SETTLING DOWN

It has been a while now since I write in this blog. My family and I have been very busy moving house and entertaining our Japanese visitors.

Here is all about it...

If you have been following my blog, you would know that I have rented a house bought by our friends who are residing in NZ for the past 16 years. It is a beautifull modern, open, 4 bedroom townhouse in Albany, Auckland North Shore. The rent was NZ$450 per week. Yar yar that much. Try converting that to RM? You would say: "Why on earth would any one like Suhaimi, who is getting a scholarship from JPA and not working partime, stay in a house, with a rental cost as high as that?!?". I would say, we had not much choices and we were in the state of returning the favour.

The day we arrived in Auckland, we were greeted by a friend I know when he was in Malaysia. I knew him from another friend. Lets name him George (bukan nama sebenar). George is a Malaysian, now working in Auckland for the past 6 years. He welcomed us to the house he is renting in the heart of Auckland. The landlord is staying with him and she has been in New Zealand for 16 years. Both Malays. I am very proud of them. The work their days, to earn a living in Auckland. She has 4 properties and sharing 1 with George. This shared property is the one I had to rent. Keyword here "had". We were much in-debted with the warm hospitalilty, they love my kids, they welcomed us to their home which we stayed for 3 weeks. Introduced us to other Malays in Auckland. Everything went well. My wife, who is our family financial controller, is very worried of the rent that they are going to charge us. When asked, George business partner (who is also his landlord) said NZ$300-350. We explained that we can't afford more than $300 a week, infact that will be very heavy on our budget. Being business minded they gave 1001 ideas of how we can pay the rent, while we were hinting to get another house ourselves. Before we know it, they have signed the papers for the purchase of the house. We got more worried. I managed to console my wife by telling her that we should just take the house and rent a room out to nice female Asian student in my university. After much contemplation she agreed.

Our landlords have a property manager that looks after their houses and tenants. One night this property manager came and showed to me the Tenancy Agreement and said the rent is $450!!! My financial controller shooked her head in opposition. She said we can't afford. However, I was thinking of the trouble we would put our hosts into, if we were to disagree to the signing. I felt obliged of signing. Not knowing that the agreement is a "Fixed Tenancy Agreement". And I have signed my way to trouble!!

That night my wife and I discussed and we thought we should put in our best effort to make ends meet when we move in into that new house. I sent our emails to possible student association to advertise for rooms to let. Called some people to advertise. We even tried to offer boarding for Rangitoto College students. There were know respond until the day we shifted into the house. We continued our effort by putting up notices on notice boards of supermarket and the university. That was when I saw other notices on rooms to let, offering as low as $135 per week fully furnished. How can we beat that? First of all, we barely have furnitures in the house what more broadband internet access.

Two weeks have passed, still know enquiries at all. We began review our status. My wife said lets step-back and look at our financial status if we were to stay there until end of 2005. We will spend $9900 in total for rental, yeap just rental (ie if we can't find flatmates or boarders). We can't afford that.

We decided that we ought to leave the house. So we made an appointment to meet one of our landlords (not George) in the weekend. She gave us more ideas in order for us to pay for the rent including asking another Malaysian couple to stay with us. However, we said we want to look for another cheaper place. She agreed and said to give her property manage a 2 week notice and we can leave. We were so happy. My wife were happy and we started the house hunt that week end. On the following week, I sms the property manager, saying that I need to know the process of evacuating the house. He called back and said that we can't leave because we have signed a "Fixed Tenancy Agreement". I was out of my words. He said we have to stay till the very day stated in the agreement. I told my wife this, and she said, we can't afford it. We will have to use all our savings in Malaysia. This made her very sad. She was very emotional, because it is our life saving. For the kids and our retirement. We tried to talk to our lady landlord again, but she was not available. Heaps of sms and calls we made but we can't get in touch with her. Finally, my wife managed to get hold of George (my friend from Malaysia). He explained that we have to talk to his property manager, because he is paid to solve this kind of problems. That night before I went to sleep, I sent an sms to George, of the basis that he is my friend. And I though I could turn to him for another help. At least a motivation. But he replied with an unexpected sms, that I don't think a friend should say to another. He said words that don't expect out of him. To me, we have put our friendship to a test and that friendship has failed! Big time!

It was a very emotional situation for our family. I had to make a move to secure my family and keep what ever dignity we had left. Through prayers, we met a Real Estate agent who is advertising for a house to rent close to my university. The house is rented out at $280 per week, equipped with a stove, washing machine and dryer, fridge, 2 bdrms, and a nice green patch infront of the house that my son could play on. We immediately liked the house, and told this agent that we are now renting another house but we are stuck with a "Fixed Tenancy Agreement" for 3 years. She couldn't believe it when we said that we have a 3-year agreement. Never in NZ that anyone has a 3-year agreement. She said she would help us out. At the same time we have other friends in Auckland and Palmerstone north, helping us and motivating us to get out of the mess we are in. Allah's will, through the help of the agent, we have given a 3 week notice to the landlord, moved out of the house. There is a clause in the tenancy act, that we could apply in our case.

Now we are in our new house that we can afford. Next week, will be the ultimatum about the old house. I put on this blog, what happens then.

Please pray for our well being. Ameen.