Although we had pre-arranged accommodation in Wellington for the first month, we almost immediately began the search for a place to stay in the longer-term. We used the Internet to look into a number of options prior to departing the UK, and had decided that renting was the most feasible and the most comfortable proposition. Finding a place thus meant having feet on the ground, and the urgency of success was dictated more by Simone's impending full-time work commitment than anything else. Here we share a few insights into the process of finding a rental property.

Options

The broad options you might consider for longer-term accommodation of course depend on your personal circumstances. They may include:

• House sitting;
• A house swap;
• Renting (discussed below);
• Buying (a realistic option if you plan a long stay, as it can be cheaper to mortgage than rent);
• Boarding (especially for shorter working trips; perhaps a colleague can put you up?).

Renting

It's helpful to have a "wish-list" in mind when making a shortlist of properties to consider; this will eliminate many so that you can concentrate on viewing those with real potential. Adverts will usually contain enough details to allow decisions based on:

• Location (e.g. distance from work, shops, transport, etc.);
• Number of bedrooms (do you want space for an office, guests?);
• Weekly rental (how much are you prepared to pay?);
• Level of furnishing (e.g. fully furnished, white-ware only).

Note: Rental prices don't include GST; GST cannot be charged when letting property as a private dwelling, so what you see is what you pay.

Wander around a neighbourhood that takes your fancy; if you're lucky you might see a "to let" sign and can phone the landlord on the spot (we lost out to someone who did so). Pick up a free copy of the local property press, and buy the Dominion Post. Look for listings on the TradeMe and Quinovic websites or, if you want to go up-market, there's Tommy's.

Bear in mind that fully furnished properties tend to go quick (according to a Property Manager we spoke to). People looking at this option are often temporarily lodged in hotels, motels, or back-packer's and need to move in quickly. Although you will naturally pay a premium for fully-furnished, you need to factor in time spent sourcing appliances, beds, linen, etc., the non-trivial capital outlay, responsibility for ongoing maintenance when things stop working, and the hassle of disposal at the end of your stay.

With this knowledge you're ready to book some appointments and start viewing. Be prepared for some disappointment if your expectations are too high or you get too set on a particular property—choice is limited in Wellington so there will be some competition with other would-be tenants.

Tip: If you're after a 1+ bedroom apartment within walking distance to the CBD and with parking, don't shortlist properties below $450 per week (furnished or not). Unless you like living in caves.

We looked at 6 properties and found an attractive, well-located and fully-furnished flat within our first week in Wellington.

One of these would be ours then

Agreement and bond

As well as signing up to a short list of "special conditions" drafted by the Property Manager (covering the likes of smoking, pets, access, etc.), we completed two forms from the Department of Building and Housing. One of these was a pro forma residential tenancy agreement, approved for use by the Office of the Tenancy Tribunal (download or view here). The second of the forms was a bond lodgment form (also here), used to lodge a bond of 2 weeks rent (up to 4 weeks is allowed) with the independent Tenancy Services Centre. The Centre only accepts cheques, and refunds the bond when the tenancy finishes.

Initiation

We were asked to pay the 1st week in advance to confirm the agreement. In addition we wrote two cheques, one equal to 2 weeks rent as the bond, and the second being the agent's fee relating to the granting of the tenancy ($NZ225). Within days of moving in we wrote a third cheque, this being the balance owing on the first month of rent. We signed an automatic payment mandate to allow our landlord to collect the rent monthly in advance thereafter.

Tip: Arriving in a new country to live involves significant initial costs. Make sure you budget for these (bond, advance rent, insurances, professional registration, etc.) as your first paycheck may not arrive in time.

Termination

A periodic tenancy can be terminated by the tenant (giving 21 days writen notice) or landlord (with 42-90 days written notice, depending on circumstances). We took a fixed term tenancy, which cannot be terminated with notice, but continues until the expiry date.

Services

Water rates or meter readings are not applicable, as Wellingtonians don't pay water rates. So far we can vouch that there is no precipitation shortfall!

In our case the previous tenant had a combined gas and electricity account with one company. Armed with the meter readings and consumer number it was a simple job to phone the same company and register as a new customer. As we did not have a previous NZ residential address Genesis requested a $NZ200 bond, unless we signed up for direct debit (which we did).

A telephone reconnection charge and rental would normally apply, although we initially took a different route.

Note: Many NZ homes are poorly heated. It can get pretty cold, yet central heating and double glazing are uncommon. Even if you come from a "cold country" such as Canada, bring warm clothes and be prepared to sit in front of an electric heater during the winter. We're lucky; our flat has gas central heating.

Contents and personal liability insurance

Tenancy Services produce an information leaflet discussing insurance (T65 06/04). We'll talk about contents insurance and personal (legal) liability insurance in a later post.

Update 13.03.07: The average price for a house in Wellington was $NZ351,868 in January 2007. Details (and comparative figures) here.

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