[MandC]

Has anyone tried to rent a house through Trademe prior to arriving in NZ? I've narrowed down the areas I'm interested in (with lots of thanks to folk on this forum :cheers) and I've tried to contact people who are renting places that I'm interested in but keep getting the response that I can't register for Trademe without a NZ or OZ email address. If it's an agent it's fine as I can go to their website, but if it's an individual there seems to be no way of getting in touch with them. Are there any free NZ email providers that I could register with to get a NZ email address? I'm trying to have my new employer set up an email address for me for when I arrive but I don't think I'll get it before I actually start work.

Sorry to repeat this question in a new thread - I asked the same thing on another thread, but it was a bit of a non sequitur on that one so I didn't get any response there.

Alternatively, how did other people arrange a house rental before arriving in NZ? I'm a wee bit worried about being homeless after our first week if I haven't got something arranged beforehand :eek:

[nickiware]

i have an account with trademe, set up when i was there i am now in the uk, my email address is .co.uk and it worked fine when I set it up, do you need a physical address in NZ

[Duncan74]

They track the IP address when you set it up, so if it's outside NZ when you register it gets cancelled 12 hours or so later... Happend to me. I guess you were ok as it passed the kiwi test when you created it.

[JandM]

I saw your other question - sorry you didn't get any answers from people already in NZ. I'm still in the UK, but know something of what has happened to others upon arrival, so I'll do my best from that basis.

No, I don't think you will be able to get onto TradeMe before you get to NZ. Other people have tried to get round their rules, been found out, and been booted off. (I believe the thinking is that everybody trading on the site should be answerable to NZ law, and get-attable in case of default.)

Unless someone already in NZ has acted on their behalf, very few forumites arrive in NZ with a rental already arranged. Most go to stay in temporary accommodation of some kind at first, to give themselves a chance to look around. What sort of temporary accommodation depends on all kinds of things - money available, how many in the family, how soon people are going to start work (so if you need to be fairly near) etc., etc.. You could put up a thread asking for recommendations for hotel/motel/appartment/hostel or whatever, for the approximate area you want to be in, and no doubt people will tell you their experiences. And/Or, you could Google for accommodation in your price range in the area.

You may have seen other people's reactions to their first experience of (some) NZ houses. If they strike unlucky, they can be horrified by the cold and lack of heating and insulation. This is the kind of thing you cannot tell without actually setting foot in a house. I certainly would not want to arrive and find myself committed to paying several months rent on a place that made me feel I was living in a fridge. Unless you have somebody who you trust to vet things for you, I seriously wouldn't try to rent at arm's length as you're tempted to do. You're reluctant to have an unknown quantity ahead of you, in the shape of 'no known address'. But I honestly think that is a better option than having an unknown quantity there, in the shape of something you can't tell the quality of - you're better off deciding on a couple of weeks or a month in a hostel, till you've had the chance to make a decision based on a first-hand impression.

Sorry if this isn't what you want to hear, but it's an honest opinion, based on having seen NZ buildings for myself.

[willow]

Hi

our house in nelson was rented via trade me, we are still in the uk and leave in 2 weeks. we were unable to contact the seller as we didn't have a nz email address. we had to get our friend in nz to set up an account and contact the landlord.

despite that bit of frustration it has all gone exceptionally well. we have a lovely property to move into and the landlord has been extremely helpful.

[Wooly_Cow]

I personally would NOT commit to renting a place from the Internet only. Kiwis are masters at taking good photo's of bad houses!

My advice - stay in a motel /hotel / holiday let for a couple of weeks whilst you look at the houses in person.

After missing familiy and friends, I reckon cold and damp houses is the main reason ex pats don't stay here - and you won't see the cold and damp on Trade Me.

Sorry for being blunt (and for repeating JandM's advice)

[Trevor Joe]

Hi there, we have been living in Auckland for almost 2 years, we came over with only our suitcases as tourists and now both have permanent jobs and residency. When we arrived we were booked into a motel for a week moved to another for a further 2 weeks then found ourselves a rented apartment. We have recently moved to our second rental which is great, but strongly recommend you wait until you get here....you cannot tell off a photograph what a place is like, e.g. damp and cold or what sort of area it is in. Good luck I'm sure you would find something after you arrive.

[ellenmelon]

Definately wait until you're here to find a rental. Sometimes the house is lovely, warm etc but is too small (like I have found) or isn't on a bus route or whatever...as well as problems with damp etc.

[925dancer]

From a property manager point of view, I would not rent to someone from overseas. it is just too risky, you might take one look at it in the flesh and hate it, all that work getting paperwork and payment organised from overseas down the drain in one fell swoop with unhappy tenants and a vacant property again very quickly. Sadly, much more hassle than I'm prepared to risk, my job is stressful enough!

I did have someone enquire from the UK about one of my properties recently and I advised them to do somewhere short term and get here and look at areas, particularly as where she wants to move (Manukau) is a minefield of rough areas with the odd nice bit, she'd never know what she'd got until she got here if the agent isn't completely truthful and knowing some other agents, I'd say that would be a high possibility!

From a movers point of view, I did attempt to set something up before arriving but in hindsight I am so glad I didn't. I didn't know where I'd be working, how far and the method of my commute. This was with having lived here before too, I knew areas pretty well but it is still infinitely better to be on the ground to have a look.

[afarah]

You could use the services of a re-location agents like:

www.well-located.com

or

http://www.onarrival.co.nz

I did not use these services yet but I will when I make my move to nZ

hope this helps.

[Bozeman]

Using Trademe as our primary source - after we arrived - we looked at many homes before we found one suitable to rent. They all looked great in the pictures but most were completely unliveable by our standards. I must vote with the "no way I would rent without seeing in person" crowd.

[sasvanb]

I must vote with the "no way I would rent without seeing in person" crowd.

I second this... and everyone else who has given advice to this effect. My hubby and I just went rental hunting in Dunedin as we're thinking of moving there. I thought I had picked out some 'good uns' to view from Trade Me, but UGH! Hopeless... :wah

The rental we're in at the moment in Wellington also suffers from winter damp plaugue syndrome. When we saw it last Sept it was a fairly warm pleasant day (and the landlords had picked an open home time at the best/maximum sun time of day)... so we didn't think twice about the lack of a central source of heating. It's a fantastic place in the summer. But after trying to heat using two small oil fin heaters (and a dehumidifier in the bedroom) for the last couple of months... I will be outta here well before next winter! :exit

Get yourself set up with at least 2/3 weeks of temp accommodation when you arrive, and then get out and about to view rentals. And make sure a heatpump or woodburner is high on the list of essentials (preferably both!)... It won't matter in summer, but boy will you thank yourself come winter.

Good luck. ;)

[M-Squared]

Wooly_Cow is spot on. :nice1 Stay in a motel / holiday home first, and look around when you get here.

[dilanium]

I agree- stay in a motel/hotel then find a rental. It only took us one week to find a rental once we got here (we were searching in the middle of winter though, so that helped).

[MandC]

Thanks so much for all the advice - it's seems pretty unanimous :yes

We have booked a motel for the first week, but unfortunately that was all they had available - we had wanted to stay there for at least a fortnight but that isn't possible. I guess our first week will be a busy house hunting time. It sounds like we'll be able to register with Trademe (and other sites) once we're in NZ with the email addresses we have - thanks for the explanation Duncan :nice1

So I'll just have to put up with the uncertainty of arriving with nowhere to live after a week. I had wanted to prepare my children a bit more by letting them know what school they'll go to - but won't know that until we know where we'll be living. I don't want to risk living in a hell hole though - I think that would be even worse than the uncertainty of not knowing where we're going to live. A small, damp, cramped home doesn't quite fit with my plans :exit

I'll also look at the relocation agents' websites - anyone got any experience of using one of these? I'm thinking expensive ???

[925dancer]

My personal experience of relocation agents is snotty so and so's who think you should be their number one priority! But then I have been on the receiving end of them with them demanding appointments to suit them. What it's like from a user perspective I'm not sure. I guess they can weed out the bad stuff for you but unless they are very good at what they and therefore really get a feel for you and what you want, I'm not sure if they are value for money as they are not cheap as far as I know!

Most agents, myself included, use Trademe and realeatsate.co.nz. Agents have a nasty habit of ignoring your enquiries, don't be afraid to pester politely.

You could always check out what's on realestate.co.nz and make enquiries from there, no NZ email address required. At the worst you can just find agency details from there and email directly.

Most of all, good luck!

[MandC]

Thanks 925dancer - good to hear your perspective on this as a property manager. Perhaps when I move to Auckland you'll be one of the agents I come into contact with :). I've already contacted a couple of agents who are sending me rental lists so that at least gives me an idea of the market, prices, house sizes etc. They don't seem to have a lot of 'detail' about each property though, even for houses that are for sale. As a buyer (I'll be renting to start with but then we plan to buy) I'll want measurements of rooms, even plans of the house - not just photos. Do estate agents only provide this to interested buyers or do they not provide them at all? Surely competition means that estate agents are competing for work? And the good ones will provide as much detail as they can??? Am I missing something?

[925dancer]

Can't speak for sales, I have no experience of that here.

As for rentals and this is true in the UK too, turnover is generally so high that it would be a waste of time and resources to be providing plans and room sizes etc. Be prepared for agents to tell you to do a drive-by before making an appointment to show you through properly here, most adverts will have full addresses on them for precisely this purpose.

It is unlikely I'll have anything for you, my portfolio is a shameful pile of poo that I am desperately trying to improve, get what I'm given and like it or lump it unfortunately. You could well deal with one of my colleagues though and without sounding too biased, we are one of the better agents in Auckland from both a landlord and tenant perspective. The other bonus with us is we are that rare agency that prefers periodic tenancies from the off, making it super flexible if you are looking to buy.

Anyway, anything you want to know, give me a shout!

[Wooly_Cow]

I'll also look at the relocation agents' websites - anyone got any experience of using one of these? I'm thinking expensive ???

My new employer paid for my relocation agent who was excellent. Very helpful - showed me all the right houses (OK the first 4 were not to my taste but she found a perfect hosue for me on my first day out with her)....and now my wife is here they showed her round - all as part of the deal.

If you are coming to Wellington I ca give you her name and contact details 9the company is Relocations International).

[Shones]

Hi, I found the amount we paid for 10 days in a Motel galling when I compared it to how much a rent would cost, and the "uncertainty" of everything was incredibly hard. However, we stayed in the motel, camped out at the local library where I checked areas on the Internet, looked up schools then hopped on a bus to check them out. We decided to choose the school first (within reason, eg- commutable distance to OH's work) then the house. It took 10 days and my husband felt that was all too slow, but we found a great school the girls loved and no matter where else I went, I liked our area best of all. The house was not perfect, but fitted our budget and we lived happily for the year we were there.
All I meant to say was:- don't try to do too much before you get to NZ, it's better to take things slower and "get them right" on the ground. Hope this helps....

[hosebergine]

don't try to do too much before you get to NZ, it's better to take things slower and "get them right" on the ground. Hope this helps....

Top tip I'd say.

We've been here 2 1/2 weeks. We booked our CBD apartment for one week from the UK but are extending on a week by week basis and plan to do so until our container arrives. Here we have all bills included; internet all day for job hunting and house hunting, as well as keeping in touch with family and friends; secure parking; plus we're really close to the centre which has been great for organising things like banks, IRD numbers and looking into public transport options for work. Buying a car was a bit awkward but we hired a car for a couple of days so we could tour the garages which are mainly in the suburbs. It is costing quite a bit but it is hassle free and they offer a weekly rate which if you want a 2 bed apartment is MUCH cheaper than the motels I approached. Our apartment is brand new - yes it is small but it has everything we need including proper beds which we wouldn't have if we move into a rental before our container arrives!

So far we have toured the North Shore and Eastern suburbs, as well as some of the Western side. Interestingly, as we are all very different people, we have plumped for an area that very rarely comes up as recommended on the forum. And our impressions of rental houses so far are pretty low. I know everyone mentions the damp thing and orientation regarding the sun, but only when you get here and see it first hand do you realise what a difference it will make. And as for descriptions for both rentals and sales (we're looking at both) - jolly limited and very much open to interpretation I'd say. You really need to check them out firsthand.

If you're like us, you'll have plenty to do tying up loose ends at home without adding more stress trying to arrange things in NZ too. I hope that helps and doesn't sound like a lecture - I'm really glad we're doing it in Auckland because I suspect we'd have ended up in entirely the wrong place for us if we'd had a go from the UK.

[925dancer]

I can't help but be a nosey butter, what area have you gone for Hosebergine?

[hosebergine]

We really like Birkenhead. Close to CBD, a bit of space between the houses, ok prices, commutable by public transport and has a centre to it....which you'll find lacking in many areas. We're getting very funny looks when we say we want to use buses or ferries to get to work. Or even cycling but that depends on the hills along the route

We think they've put in a few more hills since we came last time.....

[M-Squared]

We think they've put in a few more hills since we came last time.....

Nah that'll just be one of the 48 volcanoes that Auckland is built on, burping a bit :D (not really! ;) ) :exit

[hosebergine]

Nah that'll just be one of the 48 volcanoes that Auckland is built on, burping a bit :D (not really! ;) ) :exit

as long as they don't follow through :laugh

[JandM]

Have you seen the little 'toadstools' on the top of Mount Victoria?

[925dancer]

Have you seen the little 'toadstools' on the top of Mount Victoria?

I ate fush n chups by those!

A colleague of mine lives in Birkenhead, it's not an area I'm in too much really but she loves it. Incidentally, I'm her property manager too so visit her house a few times a year.

Not to be contradictory but I find that most areas in Auckland have their own sort of main shopping street/centre. They're not always streets you'd necessarily want to stop and shop on but they are there :laugh