Renting in NSW - Sutherland Shire

[DanLindsey]

Heya all,

 

Looking on 2 websites - domain.com.au and realestate.com.au and Im finding lots of places within my budget - $550 for a 2 bed. Do places usually rent for the advertised amount or does it increase alot?! I want to be realistic / worse case with my budget!

 

I read somewhere that people usually pay more then the 'bond' upfront to secure a place ? Is this true and if so how many weekes upfront do people usually offer?

 

Thanks in advance!:jiggy:

[Marisawright]

No, you don't pay more than the bond. The bond is the bond - it's not held by the estate agent, it's held by the Dept of Fair Trading. What you can do is offer a higher weekly rental figure.

 

If you don't have a job or evidence of savings, the agent may require you to pay a few weeks or months rent in advance - but actually he's more likely to just give it to somebody else!

[Maruska]

Hi there,

if you`re about to move in now or during the winter ( June, July, August), it`s a great timing.There are more properties available at this time of year. I don`t think you will need to offer higher amount for rent or 3 months upfront. We moved into the Sutherland shire almost 2 years ago and the only thing required was our bank statement ( as a proof that we could pay the rent) and some form of reference - we had a bank statement of paying our mortgage on time back in the US. The only thing that I would suggest is that once you find a place you really like, sign a lease of 1 year duration. We weren`t sure so we signed up for 6 months every time, after that period our rent was increased. It shouldn`t increase from the initial amount for the duration of the contract ( as the rental agent informed me).