Finding a Rental Property

For tenants, the rental market at the moment is tough. There is no way to soften the truth. With a vacancy rate of just 1.7% in the outer suburbs and 1.5% in Melbourne itself, finding a house to rent has become a near-Herculean task.

At our agency, we only have a vacancy rate of 1%. Miniscule, we know.

Many of our recent open for inspections have been inundated with prospective tenants - the hoards that were once restricted to the city are moving southwards.

If you're searching for a rental property, there are a few handy hints that could make your search easier and your application more appealing. However, it isn't really up to the agent to decide who moves into where - at our agency, it's our landlords who give the final tick to approving a tenant.

Tips:

1. The ideal time to begin searching for your rental property is around 1 month in advance. This is because most tenants provide 28 days notice to vacate and the rental is then advertised soon after.
2. Check large websites like Realestate.com.au and Domain.com.au as they have listings from multiple agencies - it will save you time.
3. When you fill out your application form, provide all the information the agency requests. We know it's time consuming, we know they can be difficult to complete, but it's to your advantage to do so. We rely on the information you provide - if you don't fill out the forms correctly, then we can't reference check you fully and your application may suffer.
4. Provide photocopies of your 100 points of identification. This isn't optional. You must provide your ID. If you're unsure about meeting the 100 points, just call the agency and check. (You will get Brownie Points for photocopying them yourself - at least from me - but that doesn't mean you're assured a property.)
5. It's normal to be anxious about your application, but please don't call every day to check its process. Your application is probably not the only one sitting on the desk for that particular property. Each application has to be submitted to the NTD (National Tenancy Database), reference checked and presented to the landlord. This takes time.
6. And finally, remember to be courteous. We're people too (despite what's said about real estate agents).