Renting in Sydney

jkrieger52 · #1 (**permalink**) 16th August 2008, 03:10 PM

I am just negotiating an ex-pat package with my company. Can anyone suggest a real estate agent in Sydney (or a web site) we can talk to about reasonable expectations for rentals. We are probably looking at city apartments (flats) south of the harbor. I will be doing a LOT of traveling, so easy access to the airpot is key.

If you don't mind me asking, what should we expect to pay for two bedrooms furnished near public transportation?

Thanks all in advance.

kaz101 · #2 (**permalink**) 16th August 2008, 09:15 PM

Hi jkrieger52,

There is a link in the "PLEASE READ..." post towards the top of the forum for real estate and that one does sales as well as rentals. That should give you an idea of rental. I can't help with rentals in Sydney but that website will give you the info you require.

Regards,
Karen

anj1976 · #3 (**permalink**) 17th August 2008, 05:58 AM

Moving to Sydney or Melbourne? Find where to live with Cityhobo - Home has a lot on sydney and melbourne...

anj1976 · #4 (**permalink**) 18th August 2008, 04:59 AM

Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au
http://www.domain.com.au/
Holiday Accommodation, Holiday Rentals, Homes & Serviced Apartments in Australia – Rent-A-Home.com.au
these are few good sites, for a 2 bedroom fully furnished you should look at anything at 400 and above per week depending on the area and the property and of-course the offering within the apartment in terms of furniture etc.. it again depends on how accommodating you are, there are options for 350A$/week as well but that might be in the suburbs..

hope this helps

Gail · #5 (**permalink**) 21st August 2008, 01:48 PM

Here is a handy hint if you are looking to travel to the airport frequently by public transport - start by looking at this
TravelPass - Sydney Buses and then see from where you can catch a bus and/ or train to the airport (and I guess the city) easily. That will narrow down your areas for you. It will also give you a good idea of the costs.

Then use real estate and Domain.com (as anj suggested) and narrow your search via number of rooms and cost. It is a reasonable way to search but I found it frustrating that I couldn't specify things like a garden/ balcony, gas, heating etc. like a lot of UK websites. Essentially you have to look into every property.

They are unfurnished, unless specified! Which fooled me as they are often furnished in the pictures and we wanted unfurnished. You can pay anywhere from $350 to as many thousands as you can imagine to live in a radius of about 20mins bus journey of the city. I pay $500 for a two bed in Mosman (Norht Shore), with two balconies. Gas and electric are extra and expect to supply your own fridge and washing machine in most places (unless furnished of course) but these can be rented.

Something else to enquire of your employer is whether you are getting a Living Away From Home Allowance (LAHFA) which will help as it makes your rent payments non tax deductable (there is another thread about this on the forum, worth finding). This will allow you to stretch your funds a bit.

Be prepared to fight for properties, you can't just do it online - you have to physically show up and if you want something prepare to have all your paperwork together within 24 hours. Or it will be gone. We built a good relationship with a local real estate company and that worked out well for us.

Good luck and prepare for some stress!

anj1976 · #6 (**permalink**) 22nd August 2008, 04:12 AM

From what I heard / read, these real estate sites are not as good as meeting the real estate agents personally.. what they show in the photos in the sites is not always what exists in reality.. I guess to have an idea about the rental one can look into the sites but agents are much cheaper than the site rentals.. is it true gail?

Gail · #7 (**permalink**) 22nd August 2008, 01:23 PM

Well, yes and no.

Re the pictures they can be hideously misleading - I guess the taking of photos to make apprtments look big, nice, sunny is an art form - you definately have to visit each one. We visited one which had big chunks of dog pooh on the floor - and that wasn't in the photo! Lol.

Basically all the agents advertise their properties on the main websites (Domain and Real Estate.com being the two biggest) but they usually often also have their own. There is no price difference between the two but their own is usually more up to date. Many times I mailed or called about an advertised appartment only to find it already gone. Don't expect much joy from emails - the phone is the only real way to get answers.