# How to rent?



## SStoNZ (Feb 19, 2014)

Hello,

we plan to move to auckland within a months time, can some one give me any pointers on how to rent an apartment? as i came to know that many landlords req. references and of course we dont have any. i have 3 kids , 2 children and an infant, we can easily get by in a two bed / one bath , 

so i wanted to know should i approach a real estate agent? or is trade me a better option? also having no ref. and 3 kids, will it be hard to find a good place??

Thanks 4 ur help!!!!


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

SStoNZ said:


> Hello,
> 
> we plan to move to auckland within a months time, can some one give me any pointers on how to rent an apartment? as i came to know that many landlords req. references and of course we dont have any. i have 3 kids , 2 children and an infant, we can easily get by in a two bed / one bath ,
> 
> ...


Tricky to answer, simply because there are a lot of options you could explore.

You are right about the references. One way to address this would be to get something written from the place of employment you are coming to. If they are kiwi, especially, they will know and understand a good word is needed, and will likely be willing to give it. Make sure you get a name and phone number that you can quickly pass on to the rental managers if they show interest in you.
Also, if you have *any* friends or family here at all ... people that have helped you navigate the immigration system, acquaintances you have sought advice from, people you know from visiting ... do not be afraid to ask these people if they would be willing to provide a reference--and get their name and numbers to do so! 

There are different ways to actually "look" for a place, but TradeMe is probably the most common... you should probably also google "property management" and "property managers" in the city you are moving to, and get a list of those to look through as well. Harcourt's, Ray White, etc.

I don't think having the kids will be an issue, but you need to do everything in your power to find someone here in NZ that you have had contact with, to give you a reference. They are basically saying you are a decent person, won't mess up the rental, won't skip out on the rent, etc. Two or three references is generally what is requested. I cannot emphasize enough how important this will be to you getting something decent to live in. Although I'm sure there are landlords willing to forgo the references, I can only imagine what state the rental unit would be in for them not to care or bother to check the renter out. If you literally have NOTHING to give, reference wise (though surely you must since you're moving!), I'd suggest getting something from where you are now, with email AND phone contact information--have friends, family, current bank or landlord write letters of reference attesting to your character--and that state they are happy to speak by email or phone. It is probably better than absolutely nothing. What I have found here is that if you show that you are trying hard, most kiwis are kind and sympathetic, and will give you a chance... but, if you do nothing to show you are trying to work with what you have, they'll pass you over like they don't see you. 

When we moved from our house we sold, to a rental, I typed out an accommodation CV/resume, that gave background history on all the people who would live in the house (husband, myself, kids, cats); I explained what we did and our hobbies--included that I was a California transplant, happy to be in NZ. Added in employment history to show we were stable, employed, and skilled, etc. I ended it with a casual family photo, our contact names and numbers--and the contact names and numbers for our references. 

We handed this in with the 2 rentals we applied for (in the hot Chch market), and both places called us that night to offer their rentals to us. I have 2 other friends who floundered in the rental market for many weeks, looking for a place (that was to their standard). I suggested they give this method a try, and both found places within days of trying it. I don't pretend it's a guarantee, but I definitely think kiwis notice and care when they see you trying to work hard to show you're worthy.

As for the size that will fit your family...most rental contracts are for 1 year, if you find that a 2bedroom isn't working, you'll at least only have to deal with the tight space for a year before you move...
Anyway, food for thought, best of luck!


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## SStoNZ (Feb 19, 2014)

Kimbella said:


> Tricky to answer, simply because there are a lot of options you could explore.
> 
> You are right about the references. One way to address this would be to get something written from the place of employment you are coming to. If they are kiwi, especially, they will know and understand a good word is needed, and will likely be willing to give it. Make sure you get a name and phone number that you can quickly pass on to the rental managers if they show interest in you.
> Also, if you have *any* friends or family here at all ... people that have helped you navigate the immigration system, acquaintances you have sought advice from, people you know from visiting ... do not be afraid to ask these people if they would be willing to provide a reference--and get their name and numbers to do so!
> ...


Thank u kimbella for ur time!!!:yo: the problem is we dont know a single person in nz, currently i am living with my mother (in pakistan) will her ref be good enough for the landlord? i really like the idea of accommodation CV, i will def give it a try!


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## simply me (Sep 17, 2013)

Kimbella said:


> Tricky to answer, simply because there are a lot of options you could explore. You are right about the references. One way to address this would be to get something written from the place of employment you are coming to. If they are kiwi, especially, they will know and understand a good word is needed, and will likely be willing to give it. Make sure you get a name and phone number that you can quickly pass on to the rental managers if they show interest in you. Also, if you have *any* friends or family here at all ... people that have helped you navigate the immigration system, acquaintances you have sought advice from, people you know from visiting ... do not be afraid to ask these people if they would be willing to provide a reference--and get their name and numbers to do so! There are different ways to actually "look" for a place, but TradeMe is probably the most common... you should probably also google "property management" and "property managers" in the city you are moving to, and get a list of those to look through as well. Harcourt's, Ray White, etc. I don't think having the kids will be an issue, but you need to do everything in your power to find someone here in NZ that you have had contact with, to give you a reference. They are basically saying you are a decent person, won't mess up the rental, won't skip out on the rent, etc. Two or three references is generally what is requested. I cannot emphasize enough how important this will be to you getting something decent to live in. Although I'm sure there are landlords willing to forgo the references, I can only imagine what state the rental unit would be in for them not to care or bother to check the renter out. If you literally have NOTHING to give, reference wise (though surely you must since you're moving!), I'd suggest getting something from where you are now, with email AND phone contact information--have friends, family, current bank or landlord write letters of reference attesting to your character--and that state they are happy to speak by email or phone. It is probably better than absolutely nothing. What I have found here is that if you show that you are trying hard, most kiwis are kind and sympathetic, and will give you a chance... but, if you do nothing to show you are trying to work with what you have, they'll pass you over like they don't see you. When we moved from our house we sold, to a rental, I typed out an accommodation CV/resume, that gave background history on all the people who would live in the house (husband, myself, kids, cats); I explained what we did and our hobbies--included that I was a California transplant, happy to be in NZ. Added in employment history to show we were stable, employed, and skilled, etc. I ended it with a casual family photo, our contact names and numbers--and the contact names and numbers for our references. We handed this in with the 2 rentals we applied for (in the hot Chch market), and both places called us that night to offer their rentals to us. I have 2 other friends who floundered in the rental market for many weeks, looking for a place (that was to their standard). I suggested they give this method a try, and both found places within days of trying it. I don't pretend it's a guarantee, but I definitely think kiwis notice and care when they see you trying to work hard to show you're worthy. As for the size that will fit your family...most rental contracts are for 1 year, if you find that a 2bedroom isn't working, you'll at least only have to deal with the tight space for a year before you move... Anyway, food for thought, best of luck!


Loads of good info. I too will not have any refs in NZ but I do in the, UK , USA etc. From employers and personal. I'll start getting those ready just to have them on hand to prevent delay. 

Cheers


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

SStoNZ said:


> Thank u kimbella for ur time!!!:yo: the problem is we dont know a single person in nz, currently i am living with my mother (in pakistan) will her ref be good enough for the landlord? i really like the idea of accommodation CV, i will def give it a try!


I really don't know if a family reference will be good enough.... even here the references required are friends/employers, unrelated to you... you must be moving to a job here? Whatever your Visa status is, I'm assuming you've had some contact with someone here in order to get a Visa... whoever that is, is going to be the most likely beneficial reference... also, friends in your current place of residence, employers, teachers, etc...


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## SStoNZ (Feb 19, 2014)

Kimbella said:


> I really don't know if a family reference will be good enough.... even here the references required are friends/employers, unrelated to you... you must be moving to a job here? Whatever your Visa status is, I'm assuming you've had some contact with someone here in order to get a Visa... whoever that is, is going to be the most likely beneficial reference... also, friends in your current place of residence, employers, teachers, etc...



Actually we are coming on an SMC visa , our whole process was done on self research , we r not yet employed and we dont know anyone in NZ , :/ . will it help if i ask the hotel management to give a ref? (the hotel which we intend to arrive in) i tried typing the cv u recommended but not sure how to begin , if u can give me a template or an example cv that would be great,


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

SStoNZ said:


> Actually we are coming on an SMC visa , our whole process was done on self research , we r not yet employed and we dont know anyone in NZ , :/ . will it help if i ask the hotel management to give a ref? (the hotel which we intend to arrive in) i tried typing the cv u recommended but not sure how to begin , if u can give me a template or an example cv that would be great,


I really don't have any idea whether a reference from the hotel management would suffice. You have to ask yourself, if YOU were a landlord, would that be sufficient for your standards? I would still advise you to get written references from people where you are now, better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them.

I don't have a template or anything like that, other than the guidelines I gave in the original post about a rental CV/resume. I just used the basic format that a resume follows: contact info, background (accommodation history), biographical background, etc. You should be able to easily google a CV or resume template and create a personalized narrative just loosely following the format. Beyond that, I can't really be more specific, as our stories are all different, and thus will look and read differently. Just think of your "life" as a profession, and if you were updating your resume/CV and presenting it to a new "life" employer, what important things would you want in your life CV to showcase what it's been so far? The key would be to make it a *personal* account, like a nice short bio on you, rather than how a dry and sterile resume would read. Think of how people compose their biographies on websites about business and enterprises they run. Many of them have brief summaries about their life origins, what propelled them in life, the things they enjoy doing, what inspires them, etc. 

Hope that helps!


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

SStoNZ said:


> Hello,
> 
> we plan to move to auckland within a months time, can some one give me any pointers on how to rent an apartment? as i came to know that many landlords req. references and of course we dont have any. i have 3 kids , 2 children and an infant, we can easily get by in a two bed / one bath ,
> 
> ...


We must have just been lucky.
When we initially arrived we had pre-booked and paid a deposit for a fully furnished holiday let in Lower Hutt and ended up staying there for 8 weeks. No need for any reference for a holiday let.
Prior to moving out we needed to find an unfurnished rental that would take us and our container of stuff that was due to arrive. We viewed a few and eventually found a near new build that had the builder living in it temporarily.
We viewed it as a family and it was the property owner (builder's son) that took us around. When we mentioned that we were interested he did ask for references, but we explained we couldn't give him any as we had never rented anywhere in NZ before or in the UK for that matter. The only experience we had was a mortgage. He decided to trust his instincts and dispensed with the references and allowed us to rent the house for 18 months. He virtually begged us not to leave in the end. Said we would stay if he dropped the rent drastically, but he just couldn't afford to so that was that.
In another rental now, and in our experience of the two, the decision has come down to how the landlord trusts his or her judgement on the family wanting to rent. Really don't think the info written on the rental application or the reference mattered


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## SStoNZ (Feb 19, 2014)

Many thanks Kimbella, i agree better to have something in hand than nothing at all, 

I hope we get as lucky as u escapedtonz


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

escapedtonz said:


> We must have just been lucky.
> When we initially arrived we had pre-booked and paid a deposit for a fully furnished holiday let in Lower Hutt and ended up staying there for 8 weeks. No need for any reference for a holiday let.
> Prior to moving out we needed to find an unfurnished rental that would take us and our container of stuff that was due to arrive. We viewed a few and eventually found a near new build that had the builder living in it temporarily.
> We viewed it as a family and it was the property owner (builder's son) that took us around. When we mentioned that we were interested he did ask for references, but we explained we couldn't give him any as we had never rented anywhere in NZ before or in the UK for that matter. The only experience we had was a mortgage. He decided to trust his instincts and dispensed with the references and allowed us to rent the house for 18 months. He virtually begged us not to leave in the end. Said we would stay if he dropped the rent drastically, but he just couldn't afford to so that was that.
> In another rental now, and in our experience of the two, the decision has come down to how the landlord trusts his or her judgement on the family wanting to rent. Really don't think the info written on the rental application or the reference mattered


Could've been luck, or timing, or maybe something to do with where you were at, but, in today's market, if you are looking for a place here in Chch, there is a huge demand for homes, and a very small supply. Auckland, it's all about the prices, of course. The OP is also coming over sans job, unlike yourself, and from a non-(primary) English speaking country; non Crown nation... so, I'm going to assume that it might not be quite as easy for he and his family to find a great place right off the top. Hopefully that's not the case, but I'd certainly never want to hold back any info I have that might give an extra nudge to a fellow ex-pat to help them be seen over the rest of the rental crowd! I agree about the "holiday" rental, that could be an option if staying in the hotel is problematic, and a long term rental doesn't come immediately available! Good idea!


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