Jen_PFR

Hi Shiela, and welcome to the forum!

You didn't say what age you all are but you sound like you're about mid-20s, no kids? Scarborough probably fits the bill in terms of things to do after work & on weekends, and it's definitely near the beach! It's also one of the beachside suburbs that's closer to the city, a key area for jobs. (It probably takes about half an hour by bus trip to get from Scarborough into town or Northbridge.)

Anyhow I'm sure others will be along with other suggestions as well. You'll also find when you get here that you'll get an idea fairly quickly of where you'd like to be I suspect.

Jen

Corals, what's the market like in the UK for renting at the moment? Could you maybe rent it out (even fully furnished, which will give you a higher weekly rent) instead of selling?

Hi G! Yes that's us It is expensive relative to unfurnished properties but we tend to rent on a short term basis only, when people have just come over and are getting settled with longer term plans, either renting or buying their own place. The weekly rate does include all costs incl. utilities, etc, and the properties are all completely set up with furniture, linen, crockery/cutlery etc. Happy to help out if you do need accommodation, feel free to PM me or email if you have any questions

Jen

Welcome to the forum guys! Feel free to ask any questions, we're all friendly here (I only bite when I haven't had my coffee for the day )

Jen

I second Arwen's statement - please do bring winter clothes, otherwise you'll freeze!! Houses in Perth have very ordinary weatherproofing and the nights can easily get down to 1 or 2 degrees C. I've woken up to the house being 12 degrees before!!

Hi Geordie Lass, and welcome to PerthPoms!

Just one thing to keep in mind - if you live in Mandurah and go to UWA you will have a LOOOONG commute to uni. Driving, probably an hour plus each way - public transport, closer to two hours one way, by the time you include getting to and from train and/or bus stations.

Hang in there, you'll be coming over at the very best time of year so you'll have a beautiful welcome to Perth, if nothing else!

Ooooh City Beach is very nice - one of Perth's old established suburbs which is quite pricey to live in, whether you rent or buy.

Scarborough is also nice, a bit further up the coast and still quite expensive. If you're in either of these then you're doing okay!

Try having a look on www.realestate.com.au and put in the suburb for costing of rentals and places for sale.

Hi destinationperth, you might want to try www.focusedrecruitment.com.au or www.hays.com.au for jobs. The odds are good you'll end up in either the city or in the inner city suburbs with your job. If you're only looking for one bedroom, you could try sharing accommodation - maybe have a look at Gumtree's shared accommodation section: http://perth.gumtree.com.au/

Jayboy, you're right in that trying to get permanent accommodation from overseas is nigh on impossible. Go for a holiday let, they can be flexible as well if there are delays in the arrival of your shipment (which seems to happen on a regular basis unfortunately!). Storage is definitely available also - try these websites http://www.koalastorage.com.au/ http://www.welshpoolselfstorage.com.au/ http://www.aaastorage.com.au/

It's important to get in touch with the companies though, as the demand for storage is way higher than supply, so they may not have any available.

Finding a holiday let in Nedlands will be difficult. However the public transport to Nedlands is excellent, as the University of WA is there, so buses etc run regularly. If you're reasonably close to Perth city then she shouldn't have any problems. Even easier if you're planning on getting a car fairly quickly.

How close do you want to be to the beach and the CBD? By this I mean, in terms of public transport, how long do you want to have to travel (in minutes)?

The reason I ask is because a lot of short term rentals that are close to a beach are a fair way in terms of travel time from the CBD - when you include walking to the train or bus stop, then walking to your place of work, travel times of 45 minutes plus are fairly normal.

The other thing is, if you're looking for a short term rental at this time of year, you don't necessarily want to be right on the beach as it is pretty cold at the moment, plus the howling winds aren't overly inviting!!

Anyhow if you can give some idea of your desired travel times, we'll all have a better idea of what you're looking for and might be able to assist

The other thing that can be handy is if you rent a fully furnished place first, and ask if you can put the owner or property manager's name and phone number forward for a reference. Agents like this, as it's someone local they can call to ask if you pay rent on time, leave the property neat & clean, etc. We've done this for heaps of the people who have stayed in our properties and it always surprises me how often we get called.

Hi Tammy! The bond (four weeks' rent) is a separate matter to the rent. In WA you need to provide the first fortnight's rent to move in. So this is a total of six weeks' rent - the four weeks' rent which is your bond, and the first two weeks' rent. If your property is left neat and clean with no damages at the end of your lease, you should get the bond back in full.

Here's the relevant website for more info:-

http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/ConsumerProtection/Content/Property_renting/index.htm

Congrats MW on the job! I can't comment on the salary however but I'm sure someone on the board will be able to.

In terms of renting, how many in your family? Are you looking to be close to the beach/city/hills/other? If you give some details we'll be able to help you better

Hi Ian, and welcome to PerthPoms

we have two bedroom apartments which may be of interest to you - just click on the link in my signature to go to our website.

Regards

Jen

For very special occasions, Jackson's is beautiful (http://www.jacksonsrestaurant.com.au/).

For fantastic pizzas (including gluten free!) north of the river, we like Bbar Cafe in Gwelup (near Karrinyup) http://www.bbar.com.au/

Hi Shelly and Minkycat - welcome to the site! PP members are very friendly and I'm sure that you'll get into the swing of things soon

Jen

We really like Rick Hart Seconds in Osborne Park - this is for stock that maybe has a scratch on its side, or just doesn't come with a box! RH 2nds is usually our first port of call.

The Good Guys is good as well - if you do some searching and find the lowest price on an item (and can prove it, eg. direct them to the website etc showing the price) they will match it or go lower. TGG is also located in Osborne Park (well, the one we go to anyhow).

Hi Fellbell!

I agree with what Tracey has said upthread - two weeks is highly unlikely to be long enough. We often get people book their initial stay with us for six weeks, then have to extend for a couple of weeks or longer as they haven't been able to secure a property.

Also something to consider - do ask the people who manage your holiday let to give you a reference. We do this often for our tenants and it's amazing how many real estate agents call to ask if the rent is paid on time, has the property been looked after, etc etc.

Regards

Jen

Hi Steven,

You could try having a look at www.perthvacationrentals.com, which has a couple of 4x2 properties located in Clarkson. www.perthfullyfurnished.com also has a couple of properties available in Kallaroo and Beldon which sleep 5, so maybe also try that website.

Hi Steven, how much are you looking to pay? If you give an indication of what your price range is, people will be able to make suggestions that may be of use to you.

Edit: Oops, and how many people are coming over.... for example, if it's you, the other half and six kids, the suggestions will be very different than if it's just you and the other half!

Bring your uggs! Perth homes don't have central heating or double glazed windows, so while the winters are milder than the UK, the poor energy conservation makes a big difference in terms of how warm they stay. It can easily get to around 14 degrees celsius inside a house overnight, which doesn't sound too bad, but try getting up into chilly air at 6am to go to work - not nice!!

Hi n00dlz, you could also try a mob called Trilogy, they're based in West Perth and provide a significant amount of contractors to state government departments. My OH used to work there and we can recommend them as employers.

Regards

Jen

Hi all! Time for me to introduce myself - good idea Ali!

My other half and I are both West Australians by birth, but we have a number of two-bedroom completely furnished apartments which we rent out. For more info there's a link in my signature We've been renting out our properties for about four years now and have found over that time that we get a lot of people who have come over from the UK (and also Ireland).

We don't have kids so can't help much with discussions about schools, but we're both happy to talk about other stuff we might have local knowledge about.

It's fantastic to see all the new members, especially given the relatively large amount of people who are PIO members! Welcome to the recent additions to the PerthPoms family

Regards

Jen

Unfortunately, the short answer is - no. WA agents don't appear to rent to people unless they've actually seen the house. (This is also when you actually get the application form etc to apply for it.)

The other issue is that properties may look fantastic on the internet, but when you see them in real life they can be pretty down at heel.