Is this rental a good deal? -- "Bent Street Apartments" on 45 York Street

[Guest alert]

Do any of you know if "Bent Street Apartments" on 45 York Street is a good area to stay at. I saw the ad below, does it seem to be a ok deal? Thanks so much for your time.

 

start of ad-------------------------------

-a room in a 3-bedroom apartment for rent "Bent Street Apartments" on 45 York Street.

-fully furnished and clean.

-Rent is 220 per week. 1 year contract starting January 2014. The room has a built in wardrobe, double bed, shelves and study table. Everything you need. Kitchen also fully equipped..

-The rent does not include bills etc, which is variable depending on electricity usage. During months with the highest electricity use it will go up to around 80 a month? But never pass 100 a month and is usually less than 80. There's unlimited Internet too.

-2 rooms share 1 bathroom. The 3rd room (master-bedroom) has an ensuite.

The room up for rent is the bigger of the other 2 rooms that share a bathroom

 

end of ad-----------------------

 

Just a bit of a background about my situation:

I will be starting year 1 at University of Adelaide Dental School in 2014. Looking for rentals close to the university. I don’t really know anything about Adelaide, really appreciate your help on couple of questions.

 

The main criteria are:

-safe area.

-not too noisy, good environment to study.

-close walking distance to University of Adelaide as I won't have a car.

 

Are there any areas/neighbourhood/streets that I should look for.

Also, are there any bad areas/neighbourhood/streets in Adelaide that I should avoid?

Thanks so much.

Edited November 23, 2013 by alert

[Blossom]

It seems pretty expensive to me, especially the electricity bills. Up to $100 per month from three people? That's $900 a quarter!! Unless that includes other bills too?

Still seems pretty pricy for a shared apartment.

[barbaitch]

Sounds a bit pricey to me, alert! I suggest you search online for 'Adelaide rental real estate agents' and make direct contact with one or two, explaining your situation, and see what they can come up with for you. I really think the 'Bent Street Apartments' deal is well over-priced and you're not getting much for your dollar in my opinion. For the record: my husband and I are paying $290 per week rental for a three-bed detached house with front and back gardens in a near-city suburb of Adelaide. I believe you should be able to find something much more substantial than just 'one room in a 3-bed apartment', near the Adelaide CBD, for the price these clowns are asking. Good luck!

[NicF]

Well I don't think it's expensive at all, well not without seeing what condition it's in anyway. The apartments are right in the CBD not far from the Uni and Rundle Mall, which would be prime real estate area. The bills also don't seem that excessive for a three bed share place with each person cooking at different times, lights on and TVs or other electrical equipment going in each room, probably air con running loads in summer and heating on regular in winter. Especially if, being a share place, no one has bothered shopping around for a better deal on electricity.

 

Having said all that I wouldn't rent it. You don't say where the ad is but I'd be wary of renting anything from an ad without being able to actually go and see the place for yourself. Have you contacted the Uni to see if they can help with finding somewhere? Anything within walking distance of the Uni is going to be expensive as you are basically looking at the CBD, although I think there are some student places in the CBD that may be cheaper. You could however consider other areas further away and catch the bus in to the Uni, but it would be worth finding out where the other international students tend to base themselves so you can be with others in a similar situation. The Uni may also be able to put you in contact with other students looking for people to share with.

[NicF]

I've just been on Realestate.com to look for rentals less than $300 a week (not many around Adelaide CBD) and found a place called UniLodge that seem to do accommodation for students. Might be worth looking them up and seeing what you can get with them.

[Guest Guest12727]

I second everything NicF has said. Contact Adelaide Uni student services for some contacts with reputable student accommodation. Unless it is recommended to you, I wouldn't sign up to anything without seeing it first - even if it is through Skype of Facetime, where you can chat to the other tenants and get a 'tour' of the facilities on offer.

The O'Bahn is an excellent and very quick transport link which stops a 3min walk from the Dental School, taking a rental a bit further out of the CBD in easy access to the O'Bahn or other bus services will be cheaper, much quieter and with easy access to Uni.

Good luck