Amateur Tips on Looking for Roof to Stay

When I first arrived in Brisbane, I was lucky enough to have a friend sub-letting her room while she was on a holiday in Indonesia. Thanks to her, I had no issue in getting a temporary accommodation. However, after a few days I realized that my stay at hers is only for a few weeks, therefore I must start looking for a permanent place.

Again, I considered myself lucky because as an AusAid-sponsored student, you arrived in the country earlier than other students. This happens because AusAid requires the sponsored students to attend an introductory session, which is conducted six weeks prior to the beginning of the new semester. The early arrival is beneficial as you have more time, more available options, yet with less competition :D

For me, nothing is trickier than looking for accommodation, especially when you're new to Australia and have limited network. I didn't know what to do and where to start. However, after an information session, and tens of asking around, I reckon a couple of things that might be useful when looking for accommodation:

1. Know your needs and budget.

These are the crucial ones even before you start looking. Ask yourself: what kind of accommodation do I need? Is it a room, a unit, or a house? Ensuite bathroom, or shared? On-campus or off-campus accommodation? Furnished or unfurnished? And most importantly, set your budget on how much you're willing to pay for the space.  

 For your information, the rent price that is advertised for a property is usually the price per week.

2. Start looking.

Some sources to check on for on-campus and off-campus:

On-campus

If you decided to pick the on-campus, you can check the uni's website, which usually provides detail information. Please note, that the price can be very expensive due to its facility and location that is adjacent to the campus.

For the on-campus colleges at UQ, you can check it here.

Off-campus

Flatmates

This is a great site to look for a room in a shared house or unit. It's also said to be more reliable than Gumtree. You can search by postcode and set the area of search. The website is free to sign up,  but unfortunately the freshly-listed places can only be contacted by people with 'early bird' access, which to get the access, you have to pay $19 for 10 days service [or $29 for 30 days].

Some people give very detail information, accompanied with representative photos, yet some just reveal basic stuff. The best thing to do is to contact and ask them questions. 

UQ Rentals

As a UQ student, this website sits in the second rank of my accommodation sources. Very useful, yet the options are not as much as Flatmates.

PS. An accommodation guide book from UQ rentals is available for download here.

Gumtree

Roughly speaking, Gumtree is like Kaskus in Indonesia. It's a buying and selling network, where you can find not only property but well... everything. Student service officer at UQ strongly emphasized students to be very careful if getting anything from Gumtree.

In my opinion, it's still a good source, but don't make it as your primary.

Realestate

This is vital for those who are looking for unit, apartment, or house. Like Flatmates, you can search by area and postcode. The information is pretty thorough and up-dated.

The website usually lists the agent number, and schedule list to make appointment to do inspection.

3. Book schedule for inspection

Once you're in touch with the landlord/agent, set the date for inspection right away.

Be on time for your inspection. You don't want to let your landlord/agent wait, as you're not the only one who's interested in the property. Besides, if you missed your inspection slot, you might have to make a new appointment.

Some stuff you might want to do when doing the inspection:

• check the location - observe if it's strategically-located and easy-to-travel from facilities such as supermarket, atm, and restaurants. If you're bringing your family, it'd be nice too if the house is located nearby child care, school, park, or playground. Another thing to bear in mind is if it's located nearby the bus/ferry/tram stop. In addition to that, considering the fact that I'm in Brisbane, it's important to check whether the place is located on a sloppy road or not. It becomes a crucial consideration for me, knowing that I'd do groceries shopping often, and if it's on the sloppy angle, then walking to the house while carrying stuff would be more challenging. 
• check the property and ask lots of questions - pay attention to detail, check the condition, the window/air circulation, the power plug location in the room, and if there's lock on the door [often in Australia, door is not equipped with lock]. Check the kitchen, the equipment, the cold/hot water availability, and the internet connection. Ask if the stove is powered by gas or electricity, and how much approximately are the utilities bills. Also ask how many housemates in the house and what they do [a little background will be useful to profile them]. Find out about cleaning roster or house rules. Compare the number of people with the available toilet/bathroom so you know what kind of situation you'll be expecting on daily-basis.  
• ask permission to take photos - might be useful to take a look at these when you're considering the place.
  
• bring a notebook and a pen  - basically to write down your observation. 
• consider the lease length - for long-term stay, it's usually either for 6 months or 1 year. In my case, I intentionally looked for property with a six-month lease because I want to figure out whether I want to live in the area or would prefer somewhere further. My consideration is that this is my first semester at the uni, so I'd just look for a place that's near to make things easier. Yet later on I might want to consider other area as I know the city better and have figured out my learning pace as well. 
• don't rush yourself to make a decision - I usually tell the landlord/agent that I'll think about it first and be in touch with them in a couple of days.  
• have a back-up - so you won't have to start all over again in case your first option is taken.

4. Double check the agreement

When you've found the place, the landlord/agent usually will provide you with agreement. The types of agreement may vary. Some give a self-made basic agreement, some give a tenancy agreement in accordance with local regulation, however some don't even bother to provide agreement. My suggestion is always to have one, as an assurance in case dispute happens. If you're confused on the agreement, consult with friends who are more experienced or ask advice from the student service officer at the campus.

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Hope my amateur tips are practical enough to help you inquiring a new space!

Happy hunting!