Article By Dylan Hasson If you’ve gone through the process of finding and securing the perfect rental property (or currently going through the process) then you’ve likely experienced the multiple frustrations of doing so. From taking time out of the day to go view properties, the transport costs of getting to the viewings (sometimes to find that you’ve been “catfished” and the property looks nothing like it does in the photos), and then experiencing the excitement of finding the perfect home only to be informed that your application was unsuccessful. Talking from experience of going through the process with my wife within the last year – it can be very frustrating and demotivating to find and secure your perfect rental property. Coincidentally, not long after going through the process of securing our rental home, I find myself working in the real estate industry with a large focus on, you guessed it, rental properties. In this article I’ve compiled a few tips which could potentially help hopeful tenants secure their preferred property, whether applying through a real estate company or directly through the landlord. 1) View The Property. Or at the very least, have someone view it on your behalf if you’re unable to attend a scheduled viewing. Some software for property management which manages the applications will automatically decline an application if the tenant has not viewed the property. If your circumstances make it impossible to view a property and you have nobody who is able to view it on your behalf (perhaps you live out of town and have not yet met anyone nearby who can view the property for you) then before applying, contact the listing property manager (or landlord), explain your circumstances and ask if they will do a walkthrough video for you during their next viewing and if they will accept that as you’ve viewed the property. Then if you decide to apply you can “tick” that you’ve viewed the property and your application will likely not be automatically declined. 2) Supply A Good Rental Resume. Imagine being in the Property Manager’s and Landlord’s shoes, to put it simply, they’re looking for a stranger who they can trust to take care of an expensive asset and pay rent on time. By providing a good tenant resume about yourself, your family or housemates, you’re able to convey a message to the Property Manager or landlord about who you are and what kind of tenant you will be. Although this won’t guarantee that you will secure a property, it could allow a Property Manager and landlord to get to know you a bit more personally instead of being just an applicant amongst other applicants and therefore could potentially increase your chance of being a preferred applicant. In a future article I’ll go more into more details about creating a great tenant resume with an example layout. Essentially though, your rental resume should deliver your message efficiently without being multiple pages long of reading. 3) Be “Memorable”. If the property you’re applying for is well-priced and in a popular area, the Property Manager or landlord is likely going to have a lot of interactions at viewings and receive a number of applications. When interacting with the Property Manager or landlord, whether at a viewing or phone call, or text or email, be one of the people they remember by simply being friendly and polite. Property Management can often be a stressful job. Things go wrong and Property Managers often deal with unpleasant situations and difficult people (one of the reasons they’re looking for the right tenants for a property) so by being friendly and polite can go a long way towards being somebody that a Property Manager would want to work with as a tenant. This point also goes hand-in-hand with the previous point of supplying a good rental resume. An eye-catching resume which delivers your message efficiently is a powerful way of standing out from other applicants. 4) Consider Offering More. A rental in a sought-after area or that’s priced very well is bound to attract a lot of interest and therefore more competition, so consider putting your best offer in. With properties for sale, buyers will put their best offer in to increase their chances of the seller accepting their offer, so the same approach could be taken in the rental market. If a landlord has multiple applications to choose from, the one offering slightly more will surely stand out. Now I’m well aware that people will try save money where possible instead of paying more, especially as the cost of living continues to increase, but consider all factors when taking this approach, for example, the property might be located in the perfect location for your requirements and could potentially save you on both travel time and costs during your commute to and from work, schools, etc. Offering slightly more on the rental might save you more money elsewhere and it might just be the difference of securing the perfect rental or losing out on it. 5) Consider Offering Less. Sometimes, properties just don’t rent out quickly and often this is due to the asking price simply being too high. As property professionals we see it often that a landlord has expectations of achievable rental income that are just not realistic. Whether the expectations are from news articles stating “rents on the rise” or perhaps they had a rental appraisal done during a time of very high rental demand. The real estate market is constantly changing, a property can be listed, generate good interest and have viewings, but not attract any applications from tenants and this often results in a property sitting vacant for a long period of time. Although a property may be suitable for potential tenants who have come to view it, they may feel the asking rental is too high and not submit an application at all. In these instances, the only way a landlord…
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