Melbourne Story - 5. Moving House

After living in Box Hill for a year, we moved to Doncaster, about a ten-minute drive further away. Our previous house had three bedrooms, and it felt cramped for my wife and me, our grown son, and our two daughters. It was also rather modest.

Our eldest daughter had just started university, and although she would likely marry and move out in a few years, my wife insisted that, for the limited time she would still live with us, she wanted her to have memories of living in a good house, in a decent room. Persuaded by her reasoning, we decided—somewhat beyond our means—to move into a detached house with three bedrooms and a study.

Twenty years ago, the rent for our Box Hill house was $240 per week, or $1,020 per month. The Doncaster house, however, cost $350 per week, or $1,750 per month (about 1.2 million won at the time). It was by no means a small amount. Still, since rental bonds in Australia are relatively modest and typically require a deposit equivalent to three months’ rent, and because rent is paid monthly through a real estate agent, we believed that if both my wife and I continued working, we could manage. It would be a burden, but I agreed with my wife that her argument made sense.

March 20 was our lease renewal date, and about a month earlier we received a renewal notice along with an inspection date from the real estate agent.(In Australia, tenants never deal directly with landlords; all contracts and communication go through real estate agents.)

If you wish to renew the lease, a phone call is usually sufficient. However, if you intend to move out, you must submit formal written notice to the agent.

The inspection date refers to the condition report attached to the original lease agreement. This report contains detailed records—often with photographs—of the garden, windows, walls, floors, and overall cleanliness of the property. Both the tenant and the agent keep copies.

To receive the bond back in full, the condition of the house at move-out must closely match its condition at move-in. If light bulbs are broken, carpets dirty, or the lawn overgrown, the tenant must restore them. Otherwise, repair costs are deducted from the bond. On the inspection date, the agent visits and checks every detail.

Although inspections are conducted regularly, they are often more of a formality if the tenant continues living there. In our case, however, despite informing the agent by phone that we would not renew the lease because we planned to move, the message was not properly to the agent. Since we had not submitted written notice, we were told we could not vacate on time and had to extend our stay by one more month.

The reason was simple: our English communication was not fluent.

In the end, we had no choice but to pay one additional month’s rent while continuing our house search. My wife and children and I had already spent weeks driving around to inspections, and the fuel costs alone were adding up. After countless hours searching online, we finally found a place that seemed right.

In Australia, house inspections are not arranged individually. Instead, the agent sets a specific date and time, and multiple applicants gather together to view the property for about an hour.

After viewing the house, my wife said it was clean, spacious, and exactly what she had hoped for. She desperately wanted us to get it, and we submitted an application.

The application required detailed information: the number of family members, current employment, monthly income, contact details of friends or acquaintances, and workplace references. Some properties even prohibit pets.

Because there are often many applicants, competition is fierce. The agent reviews applications, calls employers to verify jobs, contacts references to confirm rental history, and then submits suitable candidates to the landlord. The landlord considers everything—whether tenants will share the house, whether rent can be paid reliably, the number and age of children, even nationality. From a tenant’s perspective, it is hardly a pleasant process.

Having viewed dozens of houses already, we hoped desperately that this one would work out. But a week passed with no response. Each time we called the agency, we were simply told to wait. The date we needed to vacate our current home was approaching, and the thought of starting the search all over again was exhausting. Eventually, unable to endure the uncertainty, my wife and I went directly to the real estate office.

The agent told us that we had already been eliminated in the first round. Another applicant had been selected, but they had not yet responded, so the agency was waiting.

When we asked why we had been rejected, the agent replied: “The landlord is hesitant to believe that tenants who paid $1,020 per month for the past two years can suddenly afford $1,750.”

Only then did it fully sink in. We were not full-time employees of established companies, and both my wife and I worked casual jobs with fluctuating incomes. In Australia, stability of employment and rental history matter far more than how much property one owns. I realized, somewhat bewildered, that even moving to a slightly larger house was not something one could do freely. I also felt that I needed to let go of Korean ways of thinking more quickly.

Though we had failed the first round, we told the agent that we could absolutely pay the rent each month and left. That evening, my wife—who had been visibly dejected—confessed that she had stopped by that house every day on her way home from work to pray, hoping with all her heart that we would get it.

Two days later, we received a call from the real estate agent. After confirming once more that we could reliably pay the rent, he told us that the initially selected applicant had never responded, and we had been chosen instead. My wife’s joy was unmistakable; even now, I can vividly recall the expression on her face.

Before moving into a new home in Australia, if the property has been vacant, tenants must contact the electricity provider at least a week in advance to request reconnection. We assumed the electricity would already be on—but it had been disconnected when the previous tenancy ended. Unaware of this, we spent four evenings living by candlelight.

The same was true for the telephone line. Although we applied two days before moving, we were told that due to Easter and public holidays, installation would take two weeks. It felt slow to the point of frustration, but at the same time, I thought: this really is a country where people are scarce. Living in Australia clearly requires an extraordinary amount of patience.

Before leaving our old house, my wife and I set aside an entire day to prepare for the final inspection. We hired professionals to clean the carpets, wiped every light fixture with towels, cleaned all windows, cupboards, dining tables, and the gas stove with detergent. Even so, the agent pointed out several issues, which we had to re-clean before finally passing the inspection.

Through this experience, I learned once again that in Australia, even moving in and out of a house requires strict adherence to rules and procedures—and that you cannot simply live where you wish, just because you want to.

5. 이사가기

Box Hill에서 1년간 산 후 차로 10분가량 더 걸리는 Doncaster로 이사를 하였다. 지난번 집은 방이 3개여서 우리 부부와 다 큰 아들, 그리고 딸 둘이 살기에는 비좁았었고 집도 초라했다. 이번에 대학에 들어간 큰딸이 몇 년만 있으면 결혼도 하고 분가할 텐데, 부모와 함께 있는 얼마 안 되는 시간만이라도 그녀가 좋은 집에서, 좋은 방에서 지낸 추억을 주고 싶다며 아내가 주장하는 바람에 조금 무리하여 방 3개에 서재가 있는 단독주택으로 가게 되었다.

20년 전 당시 Box Hill 집의 렌트비는 주 240불, 월간으로는 1,020불이었으나 Doncaster 집은 주 350불에 월간으로 1,750불(약 120만 원)이었다. 결코 작지 않은 금액이었지만, 이곳은 보증금이 크지 않고 석 달 치 렌트비를 예치하는 형식이며, 다달이 부동산 에이전트에 입금해 주면 되므로 현재 우리 부부가 어느 정도 각각 벌어서 충당하면 되겠다는 판단이 섰다. 부담은 되었지만 아내의 말에도 일리가 있어 동의하기로 한 것이다.

지난 3월 20일이 계약 갱신일이어서 한 달 전에 갱신 예고 안내장과 인스펙션 날짜가 기재된 안내장이 부동산 에이전트로부터 날아왔다. (호주에서는 집주인을 직접 만날 수 없고 오직 부동산 중개인을 통해서만 모든 계약이 이루어진다.)이 갱신 예고장이 날아오면 그대로 갱신하여 살고 싶을 경우 전화로 통보하면 되지만, 다른 곳으로 이사하고 싶다면 부동산 에이전트에 가서 정식으로 서면 통보를 해야 한다. 

여기서 말하는 인스펙션 날짜란, 렌트 계약서 작성 시 함께 첨부되는 컨디션 리포트(condition report)와 관련이 있다. 이 리포트에는 정원 상태, 각 방의 창문 상태, 벽이나 바닥의 훼손 여부, 집 안의 청결 상태 등이 사진과 함께 상세히 기록되어 있으며, 세입자와 부동산 에이전트가 각각 보관한다.

따라서 입주 당시와 퇴거 시의 상태가 거의 동일해야 보증금을 온전히 돌려받을 수 있다. 만약 전구가 깨져 있거나 카펫이 지저분하거나 잔디가 너무 자라 있다면 원상 복구를 해야 하고, 그렇지 않으면 보증금에서 차감된다. 그래서 이사를 하게 되면 기존 계약을 맺었던 부동산 에이전트가 인스펙션 날짜에 와서 집 상태를 하나하나 점검한다.

인스펙션은 매년 정기적으로 이루어지지만 계속 거주할 경우에는 형식적으로 넘어가기도 한다. 그런데 우리는 인스펙션 날짜를 통보받고 “이사를 가게 되었으니 더 이상 계약을 갱신하지 않겠다”고 전화로 알렸음에도, 이 말이 담당자에게 제대로 전달되지 않았고 서면 통보도 하지 않았다는 이유로 제때 집을 비울 수 없게 되어 한 달을 더 연기할 수밖에 없었다.영어로 의사소통이 원활하지 못했던 탓이다.

결국 부득이하게 한 달 치 렌트비를 더 내고 새로운 집을 찾기로 했다. 그 전부터 아내와 아이들과 함께 여기저기 집을 보러 다녔는데 차 기름값도 만만치 않았고, 인터넷을 수십 차례 뒤진 끝에 마침내 한 곳을 찾았다. 

이곳에서는 집을 보려면 부동산 에이전트와 바로 약속을 잡고 가는 것이 아니라, 에이전트가 지정한 날짜와 시간에 여러 희망자들이 한꺼번에 모여 약 한 시간 정도 집을 둘러보게 된다.

집을 보고 오던 날, 아내는 집이 너무 깨끗하고 넓다며 꼭 되기를 희망했고 입주 신청서를 작성했다. 입주 신청서에는 가족 수, 현재 직업, 월 수입, 친구나 지인의 전화번호, 직장의 연락처 등을 상세히 기재해야 하며, 어떤 곳은 반려동물 사육을 금지하는 조건도 있다.

입주 희망자가 여러 명이다 보니 경쟁이 붙는다. 부동산 대리인은 입주 신청서를 검토하면서 직장에 전화해 직업을 확인하고, 지인에게도 연락해 얼마나 오래 거주했는지를 확인한 뒤 이상이 없으면 집주인에게 전달한다. 집주인은 세입자가 여러 명이 쉐어를 하는지, 매달 렌트비를 안정적으로 낼 수 있는지, 아이들의 수와 연령, 국적까지 하나하나 따진다. 들어가는 사람 입장에서는 기분이 썩 좋을 리 없다

수십 차례 집을 보아온 터라 꼭 되기를 바랐지만, 입주 신청서를 보낸 지 일주일이 지나도 연락이 없었다. 부동산에 문의해도 “기다리라”는 말뿐이었다. 집을 비워야 할 날짜는 다가오고, 다른 집을 다시 보러 다니자니 기운도 빠진 상황에서 어느 날 참지 못하고 아내와 함께 부동산을 직접 찾아갔다.

에이전트의 말은 우리가 이미 1차에서 탈락했다는 것이었다. 다른 사람이 선정되었는데, 그 사람에게서 연락이 오지 않아 기다리는 중이라는 설명이었다. 왜 탈락했느냐고 묻자 에이전트는 이렇게 말했다.“지난 2년 동안 월 1,020불을 내던 사람들이 1,750불을 낼 수 있겠느냐고 집주인이 망설이고 있다.”

생각해 보니 우리는 정식 회사의 풀타임 직원도 아니었고, 나와 아내 모두 캐주얼 잡을 가지고 있어 수입 변동이 컸다. 호주에서는 재산의 많고 적음보다 직업의 안정성과 그동안의 거주 기록을 중시하는 사고방식이 강하다는 사실에 어리둥절했다. 조금 더 큰 집으로 이사하는 일조차 마음대로 되는 것이 아니구나 싶었고, 한국에서의 생활방식에서 빨리 탈피해야한다는 생각부터 들었다.

우리는 1차에서 탈락했지만 혹시나 하는 마음에 에이전트에게 매달 렌트비는 확실히 지불할 수 있다고 말하고 돌아왔다. 그날 허탈해하던 아내는 사실 그동안 퇴근길에 매일 그 집 앞을 한 번씩 들러 기도하고 왔으며, 꼭 되기를 바랐다고 고백했다.

그로부터 이틀 후, 갑자기 부동산 에이전트에게서 전화가 왔다. 렌트비를 확실히 낼 수 있는지를 다시 확인한 뒤, 처음 선정된 사람에게 연락이 닿지 않아 우리가 최종 선정되었다는 소식이었다. 아내가 얼마나 기뻐하던지 지금도 그 표정이 선하다. 

 호주에서 이사하기 전에는, 이사하려는 집이 얼마간 비어 있었다면 최소 일주일 전에 전기회사에 연락해 언제 입주할 예정이니 전기를 다시 연결해 달라고 요청해야 한다. 우리는 당연히 전기가 들어와 있을 거라 생각했지만, 세입 기간이 끝나 전기가 이미 끊긴 상태였다. 그 사실을 몰라 4일 동안 저녁마다 촛불을 켜고 지내야 했다.

전화 연결도 마찬가지였다. 이사 이틀 전에 전화국에 신청했지만 부활절과 연휴가 겹쳐 연결 담당자가 바쁘다며 2주 뒤에나 가능하다는 통보를 받았다. 만만디 같지만, 한편으로는 정말 사람이 귀한 나라구나, 호주에서 살려면 엄청난 인내심이 필요하겠다는 생각이 들었다.

이전 집을 나오기 전에는 하루를 잡아 아내와 함께 카페트 청소를 하는 사람을 불러 깨끗이 해주고, 방안 구석구석을 또 온갖 전등 등을 수건으로 딲고, 온방의 유리창을 닦아주고 찬장이나 식탁, 가스레인지등을 세제로 깨끗이 해주고 인스펙트하였는데도 몇가지 지적을 받아 다시 딲아주고 하여 겨우 통과되었다.

호주에서는 집을 구하고 나가는 일조차 원칙과 순서를 지켜야 탈이 없다는 것, 그리고 내가 원한다고 해서 갈 수 있는 집이 아니라는 사실을 다시 한 번 깨닫게 되었다.