Stand out from the crowd and ace your rental application with these tips.
As rental vacancy rates shrink around the country and competition for properties heats up, your tenancy application needs to go above and beyond. Upgrade your application with these tips from our Ray White property management experts.
Ray White TRG Director of Property Management Jerome Srot first and foremost advises providing as much solid financial and employment information as possible.
“A lot of landlords have been burnt by or are worried about unreliable tenants and obviously want to avoid getting caught out or exposed to rent defaults and messy tribunal cases during a tenancy,” Mr Srot said.
“Rental history and a reference from your previous managing agent also remains a very valuable piece to any application. A strong rental history and reference will give both the landlord and agent a lot of comfort about your prospects as a solid candidate.”
He also recommends offering three months rent in advance, if possible, to make your application more attractive to landlords.
Meanwhile, Ray White Southbank Head of Property Management Persa Kapsali recommends getting the completed application in quickly and to ensure that all the details on the application are completed.
“We often get a few applications at a time and when they are incomplete there is a delay with presenting the application to the rental providers as we have to chase and follow up the information,” Ms Kapsali said.
“If we have completed applications that we can process, they get presented to the rental providers straight away.”
The Melbourne property manager also had some great advice for pet owners and said if they have pets, include information about the pet (even a mini resume) and some cute photos.
But both property managers agree that one of the best ways to stand out is introduce yourself at inspections and create a good first impression.
“I would always recommend that the potential tenant introduces themself at the inspection so we know who the people are when they apply. It really does help to be able to put a friendly face to an often black and white application,” Ms Kapsali said.
“Any additional information helps when the owners make a decision as they might be able to relate to a certain applicant more.”
Mr Srot echoed this and said the way in which you communicate and interact with the property or leasing agent also leaves an impression.
“If you are courteous, act professionally and do the things you say you will do in a timely manner as opposed to not responding to calls, SMS or emails and not turning up to a private inspection, this will leave either a positive or negative impression with the agent,” he said.
“Something that may impact the way in which they speak about your character to the landlord.”
