any UK city) then the whole world and his wife would know about it.

Pete, you don't seem to be looking forward to this move very much. From what you said above, leaving home, friends, family, jobs, it sounds like there's a lot of pull for you to stay, and not much push for you to leave.

Do you need to reassess this move? It's a question that I mean in a very sincere way. You can easily look up official crime statistics on police websites, which is the best and most credible way of assessing a location. Nothing wrong with getting a feel for a place from people on a social forum, but you're getting a statistically insignificant number of varied opinions from varied individuals.

I'm not saying that you're looking for reasons to stay, and of course you want to know as much as you can about an area you're bringing your family to. I just sense that this move isn't really making you jump for joy - hence the question, do you need to go back to square one and really assess if this is what you and your family want?

Best of luck whatever you decide.

evets

I think you are over thinking it. What are you looking to gain from the move? If you think you live in a safe area and are conserned about moving for safety, then you should just stay.

All cities around the world have elements of crime, just some more than others.

For me, Melbourne does have crime reported on the news but I have never experienced it. Have seen the very rare car break-in. I seen more crime related instances in 3 years East London, than 7 years Melbourne. Only time will tell here and if you live in the outer suburbs.

Pete39

Thanks very much for your reply. I think a lot of what you say is probably spot on. No doubt like many I fell in love with Oz whilst backpacking and having been a dozen times since on holiday & always wanted to live there. But having jumped for joy on getting my visa, since then, the reality has set in of actually doing the move. Possibly i am looking for someone to say 'no don't come over here (because of crime, or something else, or something else etc). I think as 'evets' said - I do suffer from 'over thinking' things through!!! Thats probably my problem

evets

I think the same "over thinking it" could apply to a lot of people making such a big move and change in there life. You are moving yourself and family to the other side of the world, it is a far far away place. Once you get to say Singapore and then realise you still have hours to go It is certainly not easy to pop back to the UK for the weekend!!!

I am making another move, this time to NA and have spent the last year wondering the same thing. I see many pros about the move, but the reality of it is daunting!

Take a deep breath and think of what you are actually moving for. Easier said than done, now springs to my mind writing this

jad n rich

Before you leave what you have. Take trip 13.

Go to a few rental home inspections, and auctions to buy houses, they are eye openers! take the trip over the westgate/ringroad/out of suburbia whatever it might be, cook dinner and watch the news, do the laundry, cost up some bills, do a school run, see the kids at chucking out time. Buy some groceries, study up on aussie poliltics /events/news/financials.

Do nothing holiday lik. Do what you would do if you lived here. Do this trip jan feb or june july, that way you should get the more extreme side of the weather. Mind you in Melb that can always be mad anyway

Don't totally freak out about the news. Its an hour of sport punctuated with random drug crime mugging court stories. Yes there is a crime wave, ask the premier, police, public. All are sick of it.

However it does not affect every person every day.

In 20 months, we have seen one burglary next door, at 2am the night we moved in, neighbours in up market Eltham claimed to have been burgled 3 times, walked into a service station that just been robbed. M most annoyingly my young sons and girlfriends scooter was trashed because they tried to steal it, and failed so wrecked it, that was their work transport so some druggies probably, made getting to work for 2 kids impossible. Plus seen a couple of people robbed of wallets phones in city and chapel street.

Aside from the scooter none personally affected me, however the 2 blokes trying to do next door at 2am scared me, I was alone. Police say they see it all the time, trying to steal the new appliances in empty apartments, reckoned nothing to worry about! and left.

I only see the news if its on somewhere I am at, it makes melbourne look like a hole which its not, its just a city with all that goes with it. My sons a paramedic and to be totally honest there is a huge drug problem here, and thats probably half the reason for the crime.

Aside from taking normal care and precautions, once we got over the WTF moments after Queensland, ( Very whites only elite area, yes australia really still has those places! ) Sorry, however....

I dont think M is too bad as cities go. We spend a good few months a year overseas and it looks a picnic compared to say downtown seattle or vancouver.

If you have good reasons to be in melbourne, then dont let the scummy side of the population spoil it for you. We are here for my kids uni years, and being a city I expected some rough edges. Weve had a lot of fun here too, loved the mad insane weather, I totally lapped up the winters after Perma summer Qld. Well the first one was a shock but second one was prepared. Coiled up and died in the 40+C summer days, makes perma summer look tolerable! Got into everything thats on, admittedly a lot of it is very expensive but got in there anyway, and at the end of 4 years wont regret moving here, just another chapter.

quoll

Is it broke? If not, don't fix it.
Do you have a much better offer to go to? If not, don't go.
Are you prepared to gamble, ball park £50k? If not, don't go.
Are you someone who sees life as a series of adventures rather than a need to put down roots in concrete? If so, then you have little to lose.
Melbourne wouldn't be my place of choice, not with Daniel Andrews at the helm anyway but each to their own.
If it works, it works, if it doesn't then move on, no shame in that, just don't burn any bridges - rent out your beautiful home in the country, suck it and see.

BadgeIsBack

If we're still talking crime : lived here 14 years and the worst I see is a few druggoes on Swanston.

Some people, and demographics seen to attract problems and or in revel in it. The tabloid life is an exciting one and sells.


Obviously the nice places get burgled - (that's my 'get out' clause) ..


cheers

sr71

Different types of Muslims (more Lebanese for example) and different dynamics in society than the UK.

Very few places I'd feel unsafe in Melbourne