sydney rentals
Apr 10th 2006, 4:15 am
#1
Tribu dei Chihuahua
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2004
Location: Port Kennedy -near the dolphins
Posts: 1,414
sydney rentals
having done a search I havent been able to find what Im looking for, so could any of you guys over east help me please. Is there a website for finding rentals in the sydney area? or do any of the local agents have sites I could look up? 
ta chaps
ta chaps
Apr 10th 2006, 4:18 am
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Mozzman
Posts: 235
Re: sydney rentals
Domain.com.au or realestate.com.au --
Best bet is to get the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, and look in the domain section - most places for rental have viewings on Wed & Sat - but if anything is worth renting you'll have competition and if it has been listed for a couple of weeks, there will be a good reason for it
.
From experience most estate agents will just point you towards the domain site, as they are too lazy to help you themselves with new vacancies
Best bet is to get the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, and look in the domain section - most places for rental have viewings on Wed & Sat - but if anything is worth renting you'll have competition and if it has been listed for a couple of weeks, there will be a good reason for it
.From experience most estate agents will just point you towards the domain site, as they are too lazy to help you themselves with new vacancies
Apr 10th 2006, 4:44 am
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,233
Re: sydney rentals
Originally Posted by squeezzii
having done a search I havent been able to find what Im looking for, so could any of you guys over east help me please. Is there a website for finding rentals in the sydney area? or do any of the local agents have sites I could look up? ta chaps
ta chapshomehound.com ........bringing up the rear behind the 2 above
justlisted.com.au .......sometimes, only sometimes, gets a listing ahead of the others
cracker.com.au ........more for private listings, not brill but sometimes worth a look
Just about every agent seems to list in 'domain' and 'realestate' and potentially the others mentioned. Sign up for the daily alerts so you can be first in.
The Sydney Morning Herald is essential ofr a Saturday morning house hunt (tip hat to gg again). You'll find a link to domain from their website.
Apr 10th 2006, 5:02 am
#4
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Mozzman
Posts: 235
Re: sydney rentals
Originally Posted by gedge
Sign up for the daily alerts so you can be first in.
The Sydney Morning Herald is essential ofr a Saturday morning house hunt (tip hat to gg again). You'll find a link to domain from their website.
The Sydney Morning Herald is essential ofr a Saturday morning house hunt (tip hat to gg again). You'll find a link to domain from their website.
Apr 10th 2006, 5:47 am
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Sydney ex Wales
Posts: 91
Re: sydney rentals
As well as what has been said above...........
I've just been through this process, and believe me, it is the most frustrating exercise I have ever undertaken. We were looking for a 3 bed house within reasonable distance of the CBD, which are in short supply which may explain why we found it so difficult.
The agents are an absolute waste of space. On the rare occasions that they get back to you, it is to say that the property has gone. If they do get back to you and the property is available, it is quite likely that it is in a right state. If the property is listed on domain or realestate, but without inspection dates, the likelihood is that it has already gone. The estate agent websites (and windows) are a pain in the arse, as the let properties are normally left on there for a while to fill space.
As said above, your best bet is to have an early start on Saturday morning, pick up the SMH and plot your route. We also found justlisted.com.au alerts to be quite good, as you have a fair chance of the property still being available.
When you inspect a property, you have to be prepared to make a decision pretty quickly. We saw a number of properties that we liked, but by the time we got the paperwork together, deposits and applications had already been taken. One property that we saw on a Friday afternoon had stopped taking applications by Saturday lunchtime. The people who are getting the properties are the ones who are going directly from the property to the agent office with their application form and deposit.
In the end that was what we did. We carried photocopies of all of the supporting documentation with us, went directly from the property to a coffee bar, filled out the form and lodged it along with a deposit within an hour of the inspection. Whilst we were at the office, two other people who had viewed the property also arrived with their applications.
Let me know if you have any other questions. As we've done this in the last couple of weeks we may be able to provide some pointers.
I've just been through this process, and believe me, it is the most frustrating exercise I have ever undertaken. We were looking for a 3 bed house within reasonable distance of the CBD, which are in short supply which may explain why we found it so difficult.
The agents are an absolute waste of space. On the rare occasions that they get back to you, it is to say that the property has gone. If they do get back to you and the property is available, it is quite likely that it is in a right state. If the property is listed on domain or realestate, but without inspection dates, the likelihood is that it has already gone. The estate agent websites (and windows) are a pain in the arse, as the let properties are normally left on there for a while to fill space.
As said above, your best bet is to have an early start on Saturday morning, pick up the SMH and plot your route. We also found justlisted.com.au alerts to be quite good, as you have a fair chance of the property still being available.
When you inspect a property, you have to be prepared to make a decision pretty quickly. We saw a number of properties that we liked, but by the time we got the paperwork together, deposits and applications had already been taken. One property that we saw on a Friday afternoon had stopped taking applications by Saturday lunchtime. The people who are getting the properties are the ones who are going directly from the property to the agent office with their application form and deposit.
In the end that was what we did. We carried photocopies of all of the supporting documentation with us, went directly from the property to a coffee bar, filled out the form and lodged it along with a deposit within an hour of the inspection. Whilst we were at the office, two other people who had viewed the property also arrived with their applications.
Let me know if you have any other questions. As we've done this in the last couple of weeks we may be able to provide some pointers.
Apr 10th 2006, 6:59 am
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Doncaster now Northern Beaches NSW
Posts: 52
Re: sydney rentals
Hi All
Hope you don't mind me joining in, I found your post sattman very interesting and full of useful information and have sent you a karma to show my appreciation
We are applying for a 457 husband has sponsership, and are looking to come out in June time hopefully. Is it really that bad trying to get a rental property. Good tip about going straight to the real estate office. I am a little confussed ( does'nt take much ) as to where you get the form from, the one you went straight to the coffee shop with, are they in the houses when you go for a visit, or had you down loaded a supply from the net, or did you get them from the real estate office. Also what other documents would you need with you and how did you pay your deposit. By the sounds of it you really have to be on the ball and very organised. OH employer will be putting us up for a couple of weeks in a services appt, so assumming all goes well we need to find something pretty quick, and the difficulty we are having at the moment is trying to narrow down a suburb, even after reading loads of threads i think until you are actually over there its impossible.
Any information would be appreciated, and again sorry if I have just bardged in on your thread .
Kelnian
Hope you don't mind me joining in, I found your post sattman very interesting and full of useful information and have sent you a karma to show my appreciation
We are applying for a 457 husband has sponsership, and are looking to come out in June time hopefully. Is it really that bad trying to get a rental property. Good tip about going straight to the real estate office. I am a little confussed ( does'nt take much ) as to where you get the form from, the one you went straight to the coffee shop with, are they in the houses when you go for a visit, or had you down loaded a supply from the net, or did you get them from the real estate office. Also what other documents would you need with you and how did you pay your deposit. By the sounds of it you really have to be on the ball and very organised. OH employer will be putting us up for a couple of weeks in a services appt, so assumming all goes well we need to find something pretty quick, and the difficulty we are having at the moment is trying to narrow down a suburb, even after reading loads of threads i think until you are actually over there its impossible.
Any information would be appreciated, and again sorry if I have just bardged in on your thread .
Kelnian
Originally Posted by Sattman
As well as what has been said above...........
I've just been through this process, and believe me, it is the most frustrating exercise I have ever undertaken. We were looking for a 3 bed house within reasonable distance of the CBD, which are in short supply which may explain why we found it so difficult.
The agents are an absolute waste of space. On the rare occasions that they get back to you, it is to say that the property has gone. If they do get back to you and the property is available, it is quite likely that it is in a right state. If the property is listed on domain or realestate, but without inspection dates, the likelihood is that it has already gone. The estate agent websites (and windows) are a pain in the arse, as the let properties are normally left on there for a while to fill space.
As said above, your best bet is to have an early start on Saturday morning, pick up the SMH and plot your route. We also found justlisted.com.au alerts to be quite good, as you have a fair chance of the property still being available.
When you inspect a property, you have to be prepared to make a decision pretty quickly. We saw a number of properties that we liked, but by the time we got the paperwork together, deposits and applications had already been taken. One property that we saw on a Friday afternoon had stopped taking applications by Saturday lunchtime. The people who are getting the properties are the ones who are going directly from the property to the agent office with their application form and deposit.
In the end that was what we did. We carried photocopies of all of the supporting documentation with us, went directly from the property to a coffee bar, filled out the form and lodged it along with a deposit within an hour of the inspection. Whilst we were at the office, two other people who had viewed the property also arrived with their applications.
Let me know if you have any other questions. As we've done this in the last couple of weeks we may be able to provide some pointers.
I've just been through this process, and believe me, it is the most frustrating exercise I have ever undertaken. We were looking for a 3 bed house within reasonable distance of the CBD, which are in short supply which may explain why we found it so difficult.
The agents are an absolute waste of space. On the rare occasions that they get back to you, it is to say that the property has gone. If they do get back to you and the property is available, it is quite likely that it is in a right state. If the property is listed on domain or realestate, but without inspection dates, the likelihood is that it has already gone. The estate agent websites (and windows) are a pain in the arse, as the let properties are normally left on there for a while to fill space.
As said above, your best bet is to have an early start on Saturday morning, pick up the SMH and plot your route. We also found justlisted.com.au alerts to be quite good, as you have a fair chance of the property still being available.
When you inspect a property, you have to be prepared to make a decision pretty quickly. We saw a number of properties that we liked, but by the time we got the paperwork together, deposits and applications had already been taken. One property that we saw on a Friday afternoon had stopped taking applications by Saturday lunchtime. The people who are getting the properties are the ones who are going directly from the property to the agent office with their application form and deposit.
In the end that was what we did. We carried photocopies of all of the supporting documentation with us, went directly from the property to a coffee bar, filled out the form and lodged it along with a deposit within an hour of the inspection. Whilst we were at the office, two other people who had viewed the property also arrived with their applications.
Let me know if you have any other questions. As we've done this in the last couple of weeks we may be able to provide some pointers.
Apr 10th 2006, 7:59 am
#7
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Mozzman
Posts: 235
Re: sydney rentals
Originally Posted by KelnIan
Hi All
Hope you don't mind me joining in, I found your post sattman very interesting and full of useful information and have sent you a karma to show my appreciation
We are applying for a 457 husband has sponsership, and are looking to come out in June time hopefully. Is it really that bad trying to get a rental property. Good tip about going straight to the real estate office. I am a little confussed ( does'nt take much ) as to where you get the form from, the one you went straight to the coffee shop with, are they in the houses when you go for a visit, or had you down loaded a supply from the net, or did you get them from the real estate office. Also what other documents would you need with you and how did you pay your deposit. By the sounds of it you really have to be on the ball and very organised. OH employer will be putting us up for a couple of weeks in a services appt, so assumming all goes well we need to find something pretty quick, and the difficulty we are having at the moment is trying to narrow down a suburb, even after reading loads of threads i think until you are actually over there its impossible.
Any information would be appreciated, and again sorry if I have just bardged in on your thread .
Kelnian
Hope you don't mind me joining in, I found your post sattman very interesting and full of useful information and have sent you a karma to show my appreciation
We are applying for a 457 husband has sponsership, and are looking to come out in June time hopefully. Is it really that bad trying to get a rental property. Good tip about going straight to the real estate office. I am a little confussed ( does'nt take much ) as to where you get the form from, the one you went straight to the coffee shop with, are they in the houses when you go for a visit, or had you down loaded a supply from the net, or did you get them from the real estate office. Also what other documents would you need with you and how did you pay your deposit. By the sounds of it you really have to be on the ball and very organised. OH employer will be putting us up for a couple of weeks in a services appt, so assumming all goes well we need to find something pretty quick, and the difficulty we are having at the moment is trying to narrow down a suburb, even after reading loads of threads i think until you are actually over there its impossible.
Any information would be appreciated, and again sorry if I have just bardged in on your thread .
Kelnian
We were lucky, we managed to fill out the forms and hand them to the agent at the house!
You can also pick them up from the agent when you view the property, but it is best to have a selection from the agents, fill in as much as you can prior to viewing, then put in the final address etc, when you apply, to save time.
Apr 10th 2006, 8:27 am
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Doncaster now Northern Beaches NSW
Posts: 52
Re: sydney rentals
Many thanks, great stuff, puts us in the know a bit more. Would have a problem with supplying bank statement from auz and utilities account. Due to the fact we would have only just arrived, i asume there is a way around this
Thanks again
KelnIan
Thanks again
KelnIan
Originally Posted by galloping gaijin
Re the application form -- http://www.randhmosman.com.au/AppTenancy.htm is an example - probably won't vary too much from Agency to agency. But it will work out best to have as much paperwork 'at hand' when you are viewing.
We were lucky, we managed to fill out the forms and hand them to the agent at the house!
You can also pick them up from the agent when you view the property, but it is best to have a selection from the agents, fill in as much as you can prior to viewing, then put in the final address etc, when you apply, to save time.
We were lucky, we managed to fill out the forms and hand them to the agent at the house!
You can also pick them up from the agent when you view the property, but it is best to have a selection from the agents, fill in as much as you can prior to viewing, then put in the final address etc, when you apply, to save time.
Apr 10th 2006, 8:33 am
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Mozzman
Posts: 235
Re: sydney rentals
Originally Posted by KelnIan
Many thanks, great stuff, puts us in the know a bit more. Would have a problem with supplying bank statement from auz and utilities account. Due to the fact we would have only just arrived, i asume there is a way around this
Thanks again
KelnIan
Thanks again
KelnIan
IIRC we had the bank statements - from a few accounts - and driving licenses. Also the agent looked at the passports for proof we were recent immigrants.
Also we had to supply one application form for EACH adult that was to live in the house.
Apr 10th 2006, 8:44 am
#10
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Doncaster now Northern Beaches NSW
Posts: 52
Re: sydney rentals
Ok Thanks anyway, will do a search on here, lets hope we are not the only ones in this situation. Soooooooooooooo many things to think off.
Many thanks for your help
Kelnian
Many thanks for your help
Kelnian
Originally Posted by galloping gaijin
Unfortunately, can't help you there, we had a month with the in-laws so used them as the postal address for bank a/c's - an Oz one that we had set up a couple of years before as an offshore account for savings, without paying Oz income tax on.
IIRC we had the bank statements - from a few accounts - and driving licenses. Also the agent looked at the passports for proof we were recent immigrants.
Also we had to supply one application form for EACH adult that was to live in the house.
IIRC we had the bank statements - from a few accounts - and driving licenses. Also the agent looked at the passports for proof we were recent immigrants.
Also we had to supply one application form for EACH adult that was to live in the house.
Apr 10th 2006, 2:46 pm
#11
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 161
Re: sydney rentals
I am also curious as to how people are paying their deposit, are you giving them cash or personal cheques ? I am assuming bankers drafts are not an option as by the time the bank raises it the property would be gone 
Apr 10th 2006, 11:12 pm
#12
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Sydney ex Wales
Posts: 91
Re: sydney rentals
Originally Posted by KelnIan
Hi All
Hope you don't mind me joining in, I found your post sattman very interesting and full of useful information and have sent you a karma to show my appreciation
We are applying for a 457 husband has sponsership, and are looking to come out in June time hopefully. Is it really that bad trying to get a rental property. Good tip about going straight to the real estate office. I am a little confussed ( does'nt take much ) as to where you get the form from, the one you went straight to the coffee shop with, are they in the houses when you go for a visit, or had you down loaded a supply from the net, or did you get them from the real estate office. Also what other documents would you need with you and how did you pay your deposit. By the sounds of it you really have to be on the ball and very organised. OH employer will be putting us up for a couple of weeks in a services appt, so assumming all goes well we need to find something pretty quick, and the difficulty we are having at the moment is trying to narrow down a suburb, even after reading loads of threads i think until you are actually over there its impossible.
Any information would be appreciated, and again sorry if I have just bardged in on your thread .
Kelnian
Hope you don't mind me joining in, I found your post sattman very interesting and full of useful information and have sent you a karma to show my appreciation
We are applying for a 457 husband has sponsership, and are looking to come out in June time hopefully. Is it really that bad trying to get a rental property. Good tip about going straight to the real estate office. I am a little confussed ( does'nt take much ) as to where you get the form from, the one you went straight to the coffee shop with, are they in the houses when you go for a visit, or had you down loaded a supply from the net, or did you get them from the real estate office. Also what other documents would you need with you and how did you pay your deposit. By the sounds of it you really have to be on the ball and very organised. OH employer will be putting us up for a couple of weeks in a services appt, so assumming all goes well we need to find something pretty quick, and the difficulty we are having at the moment is trying to narrow down a suburb, even after reading loads of threads i think until you are actually over there its impossible.
Any information would be appreciated, and again sorry if I have just bardged in on your thread .
Kelnian
Sounds like you are in exactly the same position that we were. We also came out on a 457 at the end of February.
With regards to finding a property in Sydney, we learnt how to play the game the hard way. There are plenty of 1 / 2 bed apartments and units around but because we have an 18mth old we decided we wanted a proper house with a yard. These seem to be in very short supply.
Normally the agent who is at the inspection will have a supply of application forms. Most agents work on a '100 point check' for ID. We had our application accepted with photocopies of our passports, UK driving licenses, bank reference from the UK, business card, UK council tax statement, birth certificates, letter of confirmation of employment including salary details from our employer, and a covering letter. I had pre printed a number of covering letters, on companyu letterhead with the following text :
Originally Posted by My Covering Letter
Please find attached my tenancy application for the above-mentioned property.
We have recently moved to Sydney from the UK, and are attempting to secure rental accommodation before the arrival of our personal effects towards the end of April. It is our intention to use rented accommodation for the next 2-3 years, and as such we are offering a 12-month lease, with the possibility of extending towards the end of this arrangement.
I was employed by xxxxxxx for eight years before I moved to the Sydney office and as such, my probation period has been waived and the job here is permanent. I have attached a letter from my employer confirming my employment status, salary and position.
Since arriving we have been living in rented corporate accommodation in North Sydney provided by Raine and Horne, and therefore we are unable to provide references from previous landlords. However, we have retained the home that we own in the UK, and as such I have provided supporting documentation relating to that property. I have also attached copies of the relevant pages of our passports, UK driving licences and other UK supporting documentation.
If you have any questions or require additional information in respect of this application then please contact me using any of the methods listed above.
Yours sincerely
We have recently moved to Sydney from the UK, and are attempting to secure rental accommodation before the arrival of our personal effects towards the end of April. It is our intention to use rented accommodation for the next 2-3 years, and as such we are offering a 12-month lease, with the possibility of extending towards the end of this arrangement.
I was employed by xxxxxxx for eight years before I moved to the Sydney office and as such, my probation period has been waived and the job here is permanent. I have attached a letter from my employer confirming my employment status, salary and position.
Since arriving we have been living in rented corporate accommodation in North Sydney provided by Raine and Horne, and therefore we are unable to provide references from previous landlords. However, we have retained the home that we own in the UK, and as such I have provided supporting documentation relating to that property. I have also attached copies of the relevant pages of our passports, UK driving licences and other UK supporting documentation.
If you have any questions or require additional information in respect of this application then please contact me using any of the methods listed above.
Yours sincerely
With regards to suburbs, Sydney is a huge place, and your choice of suburb will really depend on where the job is, what your budget is and what sort of lifestyle you want. PM me if you want some suggestions, but also make sure you take full advantage of your options. If you are only here for four years, do you want to live in suburbia an hours drive from the beaches ?
On a completely separate point, make sure that you and OH apply for your Tax File Number ASAP after arriving. They are taking about 4 weeks to turn around. And if you are keeping your property at home, make sure you tap up the employer about the Living Away from Home allowance, which is a third of salary tax free whilst you are classed as LAFH. Well worth having.
Cheers
May 9th 2006, 10:37 am
#14
Melbourne Australia
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,169
Re: sydney rentals
Originally Posted by kbryant
I am also curious as to how people are paying their deposit, are you giving them cash or personal cheques ? I am assuming bankers drafts are not an option as by the time the bank raises it the property would be gone
Total time 7 mins
Kiwi
You may also be asked as we have to have 2 cheques - one for the rent (a month in advance) and another for the bond (which is made out to some Rental Bond Agency - sorry forgot the full name).
What price range are you looking for in Sydney for a 3 bed close to the CBD?
