sam11480 Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Hi Guys I will be moving to Victoria in January 2020 and am looking for a house to rent. I am finding when searching online that understandably there are current properties and ones coming up in the next month, but nothing that far ahead. It would be great to hear from others how they managed to sort accommodation when they first arrived. I have heard about short term rentals-are there any reliable websites for these kind of properties. How would I sort out a rental from here in the UK? Many thanks, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 27 minutes ago, sam11480 said: Hi Guys I will be moving to Victoria in January 2020 and am looking for a house to rent. I am finding when searching online that understandably there are current properties and ones coming up in the next month, but nothing that far ahead. It would be great to hear from others how they managed to sort accommodation when they first arrived. I have heard about short term rentals-are there any reliable websites for these kind of properties. How would I sort out a rental from here in the UK? Many thanks, Sam Most book a holiday let or air bnb for a few weeks. Most agents won’t rent to you until you see the place. Pictures are usually hopelessly out of date and photoshopped heavily so you really need to view places. They also need to check you out as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevsan Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Airbnb or https://www.stayz.com.au/ which is what we used for 3-4 weeks should give you enough time to get in viewings and applications for rentals As Amber says, agents wont be interested unless you are at rental viewings which typically happen on a wed evening or Saturday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedbutterrified Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Yeah, agreed with the other posts. In fact I don't think you are legally allowed to put in an application at all without either viewing a house in person, or having someone view it for you. So it is vital you have somewhere you can stay for a couple of weeks at least. Air BnB is fine, but prepare to pay a lot for a few weeks. What you can do is get all your documents ready for the application. There is some kind of electronic application service (I cant remember the name), where you can upload things like : ID, bank statements, references, work contract, visa. Uploading all these in advance means that you can make an application in an instant, you can do a lot of this from UK. When I initially moved out to Melbourne, my new employer provided 4 weeks of temporary accommodation which was a godsend, but I found a nice house in the area we wanted within a few days of looking - we had done our research in advance, and had arranged our first viewing before leaving UK. I wasn't prepared that the rental market can be quite competitive, and we found it a little intimidating. The process goes : Find an ad on www.realestate.com.au or www.domain.com.au. Attend an open house viewing - there will be a (usually just one) 15 minute window where the house is available to view, and all interested people come at the same time and have a look at the house. 15 minutes is enough to literally get in, wander around each room once and get out, its all very fast. The agent will look at your ID when you view and put your name on a register. If you like the house, Apply electronically immediately. For the ones we liked, we generally were applying against 5 to 10 other couples so your application has to be good, all ready to go. The landlord then has a pick of potential tenants and will choose one (hopefully you) You then sign contracts and can move in on an agreed day. You may have to be flexible on this as they may want you to move in super fast or in a couple of weeks. So you really need to be prepared to make a snap decision and go for it. If you find somewhere you really like, you can also offer to pay above the advertised rent to sweeten the deal, but don't go overboard. For us, we applied for a few houses each time we moved to give ourselves the best chance of success, we also made a point to talk to the agent and landlord if they were there to come across as nice reasonable people - not sure if this helped!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy11480 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Hi Thanks so much for the replies. Excitedbutterriied this name kind of sums up how I'm feeling at the moment! Wow, I really don't like the thought of having to sort a new house when we get there as I will be starting a new job and it will all be really stressful. Ideally I'd like a place lined up before we get there. It sounds as though this may not be possible though. Where would we send our removal crate to if we don't have a house lined up? Many thanks again, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedbutterrified Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 I know it sounds stressful, but if you do have a furnished temporary place, it will be much better if you take your time a little. Most rentals have open days on weekends and evenings so you don't have to take any time off Don't worry about your removal crate, the shipping companies all know how moving doesn't always go to a strict schedule and will be only too happy to charge you for an extra couple of weeks storage. Its worth it to find both the suburb that suits you and the best house you can. Really try not to stress. As long as you have somewhere to go in the short term you will be fine, just stay flexible and ready to pounce when you see the house you want. Where about in Victoria are you working / looking to live? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy11480 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Hi again wow thanks you make me feel a bit better! I have a job in Narre Warren South so am looking at the Mornington Peninsula to live. I have two little children under 4 which is why I’m really worried about not having proper accommodation lined up. I will check out the air bnb and see what else I can try and arrange. Any recommendations of good suburbs south east? Nice primary schools are essential to me! Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 5 hours ago, sammy11480 said: Hi again wow thanks you make me feel a bit better! I have a job in Narre Warren South so am looking at the Mornington Peninsula to live. I have two little children under 4 which is why I’m really worried about not having proper accommodation lined up. I will check out the air bnb and see what else I can try and arrange. Any recommendations of good suburbs south east? Nice primary schools are essential to me! Cheers! Its quite common to book a 4 week holiday stay for when you first arrive, families with kids have sometimes gone to a holiday park where all amenities are on hand. A quick google of holiday house or furnished rental will throw up quite a few options although the 2 sites mentioned above (stayz and air BnB) are the most popular. It really isnt wise to sign up to a 6mth rental house until you are here and have viewed it, so many homes are nothing like the photos on line so always worth seeing with your own eyes before committing. Most shippers will request you give them an updated address once you arrive,so again no problem with not knowing prior to leaving. We actually used the address of hubbys new work place for the paperwork and then updated once we got here and found a rental. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy11480 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 Hi Cal That's great thanks. Its certainly seeming the most logical and sensible way to go about it. It's been really helpful coming on here! I'm just also a bit worried about the fact that only I will be working initially as we get our bearings and look at childcare options etc. Do you think it will go against us with rentals with only one income? My income is full time and will cover the rental costs but I'm worried that this could cause problems as I hear the rental market is quite competitive! Many thanks, Sam x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 You can include a cover letter explaining being new migrants, the lack of 2 incomes etc and pretty much what you have said above. Just submit it with your application which you will need paperwork for anyway. If you have a bit in the bank you can include a bank statement. We used copies of passports, uk driving licences, paid up mortgage statement and utility bills, copy of bank account and copies of the visa grant ,which were in your passport back then. Hope this helps Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy11480 Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Yes, that's great. Thank you so much x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 All you have to do is look up self contained holiday lets in Victoria and book in for a couple of weeks.Then you can look around for a Permanent rental .Plus rent a car at the Same time . And pick that up at the Airport. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliQ Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 On 01/10/2019 at 02:57, calNgary said: It really isnt wise to sign up to a 6mth rental house until you are here and have viewed it, so many homes are nothing like the photos on line so always worth seeing with your own eyes before committing. As already advised, DO NOT RENT before viewing. We secured a rental before arriving earlier this year - on arrival, we were shocked, it was awful and nothing like the photo's. "Luckily" for us, our circumstances changed within two months, so we were able to vacate early and get all our money back. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the Hat Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 On 11/10/2019 at 08:22, AliQ said: As already advised, DO NOT RENT before viewing. We secured a rental before arriving earlier this year - on arrival, we were shocked, it was awful and nothing like the photo's. "Luckily" for us, our circumstances changed within two months, so we were able to vacate early and get all our money back. How is that even legal? Surely there must be some trading standards equivalent in Australia at state level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliQ Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 2 hours ago, Jon the Hat said: How is that even legal? Surely there must be some trading standards equivalent in Australia at state level? Not sure. But, as we had a cat due to fly over on a set date, we felt under pressure to secure a place to live BEFORE we arrived, hence searching the internet for homes that would allow pets, and that was a real challenge ! If our circumstances had not changed (we had to leave) we would have certainly refused to move in. We had a lucky escape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 3 hours ago, Jon the Hat said: How is that even legal? Surely there must be some trading standards equivalent in Australia at state level? There are some laws about misrepresentation but few people would go to the cost of contesting the case 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam11480 Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share Posted October 24, 2019 On 11/10/2019 at 08:22, AliQ said: As already advised, DO NOT RENT before viewing. We secured a rental before arriving earlier this year - on arrival, we were shocked, it was awful and nothing like the photo's. "Luckily" for us, our circumstances changed within two months, so we were able to vacate early and get all our money back. Thanks for your response. This further puts my mind at rest about not renting before getting there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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