5 Steps to Find a Rental in Australia
It’s often said that moving house is one of the top 5 most stressful events in a person’s life. Throw in a relocation from overseas and anxiety levels can be at an all time high! So what can you do to ease the chaos and uncertainty that naturally comes with migration to a new country? Having some clarity on where you will live tends to rate as number one among our clients.
Often where you will live is the cornerstone of your new lifestyle. By knowing where your new home is you can start to piece together the puzzle that is your new Australian life.
But where to start? If you have googled renting in Australia in the last 6 months you would have seen countless articles describing the rental crisis and how difficult it has been even for locals to secure homes. Our advice? Don’t believe all the hype. It’s competitive out there but not impossible. Follow our 5 steps below and feel free to get in touch with us direct if you’d like some professional assistance.
1. Search on Realestate.com.au.
There are countless websites and Facebook groups where properties are listed for rent however if you are looking for a traditional rental realestate.com.au is the best place to focus your search. It is the largest and is updated the most often. Other websites often do not remove properties quickly once a tenant has been found so you will be looking at homes potentially no longer available. You also need to be wary of Facebook groups as these have been havens for scammers advertising fake rentals.
2. Start your search 4 weeks before your ideal start date
Properties tend to be listed no more than a month in advance so starting your search any earlier will only show properties where your commencement date will not be preferred by landlords. Remember property managers will be aiming to minimise vacancy periods.
3. Inspect in person
Preference is always given to applicants who have seen the property in person or who have hired someone to view on their behalf. It is just too risky to place someone in a rental if there is a chance they may arrive and break their lease because they don’t like some aspect.
Make sure you attend the first open for inspection if possible. Agents will continue to open a property even if an application has been successful as they must wait until the lease is officially signed and first months’ rent transferred. If it isn’t the first inspection call the agent first to check there are no ‘pending applications’ - this will tell you if it’s worth attending or not.
4. Beware of any red flags in your application and address
Rental laws across Australia have been strengthened in the last 5 years that give tenants increased rights. While this is fantastic and much needed change it has made it harder for landlords to evict tenants. Even when a tenant stops paying rent for long periods or has caused significant damage to a property it can still take months for a landlord to have them removed. This can be catastrophic for some landlords financially so much care and consideration is given to who they will ultimately allow to rent their property.
We recommend writing a cover letter to explain your situation and assure the property manager and landlord that you are a conscientious tenant that will care for the property as if it’s your own and pay the rent on time.
Red flags such as no job can be addressed by explaining your employment plans and providing proof of savings to cover the time until you secure a role. For example, a project manager may specify the sector they work in and explain the demand there is for their skillset and salary range. If you have any job interviews lined up in advance this is also useful information to share.
5. Put forward your best offer
Landlords will be looking for the best applicant on paper but small details may make you stand out such as:
Offer to start the lease as close as possible to the availability date
Add an extra $10-15 per week to the weekly rental amount
Offer 3-6 months rent up front. We only recommend this if you are unemployed though as it’s not appealing to all property managers.
Make sure you use the agent’s chosen platform for applications (eg. Realestate.com, 2Apply, Snug) as this will make the processing easier for them and they should be able to provide you with an answer sooner.
It is also vital you apply immediately after you inspect the property to ensure your application is one of the first to be considered by the landlord . For example, if a property is first opened on a Thursday evening you must apply that night. Applications will be processed and passed on to the landlord on Friday. Sometimes they will open the property again on Saturday morning however the landlord already has applications from Thursday night so it’s likely one of them will be approved and leases signed on the Monday before the Saturday applications even get a look in.
If you are still having trouble getting approved or would simply like to reduce the stress of your move please fill in our survey here and we’ll get in touch to discuss next steps.
