windswept

When you say 'relocated', what exactly do you mean? :eek: I can imagine the Council guy talking to the magpie: 'I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse'! Also worth noting, willy wagtails swoop as well. Had one bang into the back of my head a few years ago. For some reason he thought I was on his territory.... couldn't explain why he wasn't paying the mortgage and I was though!!

Same in WA. In WA the govt scheme is called the Bond Administrator.

I saw that and was like, :eek: that is a huge cost! Maybe something else 457 applicants can negotiate with their employer to pay? (along with international moving costs, flights over etc)

$513 is an excellent price - as a comparison, our two bedroom apartments currently go for $600/week (includes internet as well as utilities).

Fantastic news! Now you and Max just kick back and get mentally and physically ready for your job.

The Minister will simply write you a fob off letter which won't achieve anything for you. Trust me.... I used to be the person who wrote them!! (admittedly not for the Immigration Minister, but still...) You're best off concentrating your efforts into other viable options. Don't pin any false hope on the Minister intervening.

Hi Kirsty, Where will you be moving to? I ask because each State and Territory has its own legislation around renting, so the specifics tend to be different between areas. Generally you are easily able to rent fully furnished properties from overseas Just do a google search for fully furnished apartments in the area you're moving to and check out the results. If you do bring furniture over, keep in mind that it can take up to three months for it to actually arrive - longer if there are delays in unloading or due to bad weather. Just something to keep in mind if you are planning on bringing over furniture etc. Renting is expensive unfortunately, for example in Perth an unfurnished three bedroom property which is a half hour drive to the city can easily rent for $400-$450 a week. Feel free to search this site for info as well, you will find that lots of others have asked the same questions you're asking Regards Jen

I like either the Peel region or the South West region. Both are not too far from Perth (SW region is about three hours' drive) and have good amenities in terms of schools/hospitals/shops etc.

Freo is lovely - you'll enjoy it there. I'd be staying in Freo and using the bus/train networks to get around if you want to venture into Perth or elsewhere.

We have provision in our leases for inspections every 3 months (we have short term rentals, so they are more regular than your normal longer term rentals). However unless we think there may be a problem of some kind which needs to be addressed (eg. damage, cleanliness, unpaid rent, noise problems, excess people staying at the property etc) we tend to leave our tenants in peace and not interrupt their peace and quiet.

From memory I think any of the McDonalds' have free wifi.

Cabinet makers tend to cluster together - if he's going around introducing himself (which I'd recommend) tell him to try Osborne Park and Malaga/Wangara areas as starting points. Both are north of the river/city and tend to be industrial 'strongholds' so to speak. Get him to google 'cabinet maker Osborne Park' etc to get some addresses to start with, and approach each business personally. Good luck - I hope he finds something soon.

I really like Magnetite (http://www.magnetite.com.au) - comparatively cheap and able to be retrofitted with minimum hassle.

No unfortunately only two and three bedroom properties! Malaga is north east of the Perth CBD and is typically more of an industrial area. If you're looking for suburbs where you can kick back and relax while admiring the ocean, any of the beachside suburbs would probably suit you (Scarborough, Watermans Bay, North Beach etc). However it would be about a 25 minute drive to work. Your chances of finding a single bed apartment are probably best in somewhere like Scarborough, I'd say.

Hi again Our two bedroom properties rent for $630/week - that includes all utilities, wireless internet and VOIP phone (free local calls) plus all linen, crockery, cutlery etc. They're located in Glendalough and Osborne Park. Our three bedroom villas, which are rented on the same basis, rent for $750/week and are located in Balcatta. Jen

Hi Smurf, what area are you going to? You should try googling the city you're headed to, along with terms like 'completely fully furnished' 'self contained' and 'holiday let' - this should give you a starting point to work from. A number of us here provide this kind of accommodation, but suitable accommodation depends on whether you're looking for close to the city, near the ocean, a place suitable for kids, etc. Also will you be going there straight from the airport? ie. will you need access to the property at 1am or similar? Not all places provide that kind of access. Depending on what you plan on doing for your arrival will also impact on whether you go the fully furnished option, or make do as Rupert suggests. Both are perfectly fine options, as long as you know what your movements on arrival will be Anyhow, just some thoughts to get you started. Jen

It depends on a few things. Do you have kids or pets? If you have kids, you'd probably be happier in a house rather than an apartment. If you have pets, then avoid apartment blocks - typically the managing council have rules against pets. We aren't able to have pets in our apartments for this reason, the strata doesn't allow them. There are a few of us on PIO who do short term accommodation - the link to our website is in my signature, and there is also http://www.ozhouserental.com - Tracey has access to a large number of properties both north and south of the river, quite a few of which are pet friendly.

Good advice Cal The other thing I would say is, don't take it personally if you don't get the first place you apply for. It's really competitive out there, it doesn't mean you're not good people (or good tenants!). People can get really down if they don't get the first few places they apply for, but sometimes you might be the second favourite applicant. So yeah don't let it get you down if you're not successful straight away

We always tell our tenants this - it depends on how much time they have to do it as well (if both working then it can be difficult to get to the BA office), but it's definitely the quickest way to get your bond back!

Paul, call Wageline on 1300 655 266 - they will be able to assist you. Let us know how you go, I think we're all interested in the outcome here. Would love to know your result.

Yep, that's why the LSL construction board was originally set up, so that workers in the building industries didn't miss out. Same thing happens in the public service, you can shift between departments, but as long as your break between departments is one week or less, your LSL carries over to your new employer.

LSL is never a wage deduction; it works like sick leave in that as you work, 'time' accrues for you to use once you hit the qualifying period. In the case of LSL the qualifying period is 7 (or 10) years. Basically you're either entitled to it, or you're not. It's a reward for longevity with a company.

Spot on. Think of it as being like sick leave - unless your company has a different structure, if you don't take your sick leave and you leave the job - you lose it. (I know there are some private companies that do a bit of a payout at the end of each year eg. you take no sick days and you get paid for 2 of them as a reward, but this is over and above the standard entitlements.)

Sounds like you're in the state public service? If so, then it depends on how old you are. If you are over 55 then I believe that there are some limited provisions for claiming it.

Hi BonnieM! You might also want to post this on our sister site http://www.perthpoms.com, you're going to be hitting a more targeted market there. I hope you find something! Jen