mungbean Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Hi all, I just joined POI and am in the process of applying for 457 visa... hope to arrive in Sydney around end of January. I've been trawling through these threads and found some great info so far, but couldn't find the answers to a few qns so I'll post them here. If there's a Sydney FAQ somewhere I haven't spotted, please let me know. I've just come back from 4 years in India and I'm not really clear on Sydney weather... I'm surprised to see that a.c. doesn't seem to be standard, even though it's around 30 degrees just now, and can get much hotter. Back in Delhi in June it was 47 degs C and a.c. = life support! So anyway, questions: What to look for in terms of heating and cooling? Am I right in thinking some a.c. can blow hot as well as suck cold? Can you really survive summer without any a.c. at all? Is it best to look for gas heating or can you survive with plug-in fan heaters etc? Are there any extra monthly fees to watch for, over and above the rent and bills? (e.g. in UK you have council tax, water rates) What’s normal for renting: furnished/unfurnished? Would ‘unfurnished’ include washing machine, fridge, a.c. units/heaters etc or is it totally bare-bones empty box? Any other gotchas for renting? Will I definitely need landlords’ references? (could be tricky since I was in India) What would be typical utility bills for a 1-2 bed? Thanks to recommendations here I've been looking on realestate.com.au and domain.com.au so I think I've got some basic idea of what's out there rental-wise, but not clear on some of things to watch for. I am shifting on my own and will be looking for a 1- or 2-bed house/flat within short commuting distance of Ultimo, where I'll be working. Right I have plenty more but that will do for now. Thanks for any advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I'm not really clear on Sydney weather... I'll leave most of the questions for locals who are more familiar with Sydney....but here are the official climate averages for Sydney's Observatory Hill. Keep in mind that the western suburbs become hotter in summer than this (and other coastal suburbs). http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_066062.shtml Am I right in thinking some a.c. can blow hot as well as suck cold? Yes...they are known as reverse cycle air conditioners. In Australia the landlord, not the tenant, pays council rates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Thanks Skani! I had already looked at the climate tables on wikipedia, but an average high of 25 doesn't really seem to tally with it being 30 degs just now, and reports I heard of it getting over 40 sometimes? If it regularly gets over 30 I would think a.c. would be essential... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 These are long term averages since 1858 and I think the last 20+ years have all been above average in Sydney. 40+ happens occasionally but is very rare. I lived there for a year and found it quite humid in summer...I'd definitely be looking for a.c.....but I'm a wimp when it comes to heat. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naomi from Manchester Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Hi Mungbean (what a cute name!) You don't necessarily need a.c here, it depends on your home. We live in a flat which only gets sun in the mornings. We decided to get ceiling fans rather than a.c installed and this was the right decision since the fans have been more than adequate on the hottest of days. However, other flats in our building get more sun than us and some of our neighbours have needed to install a.c to be comfortable. Similarly, some homes need more heating than others during Winter. We're fine with one electric heater, but my sister's house gets too cold for comfort. I think that 'unfurnished' flats (flats / apartments are known as 'units' here) don't generally include washing machines or fridges but they do include a tumble dryer, since in most buildings residents aren't supposed to hang clothes out to dry on their balconies. Units in purpose built, newer buildings often have built in a.c, and many other units in older buildings will have had a.c fitted. When we were looking to rent in a popular inner West suburb, there were a lot more prospective tenants than rental homes available. We only managed to secure a place once we offered to pay a few months rent up front. I've heard of other tenants offering to pay more than the advertised rent too. Friends of mine who rented a home with a garden even provided photographs of their own gardening skills in an effort to persuade the landlord that they would look after the garden well! These extra measures won't be necessary if you're trying to secure a rental home in a less popular suburb. We didn't have a landlord's reference (since we lived in our own flat in the UK), so we provided evidence of having paid our UK service charge fees on time instead, and I also had a letter from my UK bank manager stating I had been a reliable customer. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Hi all, I just joined POI and am in the process of applying for 457 visa... hope to arrive in Sydney around end of January. I've been trawling through these threads and found some great info so far, but couldn't find the answers to a few qns so I'll post them here. If there's a Sydney FAQ somewhere I haven't spotted, please let me know. I've just come back from 4 years in India and I'm not really clear on Sydney weather... I'm surprised to see that a.c. doesn't seem to be standard, even though it's around 30 degrees just now, and can get much hotter. Back in Delhi in June it was 47 degs C and a.c. = life support! So anyway, questions: What to look for in terms of heating and cooling? Am I right in thinking some a.c. can blow hot as well as suck cold? Can you really survive summer without any a.c. at all? Is it best to look for gas heating or can you survive with plug-in fan heaters etc? Are there any extra monthly fees to watch for, over and above the rent and bills? (e.g. in UK you have council tax, water rates) What’s normal for renting: furnished/unfurnished? Would ‘unfurnished’ include washing machine, fridge, a.c. units/heaters etc or is it totally bare-bones empty box? Any other gotchas for renting? Will I definitely need landlords’ references? (could be tricky since I was in India) What would be typical utility bills for a 1-2 bed? Thanks to recommendations here I've been looking on realestate.com.au and domain.com.au so I think I've got some basic idea of what's out there rental-wise, but not clear on some of things to watch for. I am shifting on my own and will be looking for a 1- or 2-bed house/flat within short commuting distance of Ultimo, where I'll be working. Right I have plenty more but that will for now. Thanks for any advice! @mungbean we are also from north wales, heading to sydney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 @mungbean we are also from north wales, heading to sydney Strictly speaking, like @Naomi, I'm also "not really from manchester"... Sitting in Flintshire right now though. Heading from "Old North Wales" to "New South Wales"... have to say it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallyman Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 North walians take over the asylum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 We're in Wrexham. Lovely area all around wrexham, but the town itself is a bit of a Sh@thole ha ha - hence the move! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula and Jay Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Hi there, We've lived in Sydney nearly 3 years and we're in our 3rd apartment, all of which has reserve cycle air con. Personally for us, we really use the air con on the days over 30 degrees and in this particular apartment used the heating setting through July/August this year as it was cold (nowhere near as cold as the UK so don't worry!). Renting - Landlord pays council tax and water. Elec/Gas are similar to what we paid in the UK. We shipped all of our furniture from the UK to here but all of our apartments have had dishwasher/tumble dryer installed. You will need the following for renting: proof of income from your employer history of rent/mortgage payment (even if in the UK/India an example of utility bills paid in the UK Real Estate and Domain are the best sites, we have found all our apartment on them. Hope this helps, Paula :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 We've lived in Sydney nearly 3 years and we're in our 3rd apartment Thanks Paula How about the lease... is it usually 12 months? Since you've flitted around a bit, is it easy to break the lease/give notice when you need to, or is there a "break clause" or minimum lease period that you have to stick to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula and Jay Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Hi there, You can specify most of the time 6 or 12 months lease. Some people offer to take it for 12 months to beat the competition! I've never broke a lease before to be honest but from memory when signing the lease for this apartment I remember her breaking down the fees. I don't have the info to hand...sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallyman Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 From Buckley originally, good luck with you move Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 @Rallyman - small world eh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 Very small world - but what's 10,000 miles between neighbours?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallyman Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Very small Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Thanks Skani! I had already looked at the climate tables on wikipedia, but an average high of 25 doesn't really seem to tally with it being 30 degs just now, and reports I heard of it getting over 40 sometimes? If it regularly gets over 30 I would think a.c. would be essential... Sometimes it gets over 40 but most days in Summer are in the low to mid 30s. But it's humid so it feels very uncomfortable. Another thing is the intensity of sunlight is very uncomfortable. Even in winter. If it's only 25 degrees I feel like I am cooking if I go out into direct sunlight. Most modern rental accommodation will already have air conditioning these days. Just be happy it isn't the 1970s when only the well healed had a/c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Hi there, We've lived in Sydney nearly 3 years and we're in our 3rd apartment, all of which has reserve cycle air con. Personally for us, we really use the air con on the days over 30 degrees and in this particular apartment used the heating setting through July/August this year as it was cold (nowhere near as cold as the UK so don't worry!). Renting - Landlord pays council tax and water. Elec/Gas are similar to what we paid in the UK. We shipped all of our furniture from the UK to here but all of our apartments have had dishwasher/tumble dryer installed. You will need the following for renting: proof of income from your employer history of rent/mortgage payment (even if in the UK/India an example of utility bills paid in the UK Real Estate and Domain are the best sites, we have found all our apartment on them. Hope this helps, Paula :-) Also be careful if you have a bad or no credit history. Many real estate agents do a credit check now which suggests to me that if you have bad or no credit history you may have difficulty finding somewhere to live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Also be careful if you have a bad or no credit history. Many real estate agents do a credit check now which suggests to me that if you have bad or no credit history you may have difficulty finding somewhere to live. Given that I have never lived or worked in Australia, I won't have any credit history there at all. Presumably they have no way of running a credit check in the UK from outside the UK. Or did you mean something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I have not got air conditioning in my flat, although I keep both large window doors at either end of my flat permanently locked ajar. My brother gave me a large fan but I've never bothered to switch it on. It does sometimes get a bit chilly during the winter, and I keep meaning to buy a decent heater, rather than the little blowers I have now. Some homes do get very cold in the winter, and probably unpleasantly warm in the summer so I guess a reverse cycle air conditioner might be nice. Perhaps it's just something to worry about on an 'ad hoc' basis, i.e. after you have secured a place, and see how it feels. I think homes are usually let on a six monthly lease rather than twelve months, or perhaps if you are on your own, rent a room in a shared house/flat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 How about the lease... is it usually 12 months? Since you've flitted around a bit, is it easy to break the lease/give notice when you need to, or is there a "break clause" or minimum lease period that you have to stick to? 6 months or 12 months are available. It varies from landlord to landlord - some will only give you 6 months for the first lease, in case you turn out to be a lousy tenant. Others will be looking for as long a lease as they can get. Yes you can break the lease but it can be expensive. The fee is only one week's rent but you have to pay the cost of advertising the apartment for lease again. And you have to keep paying the rent until they find a new tenant. Whether you need air conditioning depends a great deal on the flat. If it's south-facing (remember we're in the other hemisphere, so that's AWAY from the sun) and you're not on the top floor (and therefore getting heat through the roof), then you're unlikely to need it. However if it's west-facing you'll cook in the summer without air con. Windows are also important - I lived in a flat that was east-west, with windows at both ends, and even though it got hot I could open both windows in the evening and it would blow out all the heat. Whereas I had another east-facing apartment which had a solid wall at the back, and it stayed stuffy all the time because there was no way to create an air flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Yes you can break the lease but it can be expensive. The fee is only one week's rent but you have to pay the cost of advertising the apartment for lease again. And you have to keep paying the rent until they find a new tenant. oh, thanks for the heads-up Marisa! I've not come across this practice before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 oh, thanks for the heads-up Marisa! I've not come across this practice before. It's not the same all over Australia but it's the law in NSW. Basically, the landlord can't refuse to break your lease but you have to pay the costs of finding a replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Given that I have never lived or worked in Australia, I won't have any credit history there at all. Presumably they have no way of running a credit check in the UK from outside the UK. Or did you mean something else? You will probably be OK if you have no credit history in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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