matthandy

Very topical thread for me having just moved over about 6 weeks ago.

oscietra gives some good tips. I used the apartment service to arrange accomodation while I was looking for somewhere more permanent. However, watch out with them as they require 7 days notice to change/cancel your booking so you may end up paying for two places if you don't work things out properly.

On renting, it's VERY difficult! Being an immigrant, you will have no rental history here. That puts you at the bottom of a very large pile. Renting here works like this:

1. Check out domain.com.au and realestate.com.au for properties that you are interested in
2. Most estate agents WON'T give you a private viewing, unless you are talking about spending large sums of money or are dealing with an agent that tends to deal with more corporate clients (I can recommend someone as I was also in this situation, drop me a PM). It really isn't worth entering into a conversation with them because most will simply push you towards the open inspection, they are simply not interested as the market is so active.
3. Viewings normally take place on a Saturday morning, be early, you only get 15 minutes
4. If there are properties that you really like prior to the viewing, try to download the applications forms in advance from the agent's website and fill this in prior to the viewing so that if you like it, you can hand everything in straight away. You will need a copy of your passport and visa information, driving licence, payslip or contract, bank statements etc
5. Once you have viewed a property submit the application to the agent there and then or head down to their office straight away, you may need to pay a holding deposit (normally a week's rent)
   TIP - Applying for a property is not on a first come first served basis, so take your time at the viewing, don't feel as though you have to be the first to approach the agent
6. Once the applications are in, they are collated and the landlord decides which one he likes best (there is nothing more that you can do at this stage)
7. If you are successful expect to pay about 4 weeks rent as a security bond plus 4 weeks rent up front before you can move in

I was almost tearing my hair out trying to find somewhere to live. I viewed about 25 properties over 4 weeks and applied for 4, all were rejected due to lack of rental history, something completely out of my control. Very frustrating. I eventually met an agent who mostly dealt with professionals migrating from Europe and understood the issue of rental history and was able to look past it.

Other tips, sometimes, if a property is really popular, people will add extra to the rent to try and secure it, sometimes as much as $50 a week. They also might offer to pay 2 months up front rather than the standard 1 month.

Removals - I used Anglo-Pacific for removals. Can't recommend them I'm afraid. They sat on my stuff for a month before loading it on to the ship and it was difficult to get progress updates. My stuff is on a boat somewhere between Singapore and Sydney at the moment. It remains to be seen if it arrives safely!

I would go with one of the more well known companies.

Banking - I signed up to Westpac as this is the company that my employer banks with. The process was very easy. After 30 minutes I have a checking account, savings account and credit card.

One thing that no-one seems to be able to explain to me though is the stupid 'cheque', 'credit', or 'savings' option that you get asked everytime you buy something with your debit card. No-one can give me a precise answer as to what to use when and sometimes not all of the options come up. Very confusing.

I use Moneycorp to transfer money back and forth as it works out cheaper than using the bank rates, but it is slower, taking about 5 days end to end.

Cars - Very expensive here, especially European cars. In the UK I had an Audi TT which cost about £30k. That same car over here is closer to $80k which at the current exchange rate is £49k so brace yourself. Insurance is also high over here and you will be penalised (excess wise) for having no history and a foreign licence (although that is not unexpected to be fair).

LAFHA - Living Away from Home Allowance is a very lucrative tax benefit which allows you to write off your living costs against your tax. For example, if you rent is $700 a week, you simply reduce your taxable salary by that amount, meaning that you pay a lot less tax. However this only applies if you are here temporarily (temporary visa such as 457) and intend to return after your visa expires.
You'll need to speak with your employer as this benefit is paid through payroll. You'll also need to speak to an accountant about your personal situation so that the correct calculations can be made.

Medical - Check the conditions of your visa. Most visas require medical cover. Australia has a reciprocal agreement for UK citizens called Medicare (like the NHS, but not quite as everything isn't free). Check to see what your requirements are as you may need to take out private cover also.

Bring with you - You can get most things here that you can in the UK but if you are a particular fan of any food items I suggest that you bring them. You simply cannot get prawn cocktail crisps here, as one example! You will find Cadbury's chocolate (and it tastes the same), hob-nobs, decent tea bags etc.

If you want to know anything else, drop me a PM.

Enjoy, you've picked a good time to come over, the height of summer, expect a bit of a shock as you step out of the airport terminal.