pcurren

Howdy!

Having just arrived in Sydney, come tomorrow (Monday) i'll begin hunting for an apartment to rent.

So before I start I was just wondering if there is generally much room for negotiation on the per week costs advertised for apartments. Likewise, are the bonds negotiable or are these things fixed.

Not wanting to make an arse of myself if I can avoid it

Cheers,

Paul C

biggy

rent is negotiable I got $25 a week off cos I knew the place had been empty for a couple months......the bond is fixed....4 weeks rent

lucyloo

agree - although we decided not to negotiate as we looked at loads of flats and most were not suitable and then found a flat we really liked and as it was such a good place (and lots of people looking at it in the quick 15 mins you get on a sat morning!!!!), we didnt want to lose it - so offered the asking price. We also knew it had just come on the market too.

Good luck

A dogs life

It's a supply and demand thing. If you're the only one wanting to rent the apartment and it's been on the market for a while, sure you can negotiate. However if it's new on the market and there are others interested, and you really like it, then you can risk losing the place if you offer a lower price.

pcurren

Thanks for the input from everybody. I'll play it by ear then based on what you've told me.

Regarding the bond being 4 weeks rent. I've been looking at furnished apartments, and most of the ones i've seen have a bond that is at least 6 weeks rent but often more. Is this a normal thing with regard to furnished places or is it just landlords trying to price a "certain element" out of their places?

Cheers,

Paul C

biggy

in queensland rentals r governed by http://www.rta.qld.gov.au/index.cfm which determines the bonds etc there must be something like that in NSW

Trevglas

Thats right, ACT, QLD, NSW and probably all the other states/territories, the bond is held by an independant governmental body which makes things much more above board than the bond being held with the property agent.

NIGENABBY

Hi

Furnished places usually require a larger bond, so 6 weeks would not seem strange.

Don't fear the landlord can just take this bond from you for frivolous things. It is lodged (as the others said) with an independent board who must approve amounts withheld by the landlord.

jad n rich

If you cant negotiate your rent do what the aussies do! Sublet your garage to a family

We have a small rental house and the second time in 5 months the tenants have let the garage out to a crowd of people, the house is tiny which is why were not living in it but the first lot had 8 people in total living there including the sub letters, then they totally trashed it ($11,000) and left.

Now we have a young family renting it, all the usual rta checks by agent, excellent refs payment records etc but drive past saturday and see the garage is fully kitted out as a bedroom, kitchen, dining table, TV here we go again

A dogs life

In Queensland, if the weekly rental is less than $500 then the maximum bond is 4 weeks' rent. Over $500, there is no limit on the bond.

menace

Everything in life is negotiable except death.