# Advice Needed - Regarding Sydney Suburbs - Rental Accomodation for a Pakistani Family



## cutehailian (Feb 27, 2013)

We recently got PR. We are in the process of searching for a suitable accomdoation in the suburbs of Sydney ( as CBD seems to be out of our budget range- Our budget range is as little as possible).... we are planning to move in the 3rd or 4th week of september 2013.

I have searched various threads on this forum but could not find the specific information that I require although there were quite a few suggestions.

I ll be grateful if any of the senior members could advise me about which particular area should be chosen by a Pakistani couple with two kids particularly in the initial phase of settlement.

1- Ideally we require a suburb with lowest Rental cost (irrespective of the distance from Sydney but certainly the lesser the better) in the relatively safer areas....with some options for schooling of my 4 years old daughter.

2- Please also advise me if we should go for 1 bed room apartment or 2 bed rooms apartment. Is there any legal requirement to have minimum sqf area for each member of the family? We can manage to live in one bed room unit quite easily otherwise. 

3- what would be the cost of 1 bed room unit with independent kitchen and washroom and similary 2 bed room unit in that suburb?

4-Is there any forum of Pakistani Immigrants in Sydney/nsw where I can seek information from or get in touch with other Pakistanis. 

Looking forward to receive some positive responses and thanking you in advance.


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## nuked (Jan 7, 2013)

cutehailian said:


> We recently got PR. We are in the process of searching for a suitable accomdoation in the suburbs of Sydney ( as CBD seems to be out of our budget range- Our budget range is as little as possible).... we are planning to move in the 3rd or 4th week of september 2013.
> 
> I have searched various threads on this forum but could not find the specific information that I require although there were quite a few suggestions.
> 
> ...


Did you try gumtree to find some reasonable accommodations? Try to email/call those landlords to discuss your situation.

regards


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## cutehailian (Feb 27, 2013)

nuked said:


> Did you try gumtree to find some reasonable accommodations? Try to email/call those landlords to discuss your situation.
> 
> regards


Yes I have tried to search through Gumtree. But dat website doesnt seem to be very helpful for the kind of information I have requested...

Once I get all that information, only den I would be able to search for a specific area with a specific house size etc.


Thanks a lot for your response.


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

cutehailian said:


> Yes I have tried to search through Gumtree. But dat website doesnt seem to be very helpful for the kind of information I have requested...
> 
> Once I get all that information, only den I would be able to search for a specific area with a specific house size etc.
> 
> Thanks a lot for your response.


You can't contact people on Gumtree if you are overseas. The site only accepts emails from computers that are physically in Australia.

Try Airbnb for short term then search when you land.


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## espresso (Nov 2, 2012)

Hi cutehailian, 

do you want to come over together? Personally I am all for moving as a family unit but it might be very stressful until you can secure an apartment. Plus, if you are on the job hunt staying closer to the CBD or at least along the train routes can be beneficial initially. If you are really strapped for cash I'd suggest to move on your own (for the first month or two), move into a shared apartment or hostel room, secure a job, get to know the suburbs and secure an apartment in an area that appeals to you. Then bring over your family. We moved over together as a couple but we have no children and had enough savings to pay the higher CBD rent (2,400AUD per month for 1 bedroom, two bathrooms, two balconies and pool). 

In most residential tenancy agreements there is a limit on the number of people that can share a flat. Owners can set a maximum headcount based on the number of rooms and floor space. A limit of two adults per bedroom is common. Since your kids are very young, you might get away with sharing a bedroom. 

AirBnB is fairly expensive if you plan to come over on your own. I feel that they offer the best value for couples, because you often get the guest room and pay a fixed amount for the room. You will find a smaller amount of offers for a family of four. That said, we used AirBnB as well (two subsequent stays for 2 weeks and 1 week) and were very pleased with the arrangements. Much cheaper than a hotel and comparable to renting a cheap (private) hostel room. In hostels you pay per person, so that can become expensive too in Sydney. Plus, shared dorm rooms are not exactly the most comfortable environment, especially if you want to bring your kids. 

A few previous posts on the subject: 
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/au...where-live-sydney-short-time.html#post1247519
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/au...ccomodation-sydney-need-help.html#post1230128
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/au...iving-australia/154569-where-live-sydney.html
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/au...ng-australia/156370-accommodation-sydney.html

Good luck!
Monika


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## cutehailian (Feb 27, 2013)

Thanks a lot Monika for your such a detailed response. Unfortunately due to family reasons, I dont have an option to come first all by myself and then bring the family along. This certainly would have been ideal.

I am happy to hear that you are also from Austria, I lived in Innsbruck Austria for years and have visited nearly all major cities, salzburg, vienna, linz graz etc durying my stay there. IN fact I did my Phd from University of Innsbruck.

For how long you are in sydney? what do you think could be the cost per week through that Airbnb option for our family ( a couple with two kids ...4 years and 2 years old respectively)?

Which suburb you are living in presently, and if you have to suggest a single suburb, which suburb it would be. I ll try to find someone in sydney who can be of some help to me in searching for accomodation.

Thanking you a lot once again...

Mit freundlich grussen.

Saeed


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## drshk (Jun 9, 2013)

Hi, many congrats on your PR and the move to Sydney. I hope I can help a bit, pls find my responses below in bold.



cutehailian said:


> We recently got PR. We are in the process of searching for a suitable accomdoation in the suburbs of Sydney ( as CBD seems to be out of our budget range- Our budget range is as little as possible).... we are planning to move in the 3rd or 4th week of september 2013.
> 
> I have searched various threads on this forum but could not find the specific information that I require although there were quite a few suggestions.
> 
> ...


*All the best!!*


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## espresso (Nov 2, 2012)

Hi cutehailian, 

try to negotiate if you are staying for a week or longer. We told prospective AirBnB hosts that we would like to spend 500-550AUD per week tops and both offered reduced rates. If you stay longer they don't have to clean the bathroom / bed sheets that often, so it is more comfortable for them as well. 

All the best, 
Monika


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## Cyima (May 31, 2013)

Salam cutehailian,

First of all congratulations on your immigration. Most of the new immigrant from south east asia start from Auburn or Lakemba... however these suburb are no where safe.. specially with families... but for starters you can have community support as there are lots of desis around and you even might to hear your language once in a while on the street which definitely feels good.  .. and if you are careful .. these suburbs are not really bad after all... but if you are still concerned.. try to look at the suburbs around them...like Greenacre, Wiley park around Lakemba and Berala, Lidcombe around Auburn. You can even choose to bit even further out in west like parramatta, seven hills, baulkham hills, rooty hill for cheaper accommodation. If your kids are small, I think you can manage in one room..for short period of time, i don't think it would cause any problems provided how cheap you want to go for the accommodation. I don't know how the accommodation will work out for you as rental market is quite competitive these days... and no property stays in the market for too long. but if you manage to cut the deal with the land lord.. you are lucky!! Just remembered... you can even try blacktown suburb .. if you are not too picky...cheaper accommodation as compared to other suburbs. 

I hope I didn't confuse you too much.. let me know if you have any more queries or issues...


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## cutehailian (Feb 27, 2013)

Thanks for sparing your valuable time Cyima.
if you could recommend the top three areas (based on two factors Cheap in price and Safe for asian families) as 1, 2, 3rd preference that will help me a lot.
Please also tell me something about the granny flat... how it is different from other flats n whether or not u ll recommend it for a person with needs similar to mine.

Thanks and regards


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## Cyima (May 31, 2013)

Basically its not like if you are asian or with desi background everyone is running after you with a knife... so you could live any where and be safe... but there are some suburbs with high crime rate... lakemba and auburn are the most popular areas for desis and asians.. but the consequences are high crime rate.... blacktown, granville or bankstown is relatively better then the above two... but they do have high crime rate. if you can go off the beaten path, Lidcombe is pretty good..greenacre could be another better bet.. Granny flat is basically like a one/two room house in some else's backyard.. if you have no issues with sharing someone else's backyard... they could be pretty cheap and who knows you might have a good neighbour.. cons: you might not like landlard/landlady or their habits( Too close for comfort??) , You might not like sharing as much as you think you do?... but it all boils down to what you like... Good Luck!


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## cdpothen (Aug 4, 2012)

Hi Cutehailian,

I am not from Sydney but thought I'd add some perspective.

Your factors for Cheap in price and Safe for families are unfortunately two factors which pull in different directions. From what I have observed, this is what happens. Some crimes happen in some suburbs. Then the local Australians with families tend to move out. Then the landlords find it difficult to lease at high rents. They lower their rents and then Asian families move in because of cheaper rents regardless of crime rate. So most communities like Indians and Pakistanis are congregated around lower rent/high crime areas. But you must bear in mind that these higher crime areas are not like Cyima said places where people are coming after with you always with guns or placing bombs. Most high crime areas are more safer than other major cities like New York or Chicago where a high crime area means there's a much higher chance you are really in danger. 

Another factor is that things can change all the time. A high crime rate may suddenly fall or a place with no crimes can suddenly have a lot of crime happening. So its a risk you have to take and you will get a better idea when you are here so you can take a final decision which place is suitable for your family.


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## grevolution (Apr 19, 2014)

Hi cutehailian, 

How are you? Where did you end up staying? I just came to Sydney last week with Wife and a 2 month old . We are having same problem of finding a suitable 1bed or 2bed apartment in a suburb that is safe, within range and has pakistani groceries near by. 

Can you please share. thanks. 

--
Regards, 

SHAN UL HAQ


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## akashif (Aug 28, 2013)

*Hi cutehailian & grevolution*

this is an old thread but with useful information. So where did you both ended up staying? We are a couple with 2 kids moving next month so having the same questions as you people had... any advices ?

TIA


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## SamSyd (Mar 19, 2014)

Hi akashif,

Where did you end up staying and are well settled now with a job? We are a couple planning to move in Dec 2015 inshaAllah. Can you please PM me so we may connect for future reference? I don't seem to have the option to PM you.

Thanks in advance and looking for your response.


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## Mikail_Zubair (Nov 27, 2016)

Pretty useful info here. Where did you guys end up staying?


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