Hi Everyone especially Rach

Just read one of the threads and I think it was Rach that said she used the meet & greet service.

Rach if you read this, can you tell me/us what type of accommodation it was, did you get a say in the area, or do they let you know before leaving the UK where the property will be, is it furnished, sorry if this is a lot of questions, but basically any info would be greet.

We have the opportunity to use this service our selves should everything go to plan, we have a child of just 1 years at the moment so need to know basic things......I have been told that the rent is approx half the price of private accommodation ?????

Thanks to anyone that can provide any info...

Wendie :bouncing smiles: :bouncing smiles:

Hi Wendie

We couldn't have the meet and greet as they didn't have anything available at the time, but really wished we could have done. I hear their rent is very reasonable, but basically there is almost nothing furnished available to rent and it will be minimum 6 months so you'll probably have to book holiday cabin etc. We did this and paid $550 per week in November 2003. We didn't want to pay this rate for very long and only booked 4 weeks - far too short a time to get a view on suburbs and find the 'right' place to live. Fortunately we've done ok though, but it was a bit hit and miss.

My advice is to go for meet & greet if you can, you get 12 weeks to sort yourselves out and if you don't like it you can always move on before then.

Elaine

We used the meet and greet service and would recommend it to anyone, although our friends rented at Secombe Gardens Marion and hated it there and only stayed until they found alternative accomodation. We stayed at Justin Crescent as I've said in other posts. You don't have to worry about any utility bills as these are included in the rent and the time of year we came out we were using the electric heater in the lounge in the mornings and at night and didn't have to be concerned about the bill.

So long as you don't expect too much from the house you'll be ok.

Juls

Hi Wendie
We stayed in Justin Crescent too. It is basic but it was aroun$170 week including utility bills (we are currently paying $250 excluding utility).
There is a part on the form that you can put in a request for a particular area but there is no guarantee that you will get that area. It is basically furnished (i.e a set of cups and cutlery, toaster kettle iron and wash machine, beds and wardrobes, sofa and table. It is a good base to stay for a few weeks to get your bearings. We found we wanted to move into rented accommodation so we could get phone line attached etc (you can do this in rental but are paying for connection and to be disconnected after you leave and if you are only staying for a few weeks it didn't seem to be worth it).
They do let you know before you leave the uk what your new address will be (useful for telling relatives).
At least there will be someone at the airport to take you to your accommodation, just don't be afraid to tell them you need some time to sleep/unpack before they do the introductory bit.
Any more questions, just ask :D
Rach :)

Can I ask what you did about bedding? Did you pack some in your suitcases or just bought some when you got there as what do the meet and greet provide bedding wise? I'm so sure someone has told me this before :blink:

Sasha :)

Hi Sasha,
If you go on the www.immigration.sa.gov/au website it should tell you there what is included in the meet and greet service, we had a look the other day,I know that there are no tvs,you can rent a heater, there is no bedlinen or towels, but there are dishes and cutlery etc also kettle,toaster etc.
I hope this is of some help to you,we have been state nominated and thinking shall we use this service, but we had been told they were a bit dirty, but after reading this thread, I think we will definately use it, :loopy:
laura xx

Hi Snappy
We took
2 single airbeds, 1 double airbed (very glad we did for two reasons a) they were very useful when all our stuff including beds had been packed on ship before we moved and B) when we moved into rented accommodation here. Rick and Louise are borrowing them now while waiting for their stuff to come.

1 duvet set each for the boys and for us. We bought quilts or(dooners) here on our first day. the meet and greet took us to a shop but it was not the cheapest and it would have been cheaper to go to Kmart or Big W. So again , don't be afraid to ask your meet and greet person for particular shops. I'm still not sure what the difference is between a dooner and a quilt but think dooners are thinner. Depending on what time of year you come, you may choose different.

The kids took 2 rucksacks each full of toys (and boy they needed them) but have been told since that they have a toy lending service at the library, will look into it and let you know how it works.Also brought some compilation books of stories for the boys.
Hope this helps
Rach :bouncing smiles:

Wow Rach you were really organised, between you and Elaine my suitcases are already packed (in my head!). We have had an offer or rather an order to stay with our friends until we find somewhere but they have kids and with our two you can imagine what it'll be like not having our own space until we find a rental. So I am thinking about the meet and greet service even if it just as a place to escape to whenever the kids start fighting with each other.

We still have a long time before we have to worry about it. :(

Sasha :)

hi there
we used this service and it was ok we had a 2 bed unit in marion it was clean and had the basics cultery, plates washer etc we had to buy bed linen, telly but it was a good starting point for us as it cheap and all the bills are inclusive and it did us until we bought a place (now in happy valley) the people who met us were lovely, friendly and helpful and took us shopping which was a great bonus, i know other people havent had the same experience but i would recommend it, we had previously visited adelaide so we knew it a little but it just took the hassle out of having to look for a while when we got here as there was tonnes of other stuff u have to do good luck
sarah

Bump!

Here you go Harry and Nadina at least one of the threads about meet and greet!

Sasha :)

Think we will go for meet n greet too! Can anyone tell me how much notice you need to give and how long it takes for them to confirm if there is accommodation available?

Thanks!

Hello there
You need to give at least 6 weeks notice. We weren't sure of exact date of moving so we chose a date around the time we wanted to go and advised the meet and greet people so they could book the accommodation. We then amended the date nearer the time when we had booked the flights, the person I e-mailed about this in oz was really helpful (and I called her up!).
Hope this helps
Rach :D

Bump...here you go Austen

Sasha :)