Now is a good time to make a list!
What you'll need
You will need to connect 'utilities'. Utilities are:
• Gas
• Electricity
• Water
• Telephone (your mobile phone may be enough and it will save you on the line rentals)
You willl also need to borrow, buy or find furniture and appliances:
• Bed
• Lounge
• Table and chairs
• Fridge
• Cutlery
• Plates and cups
• Cooking utensils
• Pots and pans
• Washing machine (although you can use a laundromat or there may be shared laundry facilities where you are moving into)
To save money, you can buy second-hand items. When you are more established you may want to begin to replace those second-hand items with newer ones. Or you may just grow fond of them.
Where to buy from?
Op-shops are a good place to find cheap furniture and household items like cutlery and crockery. Newspapers and websites such as the Trading Post or eBay are worth having a look at. But keep in mind, often you cannot see what you are buying or its true condition. You might get something that looks okay in the picture, but when it arrives it doesn't work. Just be careful.
If you are in a share house, it may be easier to rent a fridge and TV with your housemates. Do your sums as this can work out to be more expensive than buying them in the long term.
Also, check out:
Trading Post
Lists a range of second-hand stuff.
www.tradingpost.com.au
eBay
New and second-hand goods for auction and sale.
www.eBay.com.au
St Vincents Retail Centres (Op Shops)
Find a St Vinnies op shop near you for cheap second-hand furniture and other household items.
www.vinnies.org.au
Department of Justice Auctions
The Asset Confiscation Office (ACO) holds monthly auctions of confiscated goods that were obtained with the profits of crime.
D.O.J Auctions
Useful Links
Housing Contact Centre
The Centre can give information on public housing as well as help with rent and other upfront costs like rental bond.
Call: 131 571
www.housing.nsw.gov.au
NSW Federation of Housing Associations
The Federation provides information about public housing.
Call: 02 9281 7144
www.communityhousing.org.au/nswfha
The Office of Fair Trading
Fair Trading gives useful information for first-time renters.
Call: 133 220
Homeless Persons Information Centre
If you’re homeless or at risk of losing your home, this telephone information service can help by referring you to accommodation and support services.
Hours: every day 9am – 10pm Call: 1800 234 566
The Youth Emergency Accommodation Line
A 24-hour recorded message giving details of vacancies in NSW youth refuges.
Call: (02) 9318 1531 or 1800 424 830 (outside Sydney)
Aboriginal Hostels Limited
Temporary hostel accommodation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Call: (02) 9310 2777
www.ahl.gov.au
Aboriginal Tenancy Information Service
Advice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people having problems with rental accommodation. Call: (02) 9377 9200 or 1800 500 330 (outside Sydney)
No Interest Loans Schemes (NILS)
It is hard as a young person to get a loan to pay for things you need when setting up a house - like a washing machine or a fridge. Many banks won't give you a loan unless you earn a fair bit of money and have a stable job. Even if you can get a loan, interest is charged by the bank every month at a high rate, which means you end up paying a lot more for your fridge or washing machine by the time you've paid it off.
The No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) is set up in each state to provide loans without interest charges to low-income earners who are over 18 years old. You can borrow up to $1200 to buy things that you need.
If you use the No Interest Loan Scheme you'll only ever have to pay back exactly what you borrowed, rather than paying that back PLUS interest.
Below are links to a list of no interest loan (NILS) providers in each state, or a phone number for someone who can tell you how to find them:
ACT NILS
Call: CARE Inc. (02) 6257 1788
NSW NILS
www.nilsnsw.org.au/comm/contacts/nsw.htm
QLD NILS
Call: Goodna Neighbourhood House (07) 3271 1820
SA NILS
Call: Uniting Care Wesley Adelaide (08) 8202 5187
TAS NILS
Call: NILS Network of Tasmania (03) 6224 6538
VIC NILS
www.infoxchange.net.au/haasp/hasnils.htm
WA NILS
Call: WA NILS (08) 9354 7611
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