Council Tax equivalent in Oz?

[Matt796]

Hi

 

I assume that their is a council tax equivalent in Australia. I was wondering what the rough cost is for a 3 bed in an average suburb of Adelaide?

I think the average guide in the UK is a band D at £150 pm.

 

Many thanks

Matt

[snifter]

We pay less here than we did there. I don't know the exact figure as not got the bills in front of me.

 

We used to pay council tax of around £1200 a year and pay less than that here $ wise.

[NicF]

I pay my rates quarterly and I think the last lot I paid was around $400 - $450. Like the UK the actual amount will vary from council to council and will depend on the value of your house. That is the value as determined by the council and not the amount it cost you or the amount it would sell for. There is also the Emergency Services Levy which for us was something like $250 for the year. It's worth noting though that you will not pay either of these if you are renting as they are paid by the home owner.

[John Browning]

In addition to being cheaper (-on average), I think you will find you get a lot more from your local council here in Adelaide:

 

-an excellent network of well- stocked interconnected libraries

 

-local swimming pools,

 

-there's almost always a park / reserve / playground within a few minutes walk, with separate Dog Exercise Areas. Then there is also access to 27 Km of connected bike ways / walking tracks along the River Torrens

 

- and recycling services for pretty much everything (-including garden waste)

 

-home maintenance and garden services for the Disabled and Elderly plus community bus service from your door, of course

 

I get all this for $301 per quarter for a three bedroom house on a 800 sq m block . It's in a very quiet street, 4Kms from the CBD. There's a half hourly bus service on the corner (and even that doesn't cost me anything outside Peak Hours)

 

 

There's a lot more besides (-but that might sound like bragging, Heaven forbid)

 

(-My brother lives in quite a posh area London.......he hasn't even got one Public Library in his Council Area!)

 

 

JB

[flossybeth]

We're in the Onkapringa zone and pay $578 a quarter - I believe that it's one of the higher charging councils but it's one of those things; we live here we have to pay it.

 

Will definitely second what John B says about the libraries though, SA run the One Card system so all the libraries in the whole state are linked which means you can order something from your library and it may have to come from Whyalla or wherever but you can count on it being in one of the libraries. They lend (free) DVDs, CDs, magazines, toys/games, ours has a 3D printer but we haven't investigated it yet, they have readings, children's event,s all sorts - I love the library service here

[Matt796]

We will be renting......so other than the rent what will we pay? Water and electricity etc? The reason I'm asking is because into ally we will be living off one wage plus some money from the UK. Many thanks

[PatP]

We will be renting......so other than the rent what will we pay? Water and electricity etc? The reason I'm asking is because into ally we will be living off one wage plus some money from the UK. Many thanks

Gas ,electric and I think water if your renting , tv package if you get one ( same as Virgin Media etc in the UKm) internet mobile phone

we feel food is more expensive in Adelaide than the UK but if you shop wisely then it can balance out Plus new Aldis opening hopefully will give the larger supermarkets a run for their money Budget for petrol or public transport depending on where you will work

[cliffy]

You have to pay in addition to Council Rates, if you own a house, Water rates, incl. sewerage and Save the Murray Levy!, Emergency Services Levy, Gas and Electricity. If you are renting, you only have to pay Gas and Electricity and any optional spending, like Internet and Phone.

I have just paid $495 quarterly rates on a 3br house on an average block, Onkaparinga Council.

[Matt796]

Thanks Cliffy

[Matt796]

Ok. My partners job pays $40,000 AUD pa. I will come without a job and hopefully manage to secure one asap. We have two children (one baby and one school age). We want to rent a 2 bed apartment to start with. I'm not sure how much money we will come out with - maybe $6 - 10,000 AUD. Is it possible to get by on this for at least the first few months? The rent I've seen is around $250 pw.

[NicF]

You have to pay in addition to Council Rates, if you own a house, Water rates, incl. sewerage and Save the Murray Levy!, Emergency Services Levy, Gas and Electricity. If you are renting, you only have to pay Gas and Electricity and any optional spending, like Internet and Phone.

I have just paid $495 quarterly rates on a 3br house on an average block, Onkaparinga Council.

 

You may also have to pay for water in a rental. The Landlord has to pay for a certain element of the bill (can't remember if it's the sewage charge, the supply charge or both) and the tenant may be asked to pay all or some of the rest. When we rented we had to pay for all water usage over and above a certain amount. This was invoiced to us from the letting agents.

[Rammygirl]

In our rental now we pay supply and usage for water, seems to be more common. More rural places seem to be just usage and those with gardens only usage over a certain amount ( to make sure the garden is watered).

Dont forget insurance too and at least two weeks rent up front for security bond.

 

You will also need some temp accommodation until you find a long term rental, this is quite expensive but unless you have someone to stay with necessary. You do need to look around and view properties before signing up for a long term let. Beware the Internet photos, some can be decades old!

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I own property (or at least the bank does) and the rates in the Onkaparinga area are $130 per month. You don't pay this if you are renting.

Am also in the strange position of renting a property right now so have experience of things from that side as well. We get the first 80,000 litres of water free but have to pay for the service charge.

My rent is $350 pw and on top of that electricity is about $150 pm and gas $80 pm. There are big fluctuations between summer and winter though and it does depend upon heatwaves and cold winters!

 

My son lives nearby. He's poor. Apprentice wages only provide him with around $30,000 but the gov tops this up a little. He also qualifies (with his partner and daughter) for child care benefit. They run a car, eat out (too much fast food) and don't really have a bad life. More money would make it better and that will come when his partner start work after completing a child care qualification.

His rent is $270 pw but the house is a dump and the area is dodgy! When his partner qualifies they will move to an adjoining suburb, pay between $330 and $360 pw and get a decent home. It would be just as cheap for them to be paying off their own home with interest rates so low but saving for a deposit and stamp duty is the option.

 

There will always be plenty of hair salon jobs throughout the city. The turnover is constant like most retail positions. Have you thought about visiting, seeing if it's right for you and if so postponing your departure a little so that you can sort out your own job? It would mean spending a few thousand Dollars but you would get a feel for whether you like it, maybe meet some contacts, have a look at suburbs...just a thought. Many many people do come out on a reccie.