[Dougal]

When you are renting how long does it take from saying I do (so to speak) to actually getting the keys and being able to move in? Also do you need to supply references and what form do these take (never having rented)?

Any help gratefully received.

Dougal

[Cardy]

hello Dougal we have just e mailed some rental agents for this info as we are in the same boat as you i will send you the info when we get it , we are flying out on 7th march. we plan to stay in a hotel for a few weeks while we have a look at some rentals. Cheers Paul Bev and Kids :nice1

[Smiler]

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5455

Dougal

Have a look at this thread and one called Welly rentals. We signed the forms, gave our bond and had the keys straight away. :clap:clap

We faxed our ID to telecom, line connected 3 hours later, leccy co just a phone call to change details and set up direct debit. It really is so much more simple than the UK where we have had to wait for refs etc to go through sometimes 4 weeks.

Deborah

[Dougal]

Thanks guys! That's a relief then. Sounds quite simple.

Brilliant info re phone etc Smiler cheers!

Cardy, I didn't think to email the agents directly :laugh doh! Thanks for the offer of your info.

D

[Howie]

Thanks for the info. We're going to be arriving in Auckland in about a months time. That's good news that we should be able to get a house to rent rather quickly. We're really not going to have a lot of extra money for hotels, so we'd like to find a place and move in quickly. We'd also like to try to find something ourselves, rather than use a rental agency because of the money situation. But we may have to use an agency because we have a dog. We have a 10 year old lab who is very well behaved and has a lot of awards. I'm hoping that it won't be too hard to convince people that he won't be a problem. He'll also be in quarantine for the first month anyways. But I would like to get a puppy shortly after we arrive. I don't want to lie, but will anyone rent us a house if they know we're going to have a puppy? I've heard that sometimes you can offer a larger bond if you have pets. Obviously finding a place that will allow dog(s) is more important than saving money.

[ruthyroo]

When you get lists of properties from the rental agency, the info will usually include an 'Available from' date - this will indicate when the property will be available for you to move in. IF it isn't clear then ask the agent. It can be really variable - when we were looking in December, there were some available instantly and other that weren't avail until February. We didn't want to spend money living in a motel or whatever so we crossed anything off the list that involved a long wait.

References - we were asked for two - former employers, bank / building society, respected members of community will do if you have not rented before. I don't think they have ever actually been checked up on.

Dogs - I would be upfront about it TBH, and maybe hold off on the puppy until you are more settled. Most rentals I have seen do specify no dogs, but you might be able to negotiate with the agent / owner.

We have always used agencies but know people who have succeeded with ads from the paper instead. Agents in NZ are as mercenary as anywhere - some of the properties they wasted our time with were absolutley terrible, and they usually take 1-2 weeks rental as a fee
HTH

[jubjub]

Another thing to bear in mind, try not to get suckered into signing a long lease, 6 months or a year, if you find after a month the rental is does not suit you, or the neighbours play loud music the whole time and you want to move, it may cost you a lot to get out of the bargain. Try and get a month to month agreement if poss.

We got our rental off www.trademe.co.nz (http://www.trademe.co.nz) we had arranged to view it before leaving UK, and got keys that same day after handing over bond, we were lucky and got a rental that allowed our dog. Many rental agents/landlords wont allow dog, so either be up front, or leave it a couple of months, then ask if its OK after you have proved yourselves to be good tenants. We agreed to have carpets professionally cleaned prior to leaving.

Finally have a look here for your rights. http://www.dbh.govt.nz/housing/tenancy/info.html

[Park City Partner]

My Partner went over before me and tackled the house hunting stuff. We were looking in the Northshore (Auckland) as he will be going to AUT. He looked at a lot of stuff but wasn't very impressed with much. We found a 4 bedroom house (1 bedroom more than we wanted) in Glenfield but it isn't available until the 20 Feb. We showed the property manager (landlord pays the PM) some finacials and a few references and all was good. Since he has done so much leg work already, including buying a car, we will be able to go on a few days holiday when I arrive. He is making my move very easy!

[sweetpea]

I found the two options I'm choosing from an ad in the paper (actually, it was an ad for a different place altogether, and the landlord referred me to one of his friends who had a place that hadn't been advertised yet) and from trademe.

Some of the rental agencies will not even talk to you if you have a dog. Just a warning upfront. I was quite taken aback by their disdainful "No, no dogs," especially since people here are generally helpful. You might be asked if yours is an inside or an outside dog too. (Lots of outside dogs here.) Be aware that the law here requires that dogs have a fully fenced yard, so that cuts down on your selection a bit.

Sorry if I sound a little negative -- I'm burnt out on the flat-hunting thing!

[jo b]

this may help for those around the welly area

http://virtualrealty.co.nz/rentalwanted/wgnwaira2.html

[Rabbit]

Many thanks for the link

[Jonathon1977]

I used a few sites on the web to find my place but found www.trademe.co.nz to be the most helpful and was always up to date.

I viewed my property, signed the paper work and had my keys all in the same day. Of course this is a rental so it's not all that had to achieve this goal.

Regards,

Jonathon

[Tia Maria]

We are currently looking for rentals in the North Shore, Auckland. And we have found the situation pretty bad. There are just hardly any properties, and those that do exist are either very shabby, or not available till June. We're having to spend a lot of time in temporary accommodation (hotels and holiday homes) - not much fun, with 2 kids.

Most agents know they are in a strong position, with few properties and plenty of renters. We've found a property, but are apparently up against another couple, so the owners & agents are meeting us, to see who they prefer.

I wish we had known the situation would be so difficult before we arrived, as I think we'd have booked a decent holiday rental for a couple of months, (instead of 2 weeks), to give us plenty of time to find something.

Tia

[Qui~Gon]

Thanks for the info. We're going to be arriving in Auckland in about a months time. That's good news that we should be able to get a house to rent rather quickly. We're really not going to have a lot of extra money for hotels, so we'd like to find a place and move in quickly. We'd also like to try to find something ourselves, rather than use a rental agency because of the money situation. But we may have to use an agency because we have a dog. We have a 10 year old lab who is very well behaved and has a lot of awards. I'm hoping that it won't be too hard to convince people that he won't be a problem. He'll also be in quarantine for the first month anyways. But I would like to get a puppy shortly after we arrive. I don't want to lie, but will anyone rent us a house if they know we're going to have a puppy? I've heard that sometimes you can offer a larger bond if you have pets. Obviously finding a place that will allow dog(s) is more important than saving money.

Hi We have a dog and found it a bit hard to find a place, but we ended up using an agent Crockers (http://www.crockers.co.nz/) we were up front with them about the dog and they had a chat to the landlord and we found this unit we in now :clap its nothing fancy but its 6mins out from the city centre and a 2min walk to the beach. Give them a go if you cant find anything private. When we applied for this place I flashed them my drivers licence and gave them 1 ref I believe they do a credit check but as you just came to NZ that wont be a problem had the keys the following week but could of had them the next day if we wanted. Found them to be really friendly and answer any question you have about the property.
Good luck!