The current rental crisis has meant that huge queues to view one rental property are now the norm.
And other than offering more money (that we may or may not have), how can renters increase their chances of snaffling a property?
Clairsy & Lisa spoke to Ray Ellis, Chief Executive at First National Real Estate who gave us some obvious – and not so obvious – tips for renters to get on the front foot.
One of the first is to form a relationship with your local real estate agent and let them know who you are and have all your paperwork ready.
“Don’t inspect the property and then go ‘oh, we’ll start to get our credit report, our employment history and our rental history together’,” Mr Ellis said. “Have that ready then so that when you go to the property, give it to the person straight away, make your application straight away and that puts you ahead of the pack.”
He also mentioned Facebook.
“We are not judging people’s lives but if you want to become a good tenant, tidy up your social media pages,” he said.
“We want you to have fun and enjoy life but if it demonstrates you’re trashing property, that wouldn’t look too kindly to make you become a good tenant.”
Mr Ellis also had a completely surprising view on renters who had pets.
“It’s one of those great conundrums because all the fact show that someone with a pet is actually a better tenant,” he said. “No one wants three alligators or crocodiles in their rental, but landlords are now much more accepting to having pets because it shows they’re a better tenant.”
We also got his thoughts on how Airbnb in contributing to the problem and what needs to happen for the rental market to calm down… and when?
Hit PLAY to hear the full chat…
