mGa KuRo-KuRo Ni Ka UrO

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Flat/Apartment Search Part 2

In part 1, I concentrated more in the discussion of whether to live in a city apartment or a flat in the suburb. Should you decide to live in a suburb, may maliit na problema lang. How would you know which suburb is better as far as commuting, schools, and security is concerned? This is where you will need the advice of someone who has lived in NZ. And even with that, there is no straight answer. Depending on who you talked to you may get a different answer.

Someone who hasn’t lived in Northshore, Auckland may advise you not to live there because of the traffic. But I and lots of Pinoys live in the Northshore and drive to the CBD to work everyday and I find the traffic there no worse or better than the traffic to and from South and West Auckland. Some might say avoid South Auckland because the crime rate there is high. Relative to the rest of Auckland, that’s true. But compared to our country, it's nothing. Besides rent and the cost of food and commodities there is cheaper.

To be safe, my advice to new migrants who decide to live in a suburb is to find a flat not too far from the CBD. Perhaps 15 kilometers from the CBD at the most. And if ever you enter into a tenancy contract, sign for 6 months only. This way, you’re not tied to the place for a long period should you find the suburb not to your liking.

When is the best time to start looking for a flat/apartment? Start searching for a flat 2 to 3 weeks before your arrival. Searching for a flat more than 3 weeks in advance is a waste of time, unless you are willing to commence a tenancy contract way in advance of your arrival date in NZ. Normally kasi kapag inadvertise ang flat, it is either vacant or would become vacant in a few days. Kung and dating mo sa NZ is 2 months pa, hindi naman i-re-reserba sa iyo ang flat nung may-ari kung meron siyang makikitang ibang tenants na willing nang lumipat. Otherwise, matatalo sila dahil may time na vacant ang flat at hindi kumikita.

Once you found a flat, how much money do you need pay up front upon signing a contract? Ang normal na arrangement sa landlord is 2 weeks + 2 weeks. Ibig sabihin nito, 2 weeks rent advance at 2 weeks bond. Which means kung ang rent is $300 per week, you’ll need to pay $1200 to the landlord before he hands you the keys to the flat. Yung bond, refundable yon or part of it later kapag umalis ka na sa flat. Yung ibang landlord, may mga property managers, who will also charge 1 week as a letting fee. Bayad yun sa property manager for his services ng paghahanap ng tenant. It would be better to find a flat/apartment na walang property manager para di ka na kailangan magbayad ng letting fee. Sayang din yon.

How do you go about reserving a flat para naman pagdating mo at ng iyong pamilya may matitirhan na kayo? It’s not easy if you are not in NZ. Landlords would prefer dealing with someone they can talk to in person. Kung wala ka pa sa NZ, hesitant silang makipag-deal sa iyo. Mas madali kung may kaibigan ka o kamag-anak na siyang mag-rerepresent sa yo sa pakikipagusap sa landlord. Kung wala kang kamag-anak o kaibigan, ano ang pwede mong gawin? Kontakin mo si “Pinoy Kiwi Brother”. Next post ipapakilala ko si Pinoy Kiwi Brother. Abangan.

15 Comments:

  • Hi KU,

    Yeheey!!! una ako!!!=) Nice post KU. Very informative talaga ang mga posts mo. I find it very useful and since my WTR visa was approved already, my next move is to find a place to stay. I'm planning to fly to NZ early next year na po. I've printed all your tips and compiled them for my reference.=) Maraming salamat po for selflessly sharing your knowledge and experiences sa amin. As for my blog... Hmmmm... shy pa po ako eh.=(

    Mabuhay po kayo KU!=)

    -Jack

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:06 PM, December 15, 2005  

  • KU!!! :) Aliw na aliw talaga ako sa mga guides mo. Informative pero hindi boring basahin, at may sangkap pa minsan na personal experience. Kahit di kami sa Auckland, binasa ko pa rin ang parts 1 and 2...at inaabangan ko din ang next one tungkol kay Pinoy Kiwi Brother :)

    By Blogger Sassafras, at 3:44 PM, December 15, 2005  

  • jack at lucie,
    may pinost akong advert sa Pinoyz2nz na 1 BR flat sa auckland na mababakente sa 13 jan. $140 lang per week at nakita ko na. mukha naman disente. pero suitable lang for 1 to 2 persons. email nyo ako if you're interested.

    sassafras,
    thanks. huwag mo nang abangan si Pinoy Kiwi Brother. di mo na kailangan. ok na si hubby mo sa welli.

    By Blogger Ka Uro, at 3:52 PM, December 15, 2005  

  • ok pala jan KU! 2 weeks rent advance + 2 weeks bond.

    pde rin bang mag-rent ng flat ang visitors? katulad kong kuripot, mas makakamura ba ako sa flat o sa hotel o meron kaya jang mga hostels/transient?

    sana mag-feature ka rin for visitors.

    By Blogger Mmy-Lei, at 5:39 PM, December 15, 2005  

  • Hi KU :=)

    gus2 ko ikaw na lang Pinoy Kiwi Brother ko para always available pag andyan na ko.

    Mabuhay!

    Gilbert
    Al Khobar, KSA

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:45 AM, December 16, 2005  

  • mmy lei,
    marami din hostels at apartments sa city na pwedeng 1 to 2 weeks lang. mataas ng konti pero mas mura pa rin kesa mag-hotel ka. pero kung gusto mo talagang maka-mura may isang bakante akong kwarto. good for 1 to 2 persons nga lang. may libreng breakfast, lunch at dinner at tourist guide pa.

    gilbert,
    walang problema. basta pagdala mo ako nung alak na ginagawa niyo diyan. ano ba yon? sadike ba? tama ba spelling?

    By Blogger Ka Uro, at 10:51 AM, December 16, 2005  

  • pwede ba ako ku jan sa bakante mong kuwarto? gusto ko may driver at buddy ring kasama sa pagliwaliw diyan sa palibot libot. dadala naman ako ng maraming pelikula ni sharon at ni aga muhlach para hindi mag-alburuto si jean.pati yelong galing sa qtown na kinaskas pa sa bundok parang makapag-halohalo tayo katerno ng ensaymada special ng mrs mo.

    By Blogger RAY, at 5:13 PM, December 16, 2005  

  • KU,
    musta na po kayo :)
    matagal tagal na d ako bumisita sa blog nyo..
    wellington kse ang destination ko and ng fiance ko, maitanong ko lng po baka may bahay bakasyunan kyo sa wellington (nax!) at may bakanteng room na pwede paupahan :)

    -nzhopeful

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:52 PM, December 16, 2005  

  • ang bilis palang maghanap ng flat dyan. very informative...hehe, pag lumipat pala kami dyan, i just have to browse your site for infos.

    By Blogger Analyse, at 3:24 AM, December 17, 2005  

  • KU,

    Mafi muskila(no problem), gus2 mo ung nakalagay sa pepsi in can? Yap, sadiki or sadike..parehas lang un. D ako umiinom nun kac ang bigat sa ulo kina umagahan at pag nag burp ka amoy mo parin..

    -Gilbert@ksa

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:06 AM, December 18, 2005  

  • Galing naman ng pinoy kiwi brother na yan :) sino kaya sya..IKAW ba KU :)
    galing ng post mo, napakalaking tulong talaga.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:36 AM, December 18, 2005  

  • Nice site!
    [url=http://ninfilmv.com/qpni/uezs.html]My homepage[/url] | [url=http://gijnvehv.com/zovh/ecvw.html]Cool site[/url]

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:23 AM, September 17, 2006  

  • Great work!
    http://ninfilmv.com/qpni/uezs.html | http://sfbgqejw.com/wvkc/voml.html

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:23 AM, September 17, 2006  

  • i need po a flat since i will be going to auckalnd this first week of november.. wla po ako kakilala-thnx belle

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:25 PM, September 29, 2010  

  • belle, belle, try mo maghanap sa trademe.co.nz, or sumali ka sa AKLnzPINOYS (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AKLnzPINOYS), madalas may mga nag-aadvertise doon ng mga room for rent

    By Blogger Ka Uro, at 8:03 AM, September 30, 2010  

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