kiwiineil

I am new to this forum, hello!

I am currently in UK but my partner has been offered a job in Wellington so we are both moving to New Zealand at the end of July.

Her company is providing a relocation package and putting us both up in a hotel for the first 2 weeks but we are wanting to try and get some viewings arranged or make an agreement on a place before we arrive. We were out in NZ at the start of the year but this was a holiday and spend a month travelling around both the North & South Island. We spent a few days in Wellington however stayed in Eastbourne and not in the city apart from our final night. The weather wasn't great so we didn't really explore the city much spending more time relaxing on the other side of the bay. Now that we are to move to Wellington I am kind of kicking myself!

I have been looking through Trademe.co.nz and Realestate.co.nz for rental properties however must say was a little surprised at the rates, I was expecting lower costs that UK however they seem to be on par if not more! We have narrowed down the areas we are looking at since they are close to her work but wanted to ask everyone here for any advice they could offer.

On the off chance that someone here knows someone with a place to rent or can help us find somewhere I'll give you a quick run down of what we are looking for. The 3 suburbs that we are looking at are Maupuia, Karaka Bay and Miramar. We are looking for a 2-3 bedroom property which needs to be fully furnished since my partner only has an initial contract for 6 months.

From what I have seen I believe I should be expecting to pay in the region of $600 per week. This is more that what I pay at home although that doesn't come with the weather.. I'm in Scotland by the way! Am I correct in my thinking that this is the rate I will be paying for rent?

Maupuia, Karaka Bay and Miramar - Does anyone know these areas and able to offer any good/bad comments about them? Any advice on where to shop or what to do in these areas?

Thank you all in advance!

MrsFychan

not sure you will get fully furnished you may be better looking at a holiday let as may be cheaper being out of season and you can negotiate a better rate. I don't think anyone will be willing to let to someone outside the country as so many things can go wrong meaning they don't take the tenancy up and there are enough people already here looking for places.

also it may be cheaper to move further out of the CBD

Timmy Chch

Charity shops over here are awesome! It will be hard work furnishing a whole place but even harder to find fully furnished from my experience. I'm guessing I'm used to roughing it a bit more than others though ha ha

MOSO

Can't help with renting I'm afraid, but those areas have mostly older style wooden houses, and a real mish-mash of styles. I would definitely see something for yourself and check how much sun it gets before renting somewhere, and check on heating and/or insulation as it's not a warm area due to its proximity to the Cook Strait - be prepared for wind!

The main man-made attraction is the Weta studio of course in Miramar. There's also Peter Jackson's cinema in the centre (Roxy?). I think there's a small New World supermarket, library, doctors etc. in central Miramar. For larger shops you'll need to drive 10 mins to Lyall Bay on the other side of the airport.

You could either get a bus or drive to the CBD (sorry, no idea on the traffic), probably about 10 mins at the weekend, around the coastline past Oriental Bay. There's also the Days Bay ferry which goes from Seatoun (you'll need mega bucks and a very thick wind-proof jacket to live there).

2 nice cafes with views are the Chocolate Fish on Shelley Bay Road and Scorchorama at Scorching Bay. Scorching Bay also has a lovely sandy beach and rock pools. Plenty of people dive for crayfish around that coastline too (you'll need a wetsuit!). That coastline gets the wind so personally I wouldn't buy a house on that side of the hills, but it's lovely on a nice day with lots of nice walks and you can watch the Ferries and cruise ships going in/out the harbour.

There is a recently closed prison on the hill-side at Maupauia which is due to be redeveloped. You may want to investigate before renting somewhere on that hill in case of extra traffic/building noise.

escapedtonz

I'd say $600 a week for fully furnished is cheap. I'd say youll need more. You need to be careful of what that price gives you as there are a lot more costs than just the rent.
When we arrived in Wellington in 2012 we paid $725 a week for a 3 bed old 70's bungalow and that was in Woburn, Lwr Hutt. It was fully furnished and everything was included in the price - power, water, gas, WiFi, refuse collection & sky tv. Had everything we needed but was ancient, however it was dry, warm and plenty of hot water. We got a relocation allowance and did 8 weeks there all covered by the payment and in that time secured another unfurnished rental.

Also I'd be cautious with a proper rental. Usually there's a minimum rental period and you'll have to sign a contract. This means you are tied in and will have to pay a bond (3 or 4 weeks rent up front) and maybe a letting fee to the agent of 1 week rent plus GST. You'll also have to pay in advance by at least a week so even if you do find somewhere at $600 a week it'll cost maybe $3k before moving in then you'll have to pay $600 on moving in day then weekly to keep in advance. The bond is held in trust by the government and can be repaid after you have left and there is no damage. You may also need references.
If you go for a holiday let you won't have a contract as you'll just book it from a start day to an end day, pay a deposit then pay each week you are there which is what we did in Woburn.
Not a good idea to secure one from overseas as you'll have no idea what it's like in real life or if there's any issues. You need to see it before committing.
Why can't you stay on in the property the company is arranging for you and offer to pay a share of the costs or all the costs after the initial 2 weeks. I can guarantee you'll be able to push that initial fortnight out by another 2 weeks. Noone will expect you to be able to sort longer term accommodation within 2 weeks. It's almost impossible.
Can't really advise on the areas you are intending to live. Miramar is fine but right next to the airport so noise may be an issue with flights coming in and going out.

moonie2011

Agree with what everyone has said, there are so many places to look to live I'd wait till you get here. We rented a holiday flat for our first 6 weeks then used this time to drive around, looking at houses at the same time.
Be warned, NZ is notorious for cold damp houses, and looking at pictures doesn't allow you to smell and look for damp etc.
as someone said you will also have to sign up for a minimum time and there is virtually no way to get out of that. When we rented this wasn't explained to us and we signed for 7mths. After 4 mths hating renting and not helping me settle we decided to buy and stop renting. We told the agents who said no your in a contract!!!!! We did manage to get out by finding another tenant to take over our contract but it was very hard work and very very stressful.
Good luck and welcome to Wellington, it's a great place to live. We live in Papakowhai which is about 20mins from the CBD