Nats

Hi Shellybr, is the move definitely going ahead then? It's a shame your feeling so settled & have to move, but I just want to reassure you that Brisbane ain't too bad...and it's definitely cheaper. Renting is much of a muchness in terms of cost, but shopping, eating out etc, much cheaper. We were 18months in Perth before getting itchy feet, but I always thought we'd return (never say never - still might). You will find that there is much more to do, very cheap & easy to visit Melbourne, Sydney etc...the suburbs are (IMO) much nicer, more character, lots of lovely cafe districts, generally a lot more going on. That said, I still have a soft spot for Perth. Sure, out here we have Gold Coast + Sunshine Coast nearby, and my fav - Byron Bay, just a short journey away but nothing and nowhere compares to WA in as far as beaches are concerned. Plus the beaches are a bit of a trek if you live inner city. How I miss the sunsets over the Indian Ocean...don't miss being sandblasted down the beach mind you! Weather wise, it's all down to personal opinion, I prefer Perth in Summer, Brisbane in Winter! It's very lush & green compared to Perth, the wildlife is amazing too. If you enjoy camping & the outdoors, like we do, a lot more options. Adjusting takes time, especially when the move is reluctant. I'm now torn between buying here or in Perth, been here longer than Perth now which makes the decision harder, I miss my friends in Perth & the long hot summers but realistically, I probably couldn't settle there now. Don't think I could afford to, and I'd probably get very bored quickly! Hands down my husband is 100% queenslander. Wish you all the best with the move.x

"Landlords and the way the maintain properties are as different as personalities. Just an hour ago, a possible local client told me that he is thinking of moving out of his house because his landlord is very averse to anything growing in the back "garden". The landlord doesn't want any shrubbery, lawns or any plants because he just wants the grey concrete look." Would the tenant be happy with pot plants? Surely the landlord can't disagree with that? They are mobile therefore can be removed on exiting the property? It's a back yard, not likely to deface the appeal of the property from a street aspect. To refuse would be like saying I don't like your furniture. Should put it to the tenant, be easier than finding a substitute rental, change of address, cost of removals & cleaning plus coming up with another bond before existing bond is refunded. I'm going through it just now & I can verify its VERY stressful! "I'm sorry you have had a bad personal experience with renting. I did too when I was a tenant, with repairs not done for months. I vowed when I became a landlord to treat my tenants well and do repairs quickly. But in return I do expect the rent to be paid on time and the place to be looked after. It's not rocket science on either side." I've had good and bad rental experience over the last few years. I find realtors, gate keepers of the bond to be worse. My more pleasurable experiences have been via private lets. I have moved around a fair bit, 1st rental was a stop gap just to get settled in Oz before finding more permanent address, then I moved interstate & moved into afore mentioned apartment, was fine for a while, convenient for work, modern & good facilities - but very overpriced & of course I'm not one to be ripped off! My current rental (for the next week in a half) is my favourite, a reluctant end to tenancy. Property has sold in just 6 months of us being here. It was on the market for 18 months before we moved in, I presented it well & turned the drab courtyard into a delightful garden. The estate agents attribute the sale to our care & presentation of the property. I have glowing references, never had bond denied (some pesky agents have tried but they didn't get away with it) and we pay A LOT of rent. We will hopefully buy at the end of our next 12 month lease, have approached broker to test the waters, see what we can afford & he was trying to talk us into not only buying a home but an investment property! Therein lies the destruction of the Australian economy. Too many people taking huge risks on taking out more than one mortgage with little backup!

"Actually, I lose about $500 per month on each of my properties, but thank you for your concern....." I'm not in the slightest. "Would you forego $85000 + per year because you like your tenant? I wouldn't. A lot of people don't even earn that." "Sorry Winneth, all my properties are let right now, in fact I have never had a gap in tenants in any of my properties greater than 2 days. However I do have a tenant who is currently defaulting on rent so that place may come vacant soon." Seems a bit contradictory but none of my business, I don't care how lucrative or not your particular enterprise is, my opinion is of the overall Landlord /Tenant relationship and Landlords accepting /expecting higher rent for nothing in return. Down to personal experience. Rented an inner city apt for 18 months (supposedly luxury but not quite). After 6 months..."we regret to advise weekly rent will increase by $10 to cover increasing rates" acceptable. 12 months later, "should you wish to renew your tenancy for a further 6-12 months this will be at an increased rate of $30 per week". Why?? No explanation. Withdrew my application to renew and low and behold "the landlord is willing to deduct $10 p/w from the increased rent should you wish to renew". Why?? Most likely because they could! And I know of other apartments in same complex are much cheaper so I'm expected to not only cover their mortgage + fees but give them pocket money too?? I think not. They lost a good tenant. I expect to pay a fair rate that is all.

I disagree. Of course the landlord has to make a profit, otherwise what would be the point? However setting the price somewhere just above the mortgage repayments, enough to cover rates & put aside enough for overheads & any maintenance issues that should crop up is one thing, ripping the tenant off in order to bolster ones savings is another. Seems to be all take & no give. The OP, suggested a good tenant might leave the property in a better if not improved state upon exit. How is that fair? No thanks for looking after the property, ensuring its resale value, the tenant can expect an untapped rent increase at the end of each lease term. There is no option to rent /renew for greater than 6-12months in most cases therefore the tenant is likely to incur rent hikes each time, meanwhile no efforts are made to upgrade the property, not even a fresh lick of paint! If only it were so easy for a dissatisfied tenant to just buy. Property developers & greedy landlords have driven the market to the stage it's at making it very difficult for 1st time home buyers to get on the market at all, not only in Australia but in many countries around the world. It's a big problem & when the economy takes a downturn greedy investors will get their comeuppance. So many families in Australia have lived in rented accommodation for 20+ years, raised their families in their rented 'home' only for it to be sold under their feet. Heartbreaking, but I guess it's the landlords prerogative and at the end of the day highlights a bigger problem. Many people would prefer to own their own home, hang pictures, buy a dog, decorate to their taste, live in the suburb they grew up in...but it's often unachievable and investors are at the root of this imbalance.

Thanks calNgary, you summarised my post nicely! Reviewing all the other posts on this thread...I'm not the only one who implied /detected greed as a motivating factor in the landlords perspective. As a renter, naturally this gets my back up! Anyway, thanks again.

I'm sure BB has a thick enough coat & is earning enough profit not to lose any sleep over my comment. But thanks for the wrap on the knuckles anyway. I'll be sure to keep my opinions to myself in future.

REALLY?? Did you not just say you are not only willing but likely to increase the rent by whatever price to ensure maximum profit for yourself? And, IF, you have a good tenant you will try to fix any maintenance issues quickly? In any circumstance, as the owner & profiteer you should aim to rectify any issues immediately in all instances. As someone previously pointed out it is your house, but the tenants home. As for offering over & above the asking rent when rates are already over inflated, well that is just ridiculous advice. Been on both sides of the situation, rented out my own property & have been a rental tenant for 4 years in Australia. No issues in regards to finding rentals, exemplar tenant & have never needed to/ not will ever offer above the asking rate. Preposterous!

Never been to Springlakes myself. Need to check it out, I'm sure there is National park with waterfalls somewhere around there that looks beautiful. There are lots of homes currently being built in Springlakes, lots of new infrastructure planned...only last week it was on the news that at least 1/2 of govt offices in Brisbane are to move there and the area will see lots of exciting new additions, they're hoping to create another city. So the area itself is up and coming & has lots of future potential. Not sure I'd want to live there mind you, but that's only because I've spent all my time in Brisbane, I'd struggle with a move down to Gold Coast (as much as I'd love to be near the beaches ) as its unfamiliar territory. You have to be considerate of flooding in all areas around QLD, most of Brisbane City & northern suburbs are pretty safe but you do have to make those enquiries before you rent/buy. Our friends are out near westend, south of the river, fairly inner city & have flooded twice in the last year. They're car was ruined! I lived in apartments just outside fortitude valley (near CBD, north of the river) and had to move out for 1 week due to flooding! It is a sub tropical climate & when it rains it rains hard, there's no getting away from it. Maybe I should return to Perth afterall...

Hey claire, yes, I was referring to district nursing. But that was during my training in UK (Scotland to be precise). District nursing is worlds apart here. There seems to be 'agencies' that cover 'community nursing' in what capacity I'm still none the wiser. There's lots of talk of 'blue care nurses' and I've seen Oz care around...but it doesn't translate in the same way as district nursing that I was used to. Because, here in Australia, we have a divided healthcare system - part subsidised (public) and part privatised...there are lots of insurance & status eligibility requirements. From what I have seen (we offer hospital in the home 'HITH' services at my place of work) the role of community/ district nurse is completely different to the skills/role required in the UK (or rather NHS trust Lanarkshire where I was employed).in other words - If I could land a district nurse position similar to what's available in Scotland - I'd jump at it, but the role is simply not the same. Similar with nurse practitioner roles...they are slowly evolving, but still, not quite the same. take for example nursing homes...I covered shifts in nursing homes back home...ratio similar to that of in hospital, with all skills necessary of an RN, out here 1 RN may be responsible for 80+ patients...resident has UTI - they get sent to hospital!! It would seem within the nursing home they do not have training?skills to commence IV fluids/insert IDCs/commence palliative care, these patients by and large end up in emergency departments! I lived in WA before moving to QLD and considered a job with 'silver chain' another community agency, but the job is very restrictive, doesn't offer the same scope of practice as NHS district Nurse. Its not all bad, hospitals, particularly public institutions offer similar to what you/we may be used to, but I have a craving for district nursing, in particular a palliative care community nursing role as I know it to be. hope this answers your query & hope I don't put you off cos there's a role there for everyone.x

Tony I just realised that you are from Cumbernauld!! I'm from Airdrie! Small world. When your out September, if you want to meet up, ask some more questions or whatever, feel free to drop me a private email. Would love to help in any way we can. Did my community training in Cumbernauld. Excellent team of district nurses out there. Fond memories.

Hi Tony, first of all congrats on getting your PR, that's the biggest hurdle done with! There are lots of hospitals in and around Brisbane, what area does your wife specialise in? I'd recommend looking into the private hospitals as government healthcare jobs are really hard to come by at the moment, lots of redundancies etc to make way for lots of new grads. You've prob read a little about this. As your little one is only 4 months & will be just over 1 year when you arrive I wouldn't worry too much about school catchment zones ATM. Lots of lovely suburbs (I can't speak for Ipswich as its further south and never lived there - also got to be careful with flood paths around Ipswich). The key is to find work & somewhere within reasonable commute of there. As someone mentioned previously, crossing the river can be a nightmare if working on the opposite side. A reccie in Kangaroo point will be very beneficial, kangaroo point is a good base to do your homework. Hopefully by next year the situation may have changed in the public healthcare system (looking unlikely) but in the meantime your wife may want to look for opportunities at Greenslopes (Ramsay healthcare I believe) the Mater (public & private) St Andrews Hospital, Holy Spirit hospital + loads more further north of the city & as far south as the Gold Coast. We've been in Australia almost 4 years now, started in Perth, WA...been in Brisbane >2yrs now. It's a big move, the farthest your likely to ever move so it's good to be flexible, we've moved rentals a few times, tried living in different suburbs to get a feel for different areas. I'd like to buy in the next year or 2 but a bit apprehensive, huge commitment - lots of areas to consider its worth while renting here & there until you find the right suburb for you and your family. Good luck with the rest of your relocation.

The dietician has recommended I eat enough gluten (equivalent of up to 4 slice of white bread per day) for at least 6 weeks in order to avoid a false negative test for coeliacs disease. At the moment I have other issues therefore not willing to increase amount of wheat I currently eat in order to test. I'll worry about that later. Coeliacs disease isn't my greatest concern, there are plenty of alternative substitutes out there for me to work with until such times if I choose to test. I see absolutely no harm in appointing a dietician/nutritionist for nutritional advice. In fact, id expect their knowledge to be highly beneficial to any alteration of diet. Except she didn't offer me much advice that I didn't already know. My requirements are individual, and this is an area you would think a dietician if anyone, should be able to help with. I attended a dietician to provide me with ideas on what to eat, excluding food stuffs I dislike &/need to avoid due to current medication, of course the dietician isn't going to treat me as coeliacs w/o a diagnosis, but she's hardly likely to insist I eat something I don't like. I realise the omega 3 limit, & mercury warnings are specific to pregnancy I was merely pointing out that their are many different foods promoted and excluded making it difficult for anyone, including myself to know what is appropriate to eat or not. Furthermore, given that i am trying to conceive, I try to pay attention to such warnings.

Great post, judging by the amount of response I'd say very relevant & a topic that's of interest to many. I just wish someone would be able to come up with 'the best diet to suit all', never gonna happen though with all the various food allergies & intolerances that are about these days. I reckon the way in which food is processed nowadays has a lot to play in that. I recently made an appointment with a dietician in the hope that she could provide a 'meal plan' for me to stick to, I eat healthily for the most part (or what I believe to be healthy!) but I also indulge on junk food whenever it takes my fancy. I find the trouble being that there is too much conflicting advice on what is good/bad foods. We've been told for as long as I can remember to eat lots of fruit & veg, 5-a-day being the recommended intake. But with low GI...there is too much sugar in fruit. Too many carrots can be carcinogenic, legumes are good, legumes are bad...olive oil is healthy /olive oil is fatty & should be avoided. Eat more fish, eat less red meat, avoid too much omega 3 & mercury found in fish...what the hell is right?? Can't win. I have long suspected I have coeliacs, so I cut down on white bread (or rather I cut it out completely) don't enjoy white pasta, rice etc...I don't really enjoy pastries & too much wheat & I reckon that's because subconsciously I'm aware of the IBS symptoms that ensue when I eat such foods. That being said, I can't resist the odd cake & if I crave bread (rarely) I have it. I have probably reduced my gluten intake without even trying but still get enough via other foodstuffs & snacks, therefore still suffer symptoms of IBS. The dietician has told me that it's essential to have coeliacs disease confirmed/denied as if I am infact coeliacs it's hazardous to my health & linked to other health problems including lymphoma as my lovely doctor colleague pointed out! I have also been diagnosed with endometriosis & would very much like to avoid further surgery & have learned that inflammatory diet contributes to endometriosis...which includes dairy, gluten, red meat & meats containing added hormones or estrogens, kinda fits in with my intolerance of wheat products so I guess we really are what we eat!! I was advised that paleo is the way forward but there's a lot of red meat in that too & that reaks havock on the GI tract. WTF am I supposed to eat!? When it's too much to think about that's when I reach for convenience foods & am back at square 1. If anyone has a lovely menu of non dairy, red meat, gluten, low sodium, low sugar I'd love for you to share it!!

I agree with Flathead & Tickled Pink. Try to find a job first & let work dictate where you live. Your prob best trying to find work in the private sector if you can. I am one of the unlucky ones employed by Queensland health that may lose my job! I hope to god I don't, but times are very uncertain at the moment & it's been going on for over a year. We already lost 4 from our department & have been told to axe more jobs!! We stopped recruiting & hiring agency staff to cover shortages about 6-8months ago....sounding all to familiar like the NHS!