Due to lots of questions posted on this site's Contact Us page, I've decided to revamp this thread and chuck in some valuable information.

The original thread went something like this:

You have to expect that if you show up January or June in Queenstown that finding a place to live is not as easy as you would expect. There is a very simple reason for this: supply an demand.

There are a set amount of places to live and when there are lots and lots of people that want those places they become more difficult to get. This same problem can be found when looking for jobs. You can have your pick in the slow season and be stressed in the busy season.

My advice is to get to town early and get settled in...

And here are the questions asked on the contact us page:

written by Amber Gardner, March 04, 2008
I am looking at coming over there, from Australia,to work in the ski season either by myself or with a friend or two.

I am looking for somewhere to stay while im am over there..

Anything from a room/studio to a 2 bedroom.. As cheap as possible!

Would it be better to go for Permenant rental or Holiday? Can you help me at all?

Thankyou!

written by Hayley, March 25, 2008
Hi there,

My partner and I are relocating to Queenstown from Wellington in a months time, however we are having difficulties finding a flat and all property agents wont let without a physical viewing first. Any suggestions would be muchly appreciated!

And some user answers:

written by Sarai, March 27, 2008
Know where you’re coming from Hayley, it’s really hard to find long term rental accommodation in Queenstown, we’ve been house-hunting recently too. Generally it was easier to deal with private listings as you can get a rapport going with the owner (also a bit cheaper, no agent’s fees!). Though to find them your best bet are the local papers, hard to do from Wellington.
Whether you go private or through an agent I’d suggest not to muck around once you’ve found one you like. Let them know you’re really, really keen, as even though this is supposed to be between seasons and easier to find accommodation, listings will go within the day.

Good luck! And enjoy Queenstown; it’s an awesome place, good on you for making the move!

Sarah

In regards to finding Accommodation in Queenstown, feel free to use the following real estate links:

Queenstown Accommodation Center
Southern Lakes Rentals
Executive Accommodation
Ray White Queenstown
Resort Rentals

The following 2 links also have rental listings, but you need to navigate to the 'Rent' sections, then select Otago, then Queenstown for Allrealestate.co.nz, or Queenstown-Lakes on Trademe.co.nz.

allrealestate.co.nz
www.trademe.co.nz

You can also place a Free Classified on this site as well. Our classifieds section is growing in popularity and every now and then, a flatmate wanted ad appears. It's free to place and ad, but you just need to register first.

Then we come to weekly publications that have private rental notices, or more frequently, flatmate wanted ads:

• Mountain Scene


• The Mirror


• Lakes Weekly Bulletin

Just google them to find their websites.

Once in Queenstown, there are a variety of public noticeboards that also have places to rent, and flatmate wanted ads. You can find them at:

Food Court Level - O'Connell's Pavilion: in the back corner
Queenstown.com Office
Vudu Cafe
and Every internet Cafe

That's about it for now. All I can say that finding a place here is not easy and can be rather stressful at the best of times. Most often, real estate agents will not be willing to let a place to you if you are not able to view it first. This is also the case with private rentals and flatmate wanted ads.

In most cases, you'll need to bunk up at a backpackers for a weeks or two while you look.

If anyone has any more questions, please place them here.

Thanks,

Nathan
Queenstown.com Editor

I'll be a prat.

We don't oppose you visiting our competing websites. After all, we're here to help you.

Mountain Scene. www.scene.co.nz
Mirror. www.stl.co.nz
LWB. www.lwb.co.nz
Latest edition. http://www.lwb.co.nz/lwb/latest.pdf
LWB is the way to go, grab their lastest pdf and you're set.

Oh come on. Mountain scene has a way better selection, and in order. The LWB's layout is shit, and you have to read the whole thing to find maybe half a dozen relevant ads. Bah!