Unfurnished - whats included & what isnt?

[ross1983]

Hey we are moving to Adelaide in Feb & looking to rent for first year, maybe 2.

 

We're browsing rental properties just now & in conjunction with trying to suss out what to ship across & what we'll have to fork out for when we arrive, we're wondering what is generally included in 'unfinished' houses? I.e. fridge? White goods? Etc

 

We have only ever owned our home her & our previous rental in Adelaide in 2008 was a fully furnished apartment in the city.

 

What have people generally to be 'standard'? Can be quite hard to tell from photos

 

Thanks

[Blossom]

Nothing. Sometimes they have a dishwasher, and some have fitted wardrobes. But that's generally it.

[beckdownunder]

Our unfurnished rental had a dishwasher, some curtains and a built in cooker, but that was it.

 

As blossom has said most do have built in wardrobes, so thats good too.

 

Beck

[snifter]

Not much generally unless built in like a cooker. Sometimes a dishwasher but not much else. Maybe curtains/blinds. Really will depend on the house.

[Blossom]

Ohhhhh I forgot oven and curtains. Not all have air con either, so look out for that.

[Guest Guest75]

Make sure you do have air con AND heating!

An undercover outdoor area is appreciated on the hot days.

 

Watch out for the charges - some landlords want you to pay all the water bill, some just the excess. Seems a bit of a grey area to me.

The rest of the services you will have to pay for.

 

If a new build ensure you have in writing when the garden / drive will be finished if they are not - some drag it on.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

It's also a good idea to check out what the heating and cooling is all about.

 

Many properties advertise as being "air conditioned" but that may be a single unit in a lounge which is hopeless for the rest of the house.

I know a family who just rented a house with a pool and the pool didn't come with a pool cleaner! They were expected to fork out hundreds of Dollars for something that should have been standard. Another family rented a home with a massive rose garden and the contract was written that they had to pay for ALL the water.

[Jessica Berry]

I know a family who just rented a house with a pool and the pool didn't come with a pool cleaner! They were expected to fork out hundreds of Dollars for something that should have been standard.

 

A friend rented a house with a pool and was always having issues with the pool, along with high electricity bills, for something that was hardly used. She had the opportunity to move to another property without a pool and jumped at the chance. She worked out the money she would save on electricity would pay for an overseas holiday every year, so far she has been overseas twice and doesn't miss the pool one bit!

[Blossom]

Wow. Who would have thought a pool would cost so much to maintain?

[beckdownunder]

It must have been an old and inefficient pool, because we don't see much of a difference with our pool in electricity. Maybe a couple of hundred bucks more a quarter, but nothing major. Our pool is only 18 months old though - so is energy efficient.