Finding rental property in New Zealand while abroad

ORGANISING somewhere to live in New Zealand when you are 14,000 miles away on the other side of the globe is like trying to eat peas with ten-foot chopsticks while blindfolded.

I expect, like me, you'd think it would be easy in this modern age of internet and wind turbines, to browse through a few property pages held usefully online, ring the agent or landlord and put your deposit down ready for your triumphant arrival in a few weeks time.

You can imagine the advantages. Landing at Auckland International Airport with tired-out, screaming kids, six oversize suitcases that have just been rifled through by bio-secucurity officials from the misery.. (er sorry typo) ministry of agriculture and forestry (MAF), you would have somewhere to go, a home, somewhere to take the pressure off while you evaluate your new life, start work, save the cost of hotels, and begin the search for more permanent lodgings.

But this is not possible.

I discovered that Kiwis are fond of an online trading website called Trade Me. Ebay, it seems, was too late in attempting to conquer hearts and minds of the second-hand obsessed Kiwi and a group of entrepreneurs had already cornered the market.

And when I say cornered, I don't mean they left a few scraps and a sizeable minority group ready to pounce onto ebay, I mean "CORNERED" in big shouty letters. It is simply not possible to sell second hand goods in New Zealand without using Trade Me. Kiwis have taken to it like small children take to toy-stuffed stockings on Christmas Day.

Nobody looks anywhere else. Trade Me is first, second and third line in selling stuff, even, and I want to make this clear, even property.

But when a friend made us aware of this second-hand monopoly and sent us a few links to homes-for-rent we were dismayed to discover we were able to coo and ahh at the various piccys of front rooms and glorious BBQ decks, but could not register to make a bid or contact the owners due to Trade Me's Brit-unfriendly policy.

You may only register as a member if you are resident in New Zealand or Australia and can form a legally binding contract that is enforceable against you.

The policy, apparently, prevents stop Johnny foreigner from scamming innocent Kiwis with false goods, taking the money and dissappearing behind boundaries-of-jurisdiction.

Arbitrary exclusion
But it also stops genuine property-hunters who happen to be outside Ozzie or NZ from finding a property - unless you go through an expensive agent by ringing them one at a time. The only option left open for us, was to arrive in NZ, bed down with a friend for a few weeks and begin a furious search for a rental property.

There is a sting in the tail for Kiwis however. One they probably aren't aware of.

When Shelly and Allan Holland from Gore put their farm and tractor on Trade Me recently - with no reserve - and the deal collapsed, on wonders if they would have had better luck if an entire market of Brits, Americans and Europeans eager to buy an NZ property, had been able to bid.

Comments

[Domestic Executive]

Trade Me strikes me as the on-line version of the kiwi psyche. I feel like a freak because I've never traded on it. I find it all too tiresome and hard work - but I found e-bay the same. Rotten luck for these people and their farm. Sign of the times I guess.

[Domestic Executive]

Trade Me strikes me as the on-line version of the kiwi psyche. I feel like a freak because I've never traded on it. I find it all too tiresome and hard work - but I found e-bay the same. Rotten luck for these people and their farm. Sign of the times I guess.

[William]

You must be a freak if you haven't used it ;-)

We have bought a couple of beds and a very overpriced kitchen table, but it is bad luck for the Gore couple.

Imagine, all that publicity has to be kicked off again! (or is that just too cynical)

[Campbell]

Are you looking to rent a house in NZ for around three months (between May - September 2010)? Very nice fully-furnished three bedroom home in beautiful garden and farm setting available in Waipu, Northland. Email campbellrd@live.co.uk.

[William Knight]

Well, Campbell, that's a bit cheeky. You could always pay for an advert, you know.

[Rental Properties ChCh]

I heard about rent me from my friends. And yeah, it already CORNERED the business.

[megaupload downloads]

TradeMe is an awesome website, i hardly ever use eBay anymore. I can trust what i buy from TradeMe, most of my co-workers use it too.