It is no secret that applying for properties in a competitive rental market is no easy feat.

No matter the market conditions, one of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked over the years is during my time in the real estate industry is, “How can I make my rental application stand out above the others?”.

Many people are not aware that majority of the time, it is not the Property Manager who makes the final decision of who is approved for the property. We are here to present the facts to our owners, with intentions of making it easy for them to make an informed, unbiased decision on which application they should proceed with.

Here is a list of some simple tips to help you along the way in applying for your next rental.

1. Be Organised

This tip gets first place, because in my opinion it is the most important of all. Commonly this is one of the things that can delay an application process, when we are needing to request further information from prospective tenants, and correlate the information ourselves. When we are dealing with a high volume of applications, one of the things we look for first is an application which has everything we need ready to go! We are fortunate to now have online application platforms which streamlines a lot of the process and make things simple for you; 2Apply and 1Form are most commonly used across many agencies. You have the option to pre-fill out all of your current details, and upload current documentation as you go (make sure your Identification and employment documents are current!). This also allows you to easily apply for multiple properties at the touch of a button, right from your phone at the viewing! We love to see an organised application with all the information ready for us at a glance. The organised bird has the best chance of getting the worm!

2. Call Your References Ahead of Time

This might seem like a no-brainer, however there can be many occasions where a Property Manager attempts to call a reference only for the email to bounce back, the number to be disconnected, or our calls are not returned as we are mistaken for spam. Before you start applying for properties, call your references ahead of time! Especially if you have not spoken to them in a while, as their details might have changed. Request their permission to put their contact information down as your reference so they can expect our call. You can even send them an email with a form from either application platform, and they can pre-fill their answers regarding your tenancy in a questionnaire, ready for us to submit straight to the landlord.

3. Register for Viewings, and Be Punctual!

Viewing a property prior to applying is a vital pre-requisite when renting. With a high volume of attendees in a competitive rental market, it is essential that we can keep track of who the prospective tenants are. We understand that prospective tenants cannot make each and every viewing, however we do notice consistent “no-shows”. Many of the real estate marketing platforms allow you to register, or de-register for an advertised home open. This also gives you the opportunity to formally introduce yourself to the property manager or leasing agent at the viewing when we are checking off names at the door, so we can put a face to your application when it’s time for it to be processed!

Present yourself well, be courteous and considerate to others, and show up on time! Rental home opens work a little differently to a sales open. Oftentimes the property is still tenanted, and we must all be mindful of the allocated timeframe so we do not disturb the occupants. If you are viewing an apartment, it is essential to attend the viewing from the exact commencement time, as you may miss your opportunity to view if the leasing agent has brought a large group up the lift to the apartment at one time. There may be a small amount of flexibility at a standalone house viewing, however you may find you’d like the opportunity to ask some questions about the home! Oftentimes the agent will have another open scheduled back to back, and you may miss the opportunity to ask if they need to leave.

4. Tell Us More About Your Circumstances

Applying for a rental property is not quite like applying for a loan, where there may be set timeframes required for your living and employment circumstances in order to be eligible. We understand there are many different situations that people may be in when applying for a property. There is a personal biography section most application forms, which will allow you to tell us a bit more about yourself and your situation. This helps us supply our owners with concise information, and gives us the bigger picture when it comes to the official details you have supplied.

5. Be ready, and Reachable!

With all of these tips, there is a good chance you will be contacted at any time with an accepted application! If you miss the call, be prompt in getting back to us to inform us if you would like to accept the offered lease. If you do accept, be prepared by telling us the date you would like to move into the property, and have your bond and two weeks ready to transfer within 24 hours of acceptance. We also appreciate if you are upfront about your intentions to lease a property, as there is many administrative work we must undertake in the background once you accept. We understand in this market, many renters are applying for several properties at once, and that you may not wish to lease the property we have offered you, however we see many people accept a property in fear that they may not be able to secure a rental at all. We are often just as excited as you when we get to approve an application, and we move fast to get the paperwork in front of you if you accept. If you are unsure about accepting the property right away, let us know your intentions and we can work with you to get you into your dream home!

We hope you find these tips invaluable to get you into your new home.

Whether you are applying for one or many, these tips should assist you in making the process a breeze.