Curtin Perth

[uglyduckling 0]

babes..i need those who studied who studying in curtin perth helps...i might be transferring to thr..but i don get enuf info on accomodation and others,pls let me know if u r able to help me !! thanks

[BusyBeez 0]

I'm suppossed to go there in July.. but don't think i'll be going... if you're twinning there, you cna check out wif your college. Normally, there will be those agent's there to help you out. if not, you can try those education council and see if they can help..

[uglyduckling 0]

y u not going?heard any negative thing bout curtin perth??my fren found onli old hostel thru online..n couldnt find any link about off campus hse..then call to perth they said left the old hostel..heard it's quite lousy

[elli* 0]

hi uglyduckling, wat do u need to know abt it..?? there r student housing near curtin.. most students rent rooms or house there. u can always call up the school n ask them abt the accommodation or just email them. i think u should visit their website. hope this helps.

[uglyduckling 0]

curtin website doesnt hav any link bout off campus accomodation.i know other uni provides but not curtin..whr u stdying??

[cheekyboy 0]

for all rental needs, you can search online in a lot of australia's property agent's websites...

note: rental rates in Australia are calculated per week, but you pay your rent monthly... so if for example the advertised rate is AUD90/week, that means your monthly rental is (AUD90 x 52) / 12 = AUD290/month

initial payment is usually 1 month rent in advance + 1 month rent (*refundable security deposit/bond, some agents that specifically rent to students might require up to 4 months bond as added security in lieu of other forms of guarantee)

*refundable comes with conditions - that you return the property exactly the same way you've first rented it, takiing into consideration normal wear and tear. it's sometimes less stressful to rent a not so new looking property than to rent a brand new one cos of the pressure of returning it as new hoever, the opposite is also true - if you rent a run down looking place, it might be difficult to convince them that it was originally already this bad when you want to move out. precaution is to take pics of the place when you first move in and let the agent have a copy of the photos as proof

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PROPERTY WEBSITES

here are a few to start you off for Western Australia (u probably want to select Bentley or Perth or areas / suburbs surrounding CUT:

domain.com.au (online classifieds)

http://www.domain.com.au/Public/SearchResu...nits/Townhouses

property.com.au (online version of classified ads appearing in newspapers covered by the Fairfax Group)

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsear...a&t=ren&snf=rbs

B.W. Backhouse & Associates (property agent)

http://www.bwbackhouse.com.au/cgi-bin/clie...d=918&type=rent

you'll be able to find other property agents' websites and contact details through the above two classifieds sites

i'm not sure what are the requirements in WA these days, but generally, over the years, property agents are wary of international students, so you might be required to provide some or all of the following:

1. a letter from your uni's international students department stating that you're a student there from what date to what date
2. a guarantee letter from you parents (if you're not self-funded) that they agree to foot the bill if you don't pay the rent and disappear
3. your bank statement showing how much money you have in your bank account

some of the requests are unreasonable but then you can opt not to rent from them. not all property agents require the same documents, but most might. also, if you're going to move / change accommodation a lot, don't piss off your current or previous property agent, cos you're required to state where u last rented, and they do carry out checks with your previous agents to determine if you're a good tenant or not.

again, if the area has a lot of international students, chances are they'll be used to handling international students and be more strict, but chances of getting the property is higher. As opposed to suburbs where there are hardly any international students and you have to compete with other Aussies... remember that the landlord assess the risks, between a working aussie and an international student, they will tend to be more confident towards renting their property to someone who has a fixed, stable income and less likely to thrash their place (false sense of security, but some ppl have that kind of mindset).

THINGS TO CONSIDER

• unfurnished/partly furnished/fully furnished - unfurnished properties are cheaper, but you'll have to buy all your own furniture, partly furnished might mean basic whitegoods (fridge/washing machine/dryer/stove) and cupboards are included but you have to provide others, fully furnished means everything you need is there and you don't have to worry about buying or renting furniture. How long you're going to be there will determine whether you want to buy/rent furniture or just go with a fully furnished property
• does the place have communal laundry? very important for unfurnished property, otherwise you might end up having to rent a washing machine and a dryer. Almost all properties i've come across have communal laundry, if not, there are self-serviced, automated laundromarts in the vicinity... again, this will impact on your monthly budget - if the property is fully furnished with washing machine and dryer, you save on laundry bills and the hassle of lugging your laundry to the laundromart every week, eventhough the rent is higher...
• if an unfurnished/partly furnished place is only slightly cheaper than a fully furnished one, it might work out the same or even cheaper to rent a fully furnished one once u factor in the other figures like furniture and whitegoods.
• try not to rent a ground floor unit whenever possible for security reasons. most properties in australia are not gated, and their windows might not have grills. chances of break-ins and people looking in your windows are higher if you're staying on the ground floor... this is just an additional security tip to consider. imagine if you'll like to have the option to keep your window and/or curtains opened... you're not going to feel very safe or have that optioin if you're staying on the ground floor.
• before you sign the tenancy agreement, make sure you go through the content and conditions inspection checklist thoroughly. some agents are not very specific when they do the inspection, but might be extra picky when you want to get your bond back - eg if it says 3 chairs and there's only 2, make sure you note and amend that, if it says 6 sets of fork and spoon and you've only 6 forks but 5 spoons, make sure you note that too... if it says "windows - clean, ok" but there's a crack running down it, make sure you amend that (otherwise you might have to pay for the crack when you move out, cos you've signed the checklist and it didn't say that the window was cracked). check tht the furniture is in sound condition as well - the chairs' legs are not broken, the cupboard doors do not fall off, the shower screen/door can open and close smoothly etc. if you want to be extra careful, take photos (preferable with the date print) of the existing problem conditions, print them and attached them to the checklist (don't forget to keep a copy yourself)
• initial tenancy agreement is usually minimum 12 months, with option to renew. some agents are open to 6 months agreement upon request.
• if you're in a fully furnished place, during the course of of your stay, some things might spoil or malfunction. it is the owner's responsibility to maintain them. things like TV, fridge, washing machine, dryer, stove, heater, furniture, plumbing - if it spoils, call your agent to report it, the landlord will send someone to repair it. of course, if you break the furniture you'll probably have to bear the cost.
• for places that already look worn out when u move in, when you decide to move out, you usually have to clean up the entire place, get someone to steam clean the carpets - either you pay someone to do it, or you do it yourself. If the place is too dirty, it might be better for you to ask the agent how much will it cost to clean the place up and to deduct that from your bond - reason being, some agents can be very mean... imagine you wanna save money by cleaning yourself and you go through a full day or two of cleaning and scrubbing and washing... at the end of the day they tell you that it's not clean enough and they want to deduct your bond to cover getting professionals in to cleaning the place... you've wasted your time and energy and still have your bond deducted. Things to take extra note of are windows, walls, ceilings, carpets, electrical appliances (if it's not working, tell them!!)
• if you feel that your agent and/or landlord is unreasonable, DO NOT LET THEM BULLY YOU!!! Australia has a very fair system and the tenancy laws generally favour the tenants. Bring the matter up to the Tribunal or Office of Fair Trading or whatever it is that they call it in WA... if your case is valid, and you're really being bullied, your chances of winning the case is high. but of course, every reasonable effort should be taken to resolve the issues before bringing the matter to court. It shows your sincerity to resolve the issue, and that you're resorting to the courts because they are being unreasonable.

[Quen^nie 0]

Hmm Anyone else in curtin perth? I was thinking to transfer there. Heard Aussie is quite rascism towards asian. Dont know how true n how bad is their attitude towards asian... hmmm

[cheekyboy 0]

Aussie's are generally not racist towardds Asians... but there are certain part of Aussie where they are more racist than others... Perth was one of the more racist part of Oz when i was there... but that's like... more than 10years ago... the situation might have changed...

places like Melbourne and Sydney... close to 50% of the faces on the streets are probably Asian, so much so you'd think you're in an asian country In Gold Coast (especially Surfer's Paradise) , almost all the shopkeepers there speak Japanese... even the indian salesman speaks japanese ... so, how racist can that be? but then, in rural Queensland however, there are certain parts where they don't welcome asians....

so don't worry about racism in oz... most of the time, you should be fine

[sunny 0]

campus dormitory should have been fully taken up by now.

Guess you need to try your luck with local realty agent. Get in touch with them and see how things can be arranged. For safety reason I would suggest that you get those house with grill and alarm. Break in rate in Bentley is pretty high these days especially with the Aborigines (abo in short) around.

If i can recall correctly, I was not require to produce a guarantee letter from you parents that they agree to foot the bill if you don't pay the rent and disappear.

I only paid for one month security bond and one month advance rental, thats all.

Racism is still happening in Aus but it is not as bad as 10 years ago.

You might encounter professors that doesn't like Asian but no big deal la.

Don't worry as long as you are being nice to people you wouldn't have problem studying there.

[Quen^nie 0]

Any1 else here from Curtin Perth????