Getting a rental property in Aus/Brisbane

[thatjohnstonlife]

Hey guys,

 

We recently emigrated to Australia about months ago and we found very quickly that one of the biggest challenges was finding a rental.

. 

 

If you have any further questions, please feel free to leave a comment or message us.

 

[Wanderer Returns]

Good luck selling up in the UK. We left in January and our house sale has fallen thorough twice already, so third time lucky - hoping to complete early in the new year.

Didn't you ship any of your furniture or belongings from the UK? (Sorry, I might have missed that bit!)

[thatjohnstonlife]

Oh no, sorry to hear about your house. We went for a buyer who seemed to be more keen to buy that we were to sell and had no chain.

We did ship a move cube and it recently arrived. That video will go up soon.

Fingers crossed for your sale

[DUBtoBNE]

Hi,

We're still in quazza at the Grand Chancellor. We'd applied for a property a few months back from Ireland but missed out on it. We've been keeping an eye out since but not much is coming up that's ticking our boxes. We're looking in Ashgrove/Newmarket area. What's the go generally? Is the interstate migration from down south having an impact?

TIA

[AliQ]

1 hour ago, DUBtoBNE said:

Hi,

We're still in quazza at the Grand Chancellor. We'd applied for a property a few months back from Ireland but missed out on it. We've been keeping an eye out since but not much is coming up that's ticking our boxes. We're looking in Ashgrove/Newmarket area. What's the go generally? Is the interstate migration from down south having an impact?

TIA

Hi, sorry, can not help with your query, but NEVER rent a property unseen. 

[DUBtoBNE]

47 minutes ago, AliQ said:

Hi, sorry, can not help with your query, but NEVER rent a property unseen. 

I don't think agents will even allow it? Is it legal?

They did allow my sister in law to inspect on our behalf though. Maybe I'm too trusting. I bought a car in quazza that a mechanic mate had inspected for me. I've never even driven that model before.

[AliQ]

7 minutes ago, DUBtoBNE said:

I don't think agents will even allow it? Is it legal?

They did allow my sister in law to inspect on our behalf though. Maybe I'm too trusting. I bought a car in quazza that a mechanic mate had inspected for me. I've never even driven that model before.

Hi, yes you can accept a rental sight unseen, you sign paperwork stating "sight unseen".  We had a very unpleasant experience doing this, but at that time we needed to secure a property as we were shipping our pet (and very few properties would accept pets).

However, as you have relatives that are able to view a property for you, that's great and the way to do it !

 

[Wanderer Returns]

2 hours ago, DUBtoBNE said:

I bought a car in quazza that a mechanic mate had inspected for me. I've never even driven that model before.

 

1 hour ago, AliQ said:

Hi, yes you can accept a rental sight unseen, you sign paperwork stating "sight unseen".  We had a very unpleasant experience doing this, but at that time we needed to secure a property as we were shipping our pet (and very few properties would accept pets).

However, as you have relatives that are able to view a property for you, that's great and the way to do it !

What's the rush? When I arrived I hired a car for a week, and that was plenty of time to find a car I liked and complete the purchase. That said, I could live with a car I didn't like very much - assuming there was enough legroom. A car's one thing, but a home another. You'd be mad to rent a place without seeing it first and getting a feel for the area that it's in. I've lived in Brisbane on and off for over a decade and there's a big difference between suburbs, especially on the north side - even Ashgrove and Newmarket are quite different, despite being right next to each other.

[DrDougster]

On 06/01/2021 at 09:33, Wanderer Returns said:

 

What's the rush? When I arrived I hired a car for a week, and that was plenty of time to find a car I liked and complete the purchase. That said, I could live with a car I didn't like very much - assuming there was enough legroom. A car's one thing, but a home another. You'd be mad to rent a place without seeing it first and getting a feel for the area that it's in. I've lived in Brisbane on and off for over a decade and there's a big difference between suburbs, especially on the north side - even Ashgrove and Newmarket are quite different, despite being right next to each other.

Totally agree with the last point. Even areas within Northern suburbs vary much as they do in London - literally two streets apart can be chalk and cheese.

[FatCat]

On 06/01/2021 at 07:25, AliQ said:

but NEVER rent a property unseen. 

Yes

I totally second that.

Real Estate agents in Oz have magic cameras that make rooms and gardens look waaaaaayyy bigger than they actually are.

They also have a license to wax lyrical

So a........ "whisper quite, cute tidy cottage".

Is actually a run down dump situated slightly back from a major highway

 

Then of course, it really pays to view the area, street and neighbours in real life in person. I looked at a house last year and was shocked to find the neighbour was a hoarder - there was crap everywhere spilling out of their garden. Broken down rusting cars, tins, scrap metal, falling down house, garbage uncollected. Yuck. The real estate agent had done a good job of keeping quite on that issue, and worse even tried to convince us that "it really wasn't that bad".............

Good grief

 

 

 

[FatCat]

On 06/01/2021 at 10:33, Wanderer Returns said:

there's a big difference between suburbs, especially on the north side - even Ashgrove and Newmarket are quite different, despite being right next to each other.

Yes

Lots of places like that

I would happily live in North Curl Curl (NSW), but would hate to live in the next door suburb of Dee Why.

I am sure you can rent somewhere unseen - but it would be a huge risk.

If anyone was going to take this route, then make sure you don't lock yourself into a 12 month contract.

.

[Wanderer Returns]

45 minutes ago, FatCat said:

Yes

Lots of places like that

I would happily live in North Curl Curl (NSW), but would hate to live in the next door suburb of Dee Why.

I am sure you can rent somewhere unseen - but it would be a huge risk.

If anyone was going to take this route, then make sure you don't lock yourself into a 12 month contract.

.

Manly was the first place I lived in when I moved to Australia in 2003 = Queenscliffe, to be precise. I thought I was cool because I was living there and not on Bondi  

Didn't stay long before I moved to Scotland Island, where I lived for the best part of a year. I never liked Dee Why either for some reason. I used to go there quite a lot as I knew a girl there, but it just seemed a bit of a mess of a place. Pretty much all of suburbs further north of there are very nice, but there was a lack of affordable accommodation if you just wanted to rent a room, which is why I ended up on Scotland Island - nice room for $100/week, and a ferry ride to start the day. 

[FatCat]

4 minutes ago, Wanderer Returns said:

 Scotland Island - nice room for $100/week, and a ferry ride to start the day. 

Ohhhh. Very envious. I have looked at houses there. But other half reckons it will be too impractical. 

[Wanderer Returns]

1 hour ago, FatCat said:

Yes

I totally second that.

Real Estate agents in Oz have magic cameras that make rooms and gardens look waaaaaayyy bigger than they actually are.

They also have a license to wax lyrical

So a........ "whisper quite, cute tidy cottage".

Is actually a run down dump situated slightly back from a major highway

I agree too. I think it's because Australians are very impressionable visually, and are easily sucked in by a bit of soft-soap and flannel. They generally put style before substance. I've been thinking of setting up a clothes shop for emperors  

[Wanderer Returns]

2 minutes ago, FatCat said:

Ohhhh. Very envious. I have looked at houses there. But other half reckons it will be too impractical. 

Usually, it is, but it depends where you work of course. Scotland islanders have a saying that if you stay there a year then you'll stay 20, as most people who leave do it in the first year. You really need your own tinny, because if you're relying on the ferry your social life will be rather limited or you'll end up having to use the water taxi, which gets expensive.

[FatCat]

12 minutes ago, Wanderer Returns said:

too impractical. 

Yes. I am constantly sucked in by the thought of a sunny "adventure" and a romantic laid back lifestyle of living on an island or a remote hard to access location.

(I looked at houses on Dangar Island and at Berowra Waters too).

But every time I mention it, I am reminded about the nuisance of finding a parking space (SI car park is often full), or struggling with shopping bags from the car to the ferry to the house. Or reminded that yes sounds pleasant in summer, but I would quickly get tired of it in torrential rain.

Pity (although probably good) that my other half is so boringly practical

Maybe will have to do it for retirement and don't need to leave the island daily for work 

Edited January 8, 2021 by FatCat

[Wanderer Returns]

3 minutes ago, FatCat said:

Yes. I am constantly sucked in by the thought of a sunny "adventure" and a romantic laid back lifestyle of living on an island or a remote hard to access location.

(I looked at houses on Dangar Island and at Berowra Waters too).

But every time I mention it, I am reminded about the nuisance of finding a parking space (SI car park is often full), or struggling with shopping bags from the car to the ferry to the house. Or reminded that yes sounds pleasant in summer, but I would quickly get tired of it in torrential rain.

Pity (although probably good) that my other half is so boringly practical

Maybe will have to do it for retirement and don't need to leave the island daily for work 

I believe a lot of islanders who own their own tinny park at Bayview, as there is plenty of free parking and it's only a slightly longer boat trip.

Yes, you definitely need to take an umbrella with you to work, and shopping trips result in a good workout (that's the best way of looking at it!), so most people don't do a big shop but keep buying bits and bobs everyday (hard if you have a big family though). I think many do retire there as they can release a lot of equity from their Sydney homes, whilst technically still living in Sydney. At some point it all becomes too impractical though.