Mari Looks for a Flat (23)

Shirley: Right, I’ve got some documents here. Before we start I should probably just introduce myself: my name’s Shirley.

Mari: Hi Shirley, I’m Mari.

Shirley: Great. Well, it’s nice to meet you Mari and we’re looking forward to having you in the building. Well, I’ll just very briefly explain what the system is here if you are new to the area. There is a $2000 refundable deposit. That actually goes into a third party trust that is held by the government so we don’t actually hold the money ourselves. And as long as everything is sort of in order and the way you found it when you left then you get that money back when you leave.

Mari: Okay.

Shirley: You need to give us a month’s notice if you are leaving.

Mari: Uh huh.

Shirley: And rent is paid on the first of the month. You can pay it through your bank account or you can pay it by cheque, whatever suits you. So, how do you think you’d be paying?

Mari: I hope to pay through my bank account every month. I think my company will pay for it so...

Shirley: I see. Right. So you are working in the area, are you?

Mari: Yes, I am here for a year.

Shirley: I see. Have you come from another city in Australia or are you new to Australia? I notice you’ve got an accent.

Mari: I’m new to Australia. I’m from the United States. From New York.

Shirley: Okay, great. That’s exciting. I’ve been to New York once, it was wonderful.

Mari: It’s a great city but Sydney seems really nice too. I’m excited to live here.

Shirley: I think you’ll like it. It’s got a really nice lifestyle and we’ve got great weather so I hope you enjoy your time here. Right, well just getting back to the paperwork here. As I said, we’ll also need a deposit. I’ll also need to see some form of identification. You passport perhaps.

Mari: Yeah, I have my passport with me today.

Shirley: Great! And have you already opened bank accounts because if I could get your bank details today that would be great.

Mari: I haven’t opened my bank account yet, but I will do it in the next couple of days.

Shirley: Okay so...well if you could give me your passport then I’ll go make a copy of that and then we can arrange to do the paperwork for the financial transactions done in the next couple of days.

Mari: Sounds great.

Shirley: Okay!