RENTING- in general and in Auckland

meremaiden

Hi Everybody,
What a great forum, thanks to the moderaters and webmasters!!

I just have a question about rentals in general..
My boyfriend and I are moving on July 9th from Hawaii to Auckland to go to sthe university for two years.
Does anytone know the following--
Will realtors rent to people who have no credit history in NZ?
Do they check US Credit and or references?
We were thinking of getting a letter from our current landlord verifying our good status as renters etc. Will that sort of thing be accepted?

I would love to hear anyones experiences with renting processes as far as credit checks etc. Some of the realotrs websites have forms to fill out that ask for car info, work info etc.. We wont have a car immediately, and wont have jobs right away, though we have scholarships and loans to cover our expenses, will that be frowned upon?

We are looking for a furnished house or apt. 2-3 bedrooms in Auckland, not sure where yet, but it seems as if the North Shore is nice.. any ideas?
Also, one last question, if you call a realtor will they take you around to their properties as they do in the US or is it different?

Thanks for any input and good luck everyone!!

dan-ish · Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2004 8:53 pm Post subject: Hawaii

Hey Meremaiden,

You shouldn't have too many problems renting houses or buying cars in NZ. When I was there we managed to rent a house with a minimum of fuss. I would recommend having a reference from a previous landlord if possible, but it certainly didn't matter that we had no credit history in New Zealand. Don't worry about the car info and work info that they ask for either. If you explain your situation there won't be a problem.

Realtors will most certainly show you around if you give them a call. No worries Nice One

.

Location-wise it depends on which campus you are studying at. There is one on the North Shore, so if you are located there then that is great as the North Shore is very nice. Otherwise, there is the City campus which is right near the city centre(funnily enough). Suburbs that are nice around there are Ponsonby, Parnell, and Newmarket - all of which are serviced by the Link Bus, including the university. There are two other campuses, but I know nothing about them, but the City one is the main one so hopefully that has been of some help.

Lucky people coming from Hawaii, to Auckland

.

Dan-ish Razz

karltsmith · Posted: Sat May 01, 2004 1:52 am Post subject:

Hawaii to AKL eh! You just can't get too much of a good thing Laughing

!

Surfs up! Yes

I'm in full agreement with Dan (Hi mate! Nice One

) and would only add that you will be expected to pay a bond equivalent to one months rent!

I'm on the shore and it's a great place to be...but only practicle for you if you are based on the north shore campus!

Dan has correctly identified some of the closest suburbs for the central district Yes

.

Which Uni are you attending ? AKL or Massey...if the later then Albany is where you should also look! Nice One

Best of luck!!! cool

Karl

meremaiden · Posted: Sat May 01, 2004 3:55 pm Post subject:

thanks to you both for your great replies!
Yes, my boyfirned is a surfer, but we are both students first and foremost, as I like to remind him.. Rolling Eyes

We will be attending University of Auckland. I'll be at the city center campus and he will be at the tamaki campus.. any places in between?

We were sooo hoping to live on the north shore.. taking a ferry in every day.. ahhh... is it really not practical?

Thanks guys!!

karltsmith · Posted: Sat May 01, 2004 7:30 pm Post subject:

Sorry to disappoint you but it is not practical if one of you has to get to Tamaki! It depends on how deep your wallets/purses are of course but you could look at the following areas: Parnell, Orakei, Mission Bay, Kohimarama, St Helliers, Ellerslie, Remuera, Newmarket, Ponsonby all with varying degrees of commutability (is that a word?....it is know!!!). If you don't mind getting up at Sparrows F**T to make the trip over the bridge then OK but being students and surfies lets face it you'll be lucky to make lectures on time if you lived on campus!!! Laughing

meremaiden · Posted: Sun May 02, 2004 7:31 pm Post subject:

Whats is Sparrows F**T? A NZ phrase or UK? Do tell!
You are definetly right.. we don't have deep pockets, or purses for that matter, but we will most likely only need to be on campus for 2 days a week, and most of the classes are in late afternoon.. what is the commute really like?
I know the books are lying when they say 20 minutes!
Thanks again for all the help and suggestions!
BTW, are furnished places popular, or very hard to find?

big thanks to you!

karltsmith · Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 2:01 am Post subject:

A lovelly little UK phrase meaing up very early i.e. at the crack of dawn....SPARROWS (a bird, the Dunnock) FART.... (a bottom burp).

Furnished places are more rare although student accom. should be kitted out!

meremaiden · Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 3:36 pm Post subject:

Karl,
You got me again! I'd best brush up on the local lingo! "kitted?"
BTW, how are you enjoying NZ? Any advice for newcomers realted to your present experience?
Thanks for all the fantastic advice!

karltsmith · Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 5:08 pm Post subject:

Kitted out = furnishings and appliances included

Can't really give advice about being a newcomer apart from its a great country and you should try to involve yourself in as many activities as you can.

Don't ignore the culture especially the Moari culture! Coming from Hawaii you should be up to speed on Polenesian culture/history I suppose!

The TV is crap (not good) unless you have sky and pay for the best channels. If you like movies etc join your local video/DVD hire shop. A lot of Kiwi's are movie buffs....they are driven to it!

If you like the GREAT outdoors it does'nt get much better than NZ!

Good Luck Karl