jasoncheesemanuk

Hi, I did two shipments from the UK and shipped over a full dining set including plates, bowls, tea cups and cutlery. It was really handy for the first 2 months until my usual set turned up. If anyone is doing the same and needs a starter set to see them through - I'm looking for $60 about £35 for a whole crate full. Hope this helps someone on their journey to Oz!

NSW Schools list http://bettereducation.com.au/school/Primary/nsw/nsw_primary_school_rating.aspx

Hi, I moved to Castle Hill about 2 months ago. Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Bella Vista are all lovely areas with good schools. I don't know why everyone keeps going on about safety and crime in this area on this forum. I get the local papers and they report every bit of theft or car accidents which is very open but if I saw the reports from where I used to live (Fleet, Hampshire) I'm sure it would be a lot worse. Nearest beach is an interesting one. I have children 3 & 7 and they love Balmoral Beach - it takes about 40 minutes to drive there. They also love Dee Why which is about 45 minutes and I slightly different route. Do a search for Top 500 NSW Primary Schools in Google and you will find a really useful site that ranks the schools and also gives you the sizes. Children don't start until they are 5/6 depending on their birthday, Also, pre-school / nurseries are booked to the max. My 3 old is on 6 waiting lists and Ive still only secured Monday and Friday. Luckily, my wife hasn't found work yet but its hindering her job search at the moment.

I didn't clean mine at all and they all went through fine. I mean if your tools are full of grease then it might be a good excuse to give them a wipe down and start afresh. I bought myself one of those Sealey Cabinets and put all of my tools in there. And bought a couple of the wheeley Stanley boxes for my electrical and plumbing tools.

When your items arrive, the shipping company should ask you for any keys , combinations so that they can inspect goods etc. To be honest I can't see them wanting to look through any vinyl collection as its not in the restricted list. They are more interested in shoes, outdoor items and christmas decorations. I wouldn't worry too much about the presents. They are really looking for brand new white goods and brand new beds / furnishing that cost thousands of pounds as they want to protect their local businesses.

CTTT is now NSW Civil And Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) I'm not entirely sure what you are saying is correct. I've pasted a section from the REINSW website: Termination of tenancy agreement A Residential Tenancy Agreement can only be terminated in the circumstances set out in the Residential Tenancies Act. One of these circumstances is where a mortgagee of the residential premises becomes entitled to possession of the premises. At this point, the mortgagee may choose whether to enter in to a new tenancy agreement with the tenant or to require vacant possession. The tenant can apply for an order to become the direct tenant of the mortgagee. This application can be made to the Supreme Court before the order for possession is made, or to the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT) after the possession order has been made. The tenant must show there are special circumstances to justify the order being granted in accordance with the tenant’s application.

So I thought I'd give this thread an update and hopefully it will be useful if someone ever falls into this ghastly situation that I have - BTW, I hear this is extremely abnormal and vastly over complicated by the fact I've only been in the property a number of weeks and put a large sum up front. The following website is extremely useful and puts you in touch with a local representative. http://www.tenants.org.au/ I phoned my local centre, left a message and they phoned back within 20 minutes, took some background information and said they would be back in contact. Next agent phoned about 2 hours later, we went into a bit more detail which they logged and said someone would be in contact within the next 2 days 3 Hours later, an advisor spoke to me and told me what I was entitled to and the steps to go through. I will list the steps below but this may vary over time (speak to an agent is the best thing - they are great!) - Entitled to get the rent money back (even though paid 6 months up front!) - The bank / sheriff have to give me a minimum of 30 days to evict me from the premises - Those 30 days are rent-free and therefore you can claim those days - You cannot claim any costs (like removal) - that should be taken from your rent free days - When I leave the property - $38 application fee to the NSW Civil Administrative Tribunal with a document that they will send - Apply to the tribunal that the landlord pays the money back - use Landlords name and address (if you don't have address put care of <AGENT> - request Bond and overpaid moneys in the details - there is also a bond repayment form As an aside, the branch manager at the Real Estate Agent has jumped in and wholeheartedly apologised for the situation and is actively seeking the money back from the landlord. They've never experienced this before and they themselves are seeking advice from REINSW http://www.reinsw.com.au This afternoon they have helped word a demand letter to the landlord. I hope that this doesn't ever happen to anyone ever again on this forum, but I hope this post will give some hope if it does. I don't know what the outcome of my case will be and the courts may never catch up with the landlord - however, the Internet is a powerful thing and it is very difficult to disappear as we just can't help hitting that Like button or putting our details on some website. I'M COMING FOR YOU!!

Who did you use in the end? There must be someone on here who has moved??

They held back $3k for repairs. The rest has gone to the landlord.

Agent is chasing the landlord who seems to be overseas now!! Phoning Tenants Union tomorrow to get some advice.

Demand is so high around here, so I had to offer or they would not even consider my application

Any lawyers on this forum. I need some advice / help. Recently moved to Oz (5 weeks ago), secured a property and have been living there for 3 weeks. As we came over on Ind. Skilled Visa with PR, we hadn't secured jobs yet (hopefully that changed today - fingers crossed) and the only way we could secure a rental was bond plus 6 months rent up front through Century 21 in West Pennant Hills. A nice lady from the lawyers turned up yesterday and served me with a notice to evict me from the premises in 10 days as the landlord has been in court since 2011 and has finally lost his property. Of course, I was unaware of any of this. I need to recover my 6 months rent and bond. Can anyone advise on this situation. It's an absolute nightmare and a very nasty start to our life (wife and 2 small children) in Oz.

Thanks MaryRose for doing this. Yes, I could do with some first hand experience. Maybe someone will see this post on their way to work tomorrow from Kellyville ;-)

I meant - do they drive to Hornsby or Beecroft train stations?

Hi, Just about to secure rental and need to double check a few things. I need to take the train to St Leonard's every day. I hear the traffic around the area is a nightmare in the morning. Is this true? And where do people go to commute to CBD? Thanks again, Jason