Fisher1

Great news, hope all continues to improve for you.

If you do go, make sure your mum gets all the allowances she is entitled to. My mum received an attendance allowance for a mumber of years before she died, because she was registered "low vision" There used to be two different rates depending on how much help uou needed - when mum got the full allowance I think it was about eighty pounds a week. Good luck with your move, its a difficult decision to make.

good luck, hope you find someone quickly.

I second that. I did my own visa but have used Alan for tax advice.

Yes our agent did quote the same sort f thing, then backtracked after we had handed back the keys. I knew about the lease break fee (its clause 41 in your agreement) but thought that if the tenancy ends by mutual agreement and a new tenant has been found then it would not apply, which is why i believed the agent. We were advised that if the agent makes an agreement (and you can prove it) the landlord cant just over rule it because the agent was acting on their behalf. In the email agreeing costs the agent also said that the landlord was in agreement so I think thats what helped us most. I think the lease break fee is a bit of a grey area ... in the past, tenants who had to leave early were charged rent until a new tenant was found or until the end of the lease. I read that the lease break fee was supposed to protect the tenant by limiting ongoing rental charges to four weeks. Our lease contained the lease break clause but also contained a second clause about paying rent until a new tenant moved in. I thought it would be one ir the other but they seemed to want both! Our agency also questioned :- the day we left; the total number if days we had paid in advance and the day the new tenant moved in. Luckily I could prove my own dates and figures from emails and bank statements. No matter how nice they seem, dont rely on anything that isnt written down!

Fingers crossed you'll be over here soon.

Good news today! We had sent a FB message to the boss of the agency via their facebook page, pointing out thwt we hwd been waiting patiently for a reply to our three requests for a breakdown of the figures cited in their recent invoice. We actually got a response, saying that he would hand our message to his property managers. We went to the agency office a planned and asked to speak to our agent. Incredible response ... Ushered into her office and very pleasantly she explained that she had been "looking at the options." Incredible. I told her that we had been advised that an agent represented the landlord and any agreement made by the agent could not be subsequently overuled by the landlord. Well there was a bit more waffling and then we got down to the nitty gritty of her strange credit balances. Eventually we agreed to leave the figures that I had taken along with her and she would call us. They caved. Text this afternoon agreeing to charge one weeks rent, new lease fee and gst plus advertising. We are now getting a substantial refund on top of our bond. IWe even got an apology. So bumblebee, keep everything, and get them to sign any agreement. Be prepared to get nasty if it all goes pear shaped and dont trust a word any of them say. Good luck!

And make sure that if they do agree to anything, you get it in writing, preferably signed!

God, I hadnt realised you were still waiting Pertenhall ... I dont come on the visa thead often these days ... Sincerely hope you are asked for your second VAC soon ... Youve been waiting so long.

Thanks for the advice. We are going to have one last try to sort it amicably by going to the office tomorrow. If we dont get satisfaction then, we go to the rent tribunal. I think weve got a good case ... I have a copy of the email promising that the cost would be one week's rent plus gst plus a 55$ fee for the cost of the new tenancy agreement. Then the email citing the lease break fee. Then the email agreeing that, yes, the first email was the scenario we had discussed and promising to recalculate. This one mentioned paying advertising costs for the first time. Next is an email asking if we could be out by a specific date, because there was a tenant waiting to move in. Finally a mail thanking us for leaving the property in so clean and tidy. I dont know what is the matter with these people! On thing I have learned from all this ... Get everything in writing and signed!!! I'll post my progress on here in case it helps someone else.

I am even more furious with the rental agency than before. We sent the email again on August 20th, then, having still received no reply, we printed out the email and sent it in a registered letter to the agent at the office. I then rang NSW trading standards and asked for advice. They advised us to apply on line for our bond to be returned without waiting for the agency's signature, asap and this we did that same afternoon. The agency's silence continued until today, Sunday 26th, when my husband got a text informing him that his was in arrears with a payment of $756.09 We are thinking that we will go into the office tomorrow and speak to them in person. (We were away on holiday till last Tueday so couldn't go to the office, and when we first got home I didn't want to. I worry that it will degenerate into a slanging match … Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I have never in my life had dealings with a firm who met my perfectly reasonable, polite request for an explanation of their figures with complete silenct .., if nothing else, it's so rude not to even acknowledge the letter! Rant over.

There used to be an agent everyond recommended on here for people with complicated health backgroundsl, but I can't remember the name ... Anyone out there remember, George something? I was thinking you could have his contact details on speed dial, but wait a while to see how it goes with your dad. I agree with Sadge that you should keep all medical notes, results of tests etc. While we were waiting my husband had a worrying development to his high blood pressure, which had been sorted by the time we got to the medicals so ee panicked for nothing! We also went to the medicals without the detailed results of a recent health check and had to email a copy of them when we got home ... more panic! Hope it all goes well for you and your parents ... medicals are a big worry for many people I think, and with good reason. We always had a "plan B" in mind in case we were refused because of health issues. Good luck.

Seriously, the uk govt attitude to migrants is not helpful at the moment. I'll do some googling and see if I can find out anything from friends in similar position.

I'm still struggling... trying to resolve the issue before approachong rent tribunal. Wrote to the agsnt on Aug 12th nicely asking for breakdown of her calculations re: credit balance of rent pId "in hand". We asked because she has offered two balances so far, both wrong, difference of $500 or so (in agencies favour, naturally) Response since then? Nothing. Re-sent email yesterday. How long should I wait?

Unfortunately it was written into the lease. Our beef was that - when we asked the agent how much it would cost to end the tenancy IF a new tenant was found - she made no mention of it. She told us it would cost a weeks rent plus gst and advertising costs. Since we were only 7 weeks from the end of the lease when we moved out we would have "opted" to see it through rather than fork over a lot of undeserved compensation. The agent actually confirmed what she had said in an email and promised to recalculate costs on that basis, then came back several days later saying we had to pay the break lease fee. The landlord has lost nothing - the new tenant moved in the day after we moved out. Just goes to show - you need to count your fingers after you shake hands with some people!

There are many families in the UK living in "temporary" b&b accommodation, sometimes for long periods of time. It isnt all a bed of roses over there but it seems to be worse here, certainly in some areas. I feel very sorry for anyone renting. Having rented myself on many occasions due to work related moves, I always feel less secure and more anxious about money as a tenant. The expense is a real drain on your income.

We brought our bed, a couple of duvets, mattress cover and electric blanket because we had stayed in a holiday rental here in Winter and been frozen at night. It may not be that cold but many houses arent as well insulated as houses in the UK. We came to nsw last August and have been so glad we brought the electric blanket! We brought the duvets because they are not tog rated here. In general we brought a skeleton house furnishing kit. 1bed, 1table 4 chairs 2 bedsidd cupboards etc ... Left the sofas (on their last legs). Lots of kit hen stuff left behind but I wish now that Id brought more with me. Its nice to have your own things.

Know that feeling! Bon Voyage and Good Luck!

Brilliant. I am currently waiting for her to calculate our credit balance properly. The agency insisted we always maintain two weeks “in hand” so when we handed back the keys on July 25th we were in credit by 25 days. She calculated the monetary value incorrectly (twice) so I have asked her for a breakdown of the figures ... thought it would keep her busy while we tried to sort out the lease break thing. You are the second person today to tell me that the landlord cannot just override an agreement negotiated by the agent on their behalf so we are going to challenge her, and offer to go to a rent tribunal if we can’t agree. I have all her emails, so no probs supporting our version of events. Thank you so much - I’ll post the end result on here when it’s all sorted out ... it might even help,someone else!

Unfortunately it was written into the lease. Our beef was that - when we asked the agent how much it would cost to end the tenancy IF a new tenant was found - she made no mention of it. She told us it would cost a weeks rent plus gst and advertising costs. Since we were only 7 weeks from the end of the lease when we moved out we would have "opted" to see it through rather than fork over a lot of undeserved compensation. The agent actually confirmed what she had said in an email and promised to recalculate costs on that basis, then came back several days later saying we had to pay the break lease fee. The landlord has lost nothing - the new tenant moved in the day after we moved out. Just goes to show - you need to count your fingers after you shake hands with some people!

Thanks!

Thanks all. There have been three emails from the agent since we left. The first referres to the lease break fee for the first time. I wrote straight back and questioned it and have the agents reply, in which she acknowledged that "that was the scenario we discussed" and promised to recalculate the final settlement. Third enail she said our landlord had "opted" for the lease break fee! To make matters more annoying the agents fugures are full of errors and the balance we "owe" has been different on all three mails. The bond remains unreleased. Ive looked at some tenancy advice and it seems to me the lease break thing is a grey area. I willcontact the tenants union for further advice. Grrrr!

Hi all If anyone can advise I’d be grateful ... We recently ended a one year tenancy in N.S.W. seven weeks early, with the consent of the landlord. The tenancy was due to end on September 17th. We bought our own property in April and have been working on it, and were prepared to keep the rental on until the lease ended, but mentioned to the agent the fact that we would be leaving at the end of the tenancy and that if they could find a new tenant before then, it would be best for everyone, saving us rent and the landlord a void. The agent said that if they could find a replacement tenant it would cost us a week’s rent plus the agency’s costs. A new tenant was found, and we agreed to move out six days before the next rental payment was due, to accommodate the new tenant, who moved in the following day. The agent now says that the landlord is claiming the lease break penalty of four weeks rent. The agent has made no mention of refunding the rent for the six days following our departure. So, two Questions: 1. Can the landlord claim the lease break fee when there has been no loss? 2.Can we insist on a refund for the period following our early departure? The money isn’t an issue, but we are absolutely fuming that we have acted in good faith and been landed with a huge bill. All constructive comments welcomed - we are thinking about going to a rent tribunal.

I think you're right. Ignore whole sections of society at your peril. What a mess.

Which, in essence, brings us back to underfunding.