Got the house!!!.. need help with some questions ??

[Butterfly Child]

WOOO got the phone call today! so excited!!

what do i do next im so clueless about everything to do with renting!

she said i go see them tomorrow'at 130 to do the conditions report etc and pick up the keys

i am totally lost as to what the real-estate agent said as i had about 2 hours sleep last nite so i must of sounded like the biggest idiot on the phone! so lost on all rental terminology lol

She said ill have to go in and see cent relink and get paper work done'and that im most likely eligible for bond loan n rent assistance.. but i haven''t got any paperwork from the real estate yet to confirm ?? lost!


Cna some one help my sore tired head understand what to do next.. was thinking of going to see centrelink today or to call?

[Butterfly Child]

i ahve the $1040 bond
and the 2 weeks rent in advance saved.. can i just pay that tomorow?? or wait untill i get centrelink assistance (lol you guys must think im the biggest idiot i have no idea what im doing no one in my family has rented before either lol)

[allycat06]

The bond has to be a cheque or money order I'm pretty sure as it goes to the RTBA (bond authority) not the RE agent (they send it off on your behalf), so it has to be written out to them. If you call c/link they can send you out a rent certificate which you fill out and return to them so they can start adding rent assistance to you payments. You just put the agents details on there and they check it all out.

HTH

[Jas]

You can just pay the bond if you want but with bond loans I am sure you only have to pay the smallest amount...$10 a week or something and seeing as its just money that will be held by the rta for as long as you live there to me I think you would be better off getting the bond loan which is easy to get and having that money to buy things you need for th house or to have as savings for an emergency etc

[MummaSue]

Congratulations on getting the house!!! WOOOO HOOOOOOO!!! XXXXX

[Cupcake]

IMO youre probably better off using your money for the bond if you can afford to, quicker and easier and you get it back when you move out. Plus the less loans you have the better i think, means you have more money each week instead of having to make repayments! You can apply for rent assistance online too if you use clink online, then the RE just signs the form you fill in.

So excited for you!!!!

[~clover~]

Ring the dept housing now. You don't have to get their help, but that is something they do. Once every 12 months they can pay 3 weeks of your 4 weeks bond. Then you pay your other week bond & 2 weeks advance rent. You need to have it sorted before you can get the keys though, so I'd get onto it now & try get an appointment today or first thing tomorrow. If there is no dept housing in your town, they'll do it through a government access centre, or RTA. The forms should be there, you fill most of it out, get the RE to fill a page out, then you'll need a bank statement (I'd use one that doesn't show you have the money there if possible), simple atm slip is ok rather than full statement, centrelink income statement & you're ID.
If you can get into DOH itself you should be able to find out straight away, if you need to go to a government access centre, they'll fax everything, then DOH will ring & speak to you while you're there.

Oh, its not a loan. Because the bond will be refunded to DOH when you move out, they just pay it for you. There is no repayment by you at all.

Its up to you if you use it or not. Rent assistance will be paid to you after you hand your lease agreement into c'link usually with your FTB payments

HTH

[Lulu]

The bond loans were never paid back until you moved out. Then the RE would send it directly back to the Dept of Housing. Maybe it's different between states? In which case I would still get the bond so you can have a 'float' of savings.

[allycat06]

Not sure where you live BC but if you jump onto the department of housing website for your state you'll be able to find info about a bond loan. I think they can usually lend you up to 75% depending on how much your income is. It's an interest free loan, you just return it to them when you move out.

[sweetgloss]

Oooo congratulations very exciting!!

There is one thing I wish someone had of told us - When doing your property condition report, go over everything with a fine tooth comb!! VERY important, dont rush it will take a few hours. Also take your own pictures of any damage/scratches etc.
You are liable for any damage not listed on the property report. So every small mark on the wall, small stain on the carpet, list it all. When doing the property report the Realestate Agent may just breeze through it, writing "good condition" here and there not looking properly. We found out our RE Agent did our property report when the power was still off, so no lights on :O

GoodLuck! x x

[PumpkinZulu]

The bond loans were never paid back until you moved out. Then the RE would send it directly back to the Dept of Housing. Maybe it's different between states? In which case I would still get the bond so you can have a 'float' of savings.

Yep, that's how it worked for us. We got the Bond Cheque from DoH, gave it to the RE, they'll give it back at the end of our tenancy so long as the do not need to take any money out for damages etc...in which case we'd be paying back the DoH. I agree with Lu, get the cheque and keep that $$ as a little cushion for whatever might come up

[luna moth]

OMG!!! Congratulations! I don't know about bond loans or rent assistance, sorry. But I do think hanging on to a savings float is a pretty good idea.

On property reports, make sure you get a copy and you agree with everything on it. On ours for the current place, there is no room to write extra stuff, the RE went into so much detail. But it's an old and shabby place. Anyway, sometimes you can ask to come in and do the property report a week or so after you have the keys. I know that living here, it was 2 months before I noticed a hole in one of the windows. One other dodge-o real estate let us keep the property report (sole copy) for two years! It was like a guaranteed bond back, so we didn't remind them

Put the word out among family and friends etc that you're moving out - see what hand-me-down items you can get. Start out with a bit of second hand stuff, then you can update bit by bit down the track, so that you don't have a big outlay on "stuff" at the beginning. (I'm already mentally running through what I have!)

BC's in NSW, for reference.

[~clover~]

- The Share Housing Survival Guide - a bit more info. I know you're not sharing, but that explains how it works

you don't touch the money from DOH in NSW at all. They ring or fax the RE & let them know you've been approved, then they send the money to the bond board for you.
I've used it quite a few times myself & that savings would be good to hold onto.

[human bean]

Can't help with the Q sorry, but did want to say a huge congratulations woohoo!

[BlackCat]

On the ingoing inspection report (usually accompanied by photos now days) make sure you agree with everything and if you dont then make sure you note it down. I once had a 12 page 11pt writing attachment to a report for a house i rented, it was just that bad... It will help you if you have to dispute anything on leaving. Also take your own photos of the house if you can with a date stamp that way you aso have photo evidence should anything come up at the end of the tenancy.

And YAY!