How to rent a house ?
Mar 15th 2009, 1:34 pm
#1
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Location: Great Yarmouth , Norfolk , England.
Posts: 11
How to rent a house ?
Hi this has probably been posted hundreds of times before, but I am new to all of this so sorry.......
I will be moving out to the Wellington area in August and was just wondering how do I arrange a house rental before I get there !!
We are looking to live on the Kapiti coast but all I can find on the web is properties looking like sheds:
Are they all like this or am I not looking in the right area ?
any ideas ?
Cheers Wellsy :
I will be moving out to the Wellington area in August and was just wondering how do I arrange a house rental before I get there !!
We are looking to live on the Kapiti coast but all I can find on the web is properties looking like sheds:
Are they all like this or am I not looking in the right area ?
any ideas ?
Cheers Wellsy :
Mar 15th 2009, 2:22 pm
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 54
Re: How to rent a house ?
Hi Wellsy,
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was advised to rent a motel room or holiday home for the first month, and look at long term rentals once you arrive, as photos are very misleading and you can't judge the area online.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was advised to rent a motel room or holiday home for the first month, and look at long term rentals once you arrive, as photos are very misleading and you can't judge the area online.
Mar 15th 2009, 5:03 pm
#3
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Location: Great Yarmouth , Norfolk , England.
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Re: How to rent a house ?
Great nice one I would have never thought of that one I will have a quick look
Thanks Wellsy........
Thanks Wellsy........
Mar 15th 2009, 5:45 pm
#4
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Joined: Jan 2007
Location: From Liverpool to North Shore NZ
Posts: 320
Re: How to rent a house ?
Hi we arrived in Auckland, three weeks ago, I would rent a holiday home or a short term lease for the first month. It has taken us the last three weeks to find a rental, pictures look lovely on internet but when you do a driveby it is totally different. When friends recommended doing driveby's I thought that they where mad, but it is well worth it. It have done at least 50 driveby's and viewed 4. The one that we both liked was out of our price range but we offered $100 per week less, it took over a week for them to accept our offer, cant wait we collect keys Wednesday and contents of our container gets delivered the same day. It is about a 2 minute walk to the beach.
I cant comment on area, because we are based on the North Island.
Good luck
I cant comment on area, because we are based on the North Island.
Good luck
Mar 15th 2009, 7:24 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Mairangi Bay, North Shore
Posts: 50
Re: How to rent a house ?
Err, you are going to find the process a bit different to the UK, if the Kapiti (Maori for shed, by the way 
)coast is anything like Auckland. In an email home I wrote this of the process we went through..
The housing market here, like the UK, is about as screwed as the hooker that unwisely ran a two-for-one the day the high seas fleet came back in to port after six months of manoeuvres. Buying therefore not being on the agenda (yet) we resolved to rent. Now, we all know that estate agents are the lowest form of pond life on the planet; inferior even to politicians, traffic wardens, tax inspectors and Australian cricketers. But in NZ ‘realtors’ have turned being pr!cks in to an art form.
Only estate agents, in a market on it’s knees, gasping for breath and begging you to dial 111 (999), could behave as though you, a potential client, were something unpleasantly canine they had found on their shoe. So at first we were surprised when we made appointments to view houses only to arrive to find the agent had arranged to simultaneously show one, sometimes two and even three other families around. Then when you decide you have found the house you want to rent, rather than an egalitarian ‘first come first served’, the landlord decides which of their potential tenants they will rent to, aided, no doubt, by the realtors’ comments about the potential tenants.
I think at one point we were waiting on 3 simultaneous offers to rent. At first we naively thought we'd make an offer and soon thereafter the landlord or estate agent would come back and say yes. We didn't realise that when offering to rent the landlord could (and would) take days to consider the proposal like some kind of mystical Bedouin sheik debating how many camels his first born was worth.
)coast is anything like Auckland. In an email home I wrote this of the process we went through..The housing market here, like the UK, is about as screwed as the hooker that unwisely ran a two-for-one the day the high seas fleet came back in to port after six months of manoeuvres. Buying therefore not being on the agenda (yet) we resolved to rent. Now, we all know that estate agents are the lowest form of pond life on the planet; inferior even to politicians, traffic wardens, tax inspectors and Australian cricketers. But in NZ ‘realtors’ have turned being pr!cks in to an art form.
Only estate agents, in a market on it’s knees, gasping for breath and begging you to dial 111 (999), could behave as though you, a potential client, were something unpleasantly canine they had found on their shoe. So at first we were surprised when we made appointments to view houses only to arrive to find the agent had arranged to simultaneously show one, sometimes two and even three other families around. Then when you decide you have found the house you want to rent, rather than an egalitarian ‘first come first served’, the landlord decides which of their potential tenants they will rent to, aided, no doubt, by the realtors’ comments about the potential tenants.
I think at one point we were waiting on 3 simultaneous offers to rent. At first we naively thought we'd make an offer and soon thereafter the landlord or estate agent would come back and say yes. We didn't realise that when offering to rent the landlord could (and would) take days to consider the proposal like some kind of mystical Bedouin sheik debating how many camels his first born was worth.
Mar 15th 2009, 8:09 pm
#6
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Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Great Yarmouth , Norfolk , England.
Posts: 11
Re: How to rent a house ?
Hi guys thanks for your advice look like I will be in a holiday home until I do some drive-bys myself and find my rentable shed,,,,,,
Cheers.
Wellsy.......
Cheers.
Wellsy.......
Last edited by Wellsy; Mar 15th 2009 at 8:14 pm.
Mar 16th 2009, 3:17 pm
#7
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 78
Re: How to rent a house ?
Originally Posted by Trenchfoot
Err, you are going to find the process a bit different to the UK, if the Kapiti (Maori for shed, by the way )coast is anything like Auckland. In an email home I wrote this of the process we went through..
The housing market here, like the UK, is about as screwed as the hooker that unwisely ran a two-for-one the day the high seas fleet came back in to port after six months of manoeuvres. Buying therefore not being on the agenda (yet) we resolved to rent. Now, we all know that estate agents are the lowest form of pond life on the planet; inferior even to politicians, traffic wardens, tax inspectors and Australian cricketers. But in NZ ‘realtors’ have turned being pr!cks in to an art form.
Only estate agents, in a market on it’s knees, gasping for breath and begging you to dial 111 (999), could behave as though you, a potential client, were something unpleasantly canine they had found on their shoe. So at first we were surprised when we made appointments to view houses only to arrive to find the agent had arranged to simultaneously show one, sometimes two and even three other families around. Then when you decide you have found the house you want to rent, rather than an egalitarian ‘first come first served’, the landlord decides which of their potential tenants they will rent to, aided, no doubt, by the realtors’ comments about the potential tenants.
I think at one point we were waiting on 3 simultaneous offers to rent. At first we naively thought we'd make an offer and soon thereafter the landlord or estate agent would come back and say yes. We didn't realise that when offering to rent the landlord could (and would) take days to consider the proposal like some kind of mystical Bedouin sheik debating how many camels his first born was worth.
)coast is anything like Auckland. In an email home I wrote this of the process we went through..The housing market here, like the UK, is about as screwed as the hooker that unwisely ran a two-for-one the day the high seas fleet came back in to port after six months of manoeuvres. Buying therefore not being on the agenda (yet) we resolved to rent. Now, we all know that estate agents are the lowest form of pond life on the planet; inferior even to politicians, traffic wardens, tax inspectors and Australian cricketers. But in NZ ‘realtors’ have turned being pr!cks in to an art form.
Only estate agents, in a market on it’s knees, gasping for breath and begging you to dial 111 (999), could behave as though you, a potential client, were something unpleasantly canine they had found on their shoe. So at first we were surprised when we made appointments to view houses only to arrive to find the agent had arranged to simultaneously show one, sometimes two and even three other families around. Then when you decide you have found the house you want to rent, rather than an egalitarian ‘first come first served’, the landlord decides which of their potential tenants they will rent to, aided, no doubt, by the realtors’ comments about the potential tenants.
I think at one point we were waiting on 3 simultaneous offers to rent. At first we naively thought we'd make an offer and soon thereafter the landlord or estate agent would come back and say yes. We didn't realise that when offering to rent the landlord could (and would) take days to consider the proposal like some kind of mystical Bedouin sheik debating how many camels his first born was worth.
I know as I had one bad tenant, who after I had to get evicted for not paying rent for 4 months had to replace all the carpets, lino and get the house professionally clean and replaced blinds and although I was awarded costs by the tenancy tribunal, never saw a cent out of her, so yes it pays to be careful who you let rent your property to.
Mar 16th 2009, 7:27 pm
#8
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Joined: Sep 2006
Location: Mission Bay, Auckland
Posts: 649
Re: How to rent a house ?
Totally agree with all the other posters - move into a motel first. This will give you time to get aclimatised and decide where you really want to live. The Internet shows only the best and hides the worst points of any potential rental like the smell of damp etc. Much better to see them in the flesh and also the area that the rental is in. Good luck
Mar 17th 2009, 4:23 am
#9
Cow on the Beach
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Seatoun, Wellington
Posts: 699
Re: How to rent a house ?
Originally Posted by Trenchfoot
Err, you are going to find the process a bit different to the UK, if the Kapiti (Maori for shed, by the way )coast is anything like Auckland. In an email home I wrote this of the process we went through..
The housing market here, like the UK, is about as screwed as the hooker that unwisely ran a two-for-one the day the high seas fleet came back in to port after six months of manoeuvres. Buying therefore not being on the agenda (yet) we resolved to rent. Now, we all know that estate agents are the lowest form of pond life on the planet; inferior even to politicians, traffic wardens, tax inspectors and Australian cricketers. But in NZ ‘realtors’ have turned being pr!cks in to an art form.
Only estate agents, in a market on it’s knees, gasping for breath and begging you to dial 111 (999), could behave as though you, a potential client, were something unpleasantly canine they had found on their shoe. So at first we were surprised when we made appointments to view houses only to arrive to find the agent had arranged to simultaneously show one, sometimes two and even three other families around. Then when you decide you have found the house you want to rent, rather than an egalitarian ‘first come first served’, the landlord decides which of their potential tenants they will rent to, aided, no doubt, by the realtors’ comments about the potential tenants.
I think at one point we were waiting on 3 simultaneous offers to rent. At first we naively thought we'd make an offer and soon thereafter the landlord or estate agent would come back and say yes. We didn't realise that when offering to rent the landlord could (and would) take days to consider the proposal like some kind of mystical Bedouin sheik debating how many camels his first born was worth.
)coast is anything like Auckland. In an email home I wrote this of the process we went through..The housing market here, like the UK, is about as screwed as the hooker that unwisely ran a two-for-one the day the high seas fleet came back in to port after six months of manoeuvres. Buying therefore not being on the agenda (yet) we resolved to rent. Now, we all know that estate agents are the lowest form of pond life on the planet; inferior even to politicians, traffic wardens, tax inspectors and Australian cricketers. But in NZ ‘realtors’ have turned being pr!cks in to an art form.
Only estate agents, in a market on it’s knees, gasping for breath and begging you to dial 111 (999), could behave as though you, a potential client, were something unpleasantly canine they had found on their shoe. So at first we were surprised when we made appointments to view houses only to arrive to find the agent had arranged to simultaneously show one, sometimes two and even three other families around. Then when you decide you have found the house you want to rent, rather than an egalitarian ‘first come first served’, the landlord decides which of their potential tenants they will rent to, aided, no doubt, by the realtors’ comments about the potential tenants.
I think at one point we were waiting on 3 simultaneous offers to rent. At first we naively thought we'd make an offer and soon thereafter the landlord or estate agent would come back and say yes. We didn't realise that when offering to rent the landlord could (and would) take days to consider the proposal like some kind of mystical Bedouin sheik debating how many camels his first born was worth.
First - do not rent till you get here - 6-12 months is the standard time you have to rent for. If you want to move before then you'll have lease break conditions which although negotiable can be a right pain. So getting it wrong and you could be stuck for a while.
Second - if you can (and yes it is difficult) try to rent without using an agent. Pond Life is being kind ....at least pond life moves occasionally.....agents round here do sod all and expect you to pay for everything (I was once trying to rent a 4 bed house ideal for a family. When I asked the agent about school zones -very improtant here - she replied she didn't live in the area and didn't ahve kids....no but she was getting paid to provide exactly that kind of information!).
If you can, wait till you get here and ask around, at work, through other ex pats, at social events , sports clubs...the man down the pub ....you'll be surprised who you find is renting out their house. My current house I got of Trade Me and the owner landlord fixes stuff virtually straight away and is really nice to deal with.
Hope this helps
BTW - my mate tried to rent up at Paraparam and the agents were just AWFUL!
Mar 17th 2009, 3:05 pm
#10
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Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Great Yarmouth , Norfolk , England.
Posts: 11
Re: How to rent a house ?
Hi Wooly-cow
Thanks for that we have now decided to rent a holiday home and found one in Welly, just for three weeks and we hope that will give us time to find a half tidy rentable........
Thank-you to everyone else for your advise.
Thanks for that we have now decided to rent a holiday home and found one in Welly, just for three weeks and we hope that will give us time to find a half tidy rentable........
Thank-you to everyone else for your advise.
Mar 18th 2009, 6:48 am
#11
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Paraparaumu & Upper Hutt
Posts: 96
Re: How to rent a house ?
We used www.rentabach.co.nz and www.bookabach.co.nz to find somewhere for 2 weeks when we arrived - although looking back 4 weeks may have led to less pressure!
Oh, and BTW - Kapiti means "joining" or "boundary" in Māori - as it was the boundary between iwi IIRC
Oh, and BTW - Kapiti means "joining" or "boundary" in Māori - as it was the boundary between iwi IIRC
Apr 18th 2009, 3:45 am
#12
Account Closed
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 336
Re: How to rent a house ?
I've read these posts and got madder and bloody madder. I am ALSO a Rrealestate Agent and I work my bloody socks off, always trying to do my best
I know there are some bad agents out there, but the majority of people I work with try and do the best they can for their clients. I know it may seem unpalatable to some of you but we too need to make a living and in my experience doing the best you can for your client is the best way!
You wont to try travelling 50km to meet a prospective buyer who doesn't turn up or even bother to phone to let you know they have changed their mind,:curse: or have to put up with phone calls TILL VERY LATE on a evening or when your about to sit down to have dinner with your husband who you haven't seen all day doing a contract that takes till passed 10am at night and you started at 7.30am
And this is just one of my jobs!!!
So trenchfoot think on its not just the agents that are pondlife, alot of the buyers and sellers I can come across would probably enjoy eating pondlife!!!!!!!!!
Regards Lin
always trying to do my bestI know there are some bad agents out there, but the majority of people I work with try and do the best they can for their clients. I know it may seem unpalatable to some of you but we too need to make a living and in my experience doing the best you can for your client is the best way!
You wont to try travelling 50km to meet a prospective buyer who doesn't turn up or even bother to phone to let you know they have changed their mind,:curse: or have to put up with phone calls TILL VERY LATE on a evening or when your about to sit down to have dinner with your husband who you haven't seen all day doing a contract that takes till passed 10am at night and you started at 7.30am
And this is just one of my jobs!!!
So trenchfoot think on its not just the agents that are pondlife, alot of the buyers and sellers I can come across would probably enjoy eating pondlife!!!!!!!!!
Regards Lin
Apr 18th 2009, 7:38 am
#13
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Joined: Nov 2006
Location: NZ - for now!
Posts: 827
Re: How to rent a house ?
Love em or hate em, the reality is, most home owners don't have time and/or knowledge to rent their own property so they use companies. Usually property management companies have the better properties. Private homeowners can be likely to pull a bit of a swifty, knowing that as a newbie, you might not be familiar with tenancy laws. The reality is, buyer beware. Familiarise yourself with the residential tenancies act. Know your rights and the homeowners. Once armed with this information, shop around. Negotiate rents and terms if you feel you're a worthy tenant - ultimately the market dictates the price of a home. Everyone views different suburbs differently 
What might suit you will not suit everyone else. Think that's an obvious statement? Try taking some recommendations on here on where to live and then go and look for yourself. No one will take an application from someone overseas anyway. Find a short term rental..trademe.co.nz or bookaback.co.nz or arrange a good weekly rent with a motel. Vital things you need to decide upon, fixed term agreement (much more common now, tie you in usually for six - twelve months) - hard to get out, but protect you from sale of property and rent changes. Or periodic - flexible with commitment from both sides. Also look at the department of building housing - search: Market rent. Just to have an idea. I saw a 4bedroom, 1 bathroom home listed for $800 per week in Whitby. Now come on, which sucker is going to pay that? The uninformed one!
The number you should memorise...0800 TENANCY.
The laws here are crystal and easy to learn. The people that get screwed over are the ignorant ones. Yes, if you have two dogs, chances are, you'll do it tough. But remember, this is someone else's home, not your own. In some cases, a larger deposit and a reference about the dog's nature (kennels, vets, etc) may aide in getting you in the door. No dogs, no kids, no problem!
Anyway, best of luck to you and yours
What might suit you will not suit everyone else. Think that's an obvious statement? Try taking some recommendations on here on where to live and then go and look for yourself. No one will take an application from someone overseas anyway. Find a short term rental..trademe.co.nz or bookaback.co.nz or arrange a good weekly rent with a motel. Vital things you need to decide upon, fixed term agreement (much more common now, tie you in usually for six - twelve months) - hard to get out, but protect you from sale of property and rent changes. Or periodic - flexible with commitment from both sides. Also look at the department of building housing - search: Market rent. Just to have an idea. I saw a 4bedroom, 1 bathroom home listed for $800 per week in Whitby. Now come on, which sucker is going to pay that? The uninformed one! The number you should memorise...0800 TENANCY.
The laws here are crystal and easy to learn. The people that get screwed over are the ignorant ones. Yes, if you have two dogs, chances are, you'll do it tough. But remember, this is someone else's home, not your own. In some cases, a larger deposit and a reference about the dog's nature (kennels, vets, etc) may aide in getting you in the door. No dogs, no kids, no problem!
Anyway, best of luck to you and yours
Apr 18th 2009, 7:40 am
#14
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Joined: Nov 2006
Location: NZ - for now!
Posts: 827
Re: How to rent a house ?
As for what Trenchfoot said? One metaphor too many me thinks 
Apr 18th 2009, 10:22 am
#15
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Posts: 336
Re: How to rent a house ?
Originally Posted by Littletoe
Love em or hate em, the reality is, most home owners don't have time and/or knowledge to rent their own property so they use companies. Usually property management companies have the better properties. Private homeowners can be likely to pull a bit of a swifty, knowing that as a newbie, you might not be familiar with tenancy laws. The reality is, buyer beware. Familiarise yourself with the residential tenancies act. Know your rights and the homeowners. Once armed with this information, shop around. Negotiate rents and terms if you feel you're a worthy tenant - ultimately the market dictates the price of a home. Everyone views different suburbs differently What might suit you will not suit everyone else. Think that's an obvious statement? Try taking some recommendations on here on where to live and then go and look for yourself. No one will take an application from someone overseas anyway. Find a short term rental..trademe.co.nz or bookaback.co.nz or arrange a good weekly rent with a motel. Vital things you need to decide upon, fixed term agreement (much more common now, tie you in usually for six - twelve months) - hard to get out, but protect you from sale of property and rent changes. Or periodic - flexible with commitment from both sides. Also look at the department of building housing - search: Market rent. Just to have an idea. I saw a 4bedroom, 1 bathroom home listed for $800 per week in Whitby. Now come on, which sucker is going to pay that? The uninformed one!
The number you should memorise...0800 TENANCY.
The laws here are crystal and easy to learn. The people that get screwed over are the ignorant ones. Yes, if you have two dogs, chances are, you'll do it tough. But remember, this is someone else's home, not your own. In some cases, a larger deposit and a reference about the dog's nature (kennels, vets, etc) may aide in getting you in the door. No dogs, no kids, no problem!
Anyway, best of luck to you and yours
What might suit you will not suit everyone else. Think that's an obvious statement? Try taking some recommendations on here on where to live and then go and look for yourself. No one will take an application from someone overseas anyway. Find a short term rental..trademe.co.nz or bookaback.co.nz or arrange a good weekly rent with a motel. Vital things you need to decide upon, fixed term agreement (much more common now, tie you in usually for six - twelve months) - hard to get out, but protect you from sale of property and rent changes. Or periodic - flexible with commitment from both sides. Also look at the department of building housing - search: Market rent. Just to have an idea. I saw a 4bedroom, 1 bathroom home listed for $800 per week in Whitby. Now come on, which sucker is going to pay that? The uninformed one! The number you should memorise...0800 TENANCY.
The laws here are crystal and easy to learn. The people that get screwed over are the ignorant ones. Yes, if you have two dogs, chances are, you'll do it tough. But remember, this is someone else's home, not your own. In some cases, a larger deposit and a reference about the dog's nature (kennels, vets, etc) may aide in getting you in the door. No dogs, no kids, no problem!
Anyway, best of luck to you and yours
So I would like them to have it SO I CAN GET MORE and the cost is some times lots more then it should be for that location!! my reply is f... u.As for the Agents the company I work for, does agreements all the time from overseas and even as my other job I have had no problems securing a home that allows dogs
What you need to be saying IF I AM PAYING ALL THIS MONEY TO BRING MY PET TO NZ it is well behaved and the home you will be renting will be well cared for you will have to have the carpets cleaned when leaving.Please have a look at www.tenancy.govt.nz/market-rent
This will help you how much RENT you should pay (lots of real estate people use this as a guide).
Also look at www.realestate.co.nz best of luck
Lin
