sprite_green

Morning All,

Couple of queries re. renting in Sydney. We are looking to rent a family home in the Northern Beaches (Newport or Mona Vale or surrounding suburbs):

1. Demand
I've seen a couple of really scary reports recently re. demand far out-stripping supply - leading to huge competition for rentals, bunfights at openday viewings, etc. My question is - is this restricted to a certain sector of the rental market? e.g. 2 bed units. We are looking to rent a family home and anticipate spending c. A$600 to A$900 p.w. - are we likely to face the same competition? Obviously done the research on domain.com.au and checked on availability.

2. Rentals - extras
What additional costs are we likely to incur in renting? I (think I) understand the upfront charges (bond - c. 1.5 months, 1 month in advance), but don't really know whether there are additional ongoing costs - e.g. council tax, utilities, etc.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

SG

Jockstar

We rent a 2 bedroon unit in the Eastern suburbs. We pay gas(about $100 a quarter) electric($30 a month) Landlord pays the water. I paid 2 weeks bond. No council tax. You may have to pay for parking sticker. Not sure around areas you want. We dont pay in Randwick. But some areas you do.

sprite_green

Thanks Jockstar - I remember Randwick well (I lived in Waverley for a couple of years on my original trip out to Aus) - love the Eastern Suburbs, but not sure I can afford it now with the family in tow!

SG

Wol

Three years ago we rented in Manly: $720pw for a two bedroom apartment but we were *done*: the agent said $670pw and, after we had committed ouselves and were "homeless" said it was a mistake and the actual figure should have been advertised at $720. It's what agents do....

You will have to stump up a bond, usually of four weeks' rental, which is held by the bond board until you return the rental in spotless condition - regardless of the fact it was a tip when you moved in!

Under NSW law you can't be charged for water if you rent a strata which has a common water meter - that should be part of the rent.

Rosscarbery

Hi. We were looking for a 4 bed with pool family home with decent transport links mid July. We wanted to be along the North Shore train line, but have ended up in St. Ives which is nice, but it's a drive to Gordon station. We were a bit horrified when we saw what they were trying to charge $750 for TBH, which was what we were hoping to pay. The place we are now in was advertised at $995 but we offered $900 and he took it. We had been keeping an eye on the domain and realestate websites and we thought we would be find with $750-$800.

I too had heard horror stories about submitting your application and pretty much begging "please take us", but in our case the agent told the landlord that we wanted it, what we would pay, and he said yes straight away. I think $900 is a bit rich for a lot of people so if you can go that high you probably have a better chance. Downsides for us are the fact that pool and garden maintenance aren't included (which you would expect at that rent) and apparently we have to pay all the water charges which is unusual but we didn't know that at the time. Apart from that we paid a month's bond (loged with the bond board) and a month in advance. We have to pay rent by the equivalent of a standing order and the bank charged $5 a time for the privilege (don't get me started on banking!!!).

Because the areas you are looking at don't have great transport links, you could be happily surprised at what you will get for your money. We love Avalon, and $900 would have got us a lovely house there, but if you have to do the CBD for work it's not really a goer. "Direct bus to city" sounds great but it takes ages.

My only other tip would be to fill in the condition report to a ridiculous level of detail if you want your bond bank. I felt like I was being really petty but I know from living here before that it is important.

Finally, feel free to PM me if you want any more info. We have three kids who have settled really well and we're loving it here.

Martha

gedge

on the demand front, all you can do is get your act together and hope for the best
turn up early if poss, look professional about it, strike up a conversation with the agent, pump them for info but read between the lines, get the application form asap and fill it in anyway, find out where the agent's office is.. be there with all your paper work straight after the viewing, take as many bits of paper as you can esp ones that show you to be a good tenant - bank statements, wage slips/job contracts, references
press the agent as much as you can, follow up within a reasonable time frame
cross your fingers and hope
i do think competition is building, but who knows what you might find on the day for the place you're interested in... don't let it phase you but don't get your hopes up too high either

the extras...
if it's a house then yes you will probably pay the water useage (i don't think they can charge you the supply rate though), all electric and gas charges, telephone and cable costs, perhaps garden/pool maintenance (dunno that's just a guess), parking permits

i reckon MV is a better family suburb than Newport, we're in North Avalon and i can't recommend it enough

sprite_green

Thanks Martha, Wol and Gedge - really helpful feedback re. utilities, costs and practicalities. Just really worried about a long househunt, and serial disappointments due to competition, when we get there

We were over in March/April and did quite a bit of research around the Northern Beaches. We too loved Avalon, but as you say its just that bit too far for a daily commute to the CBD.

Gedge - what made you think Mona Vale was more appropriate for a family than Newport? We didn't spend a huge amount of time in Newport - so any thoughts most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

SG