Rental Property - Find Your Ideal Lease
Trying to find a great rental property that suits your needs doesn’t have to be difficult, here are some ideas to help you in the process.
Rental Property Search
Have a look at some of the major property sites such as domain and realestate.com.au to see what’s available, you can check our rental listings here too.
Narrow your search criteria based on the suburb, whether you are looking for a unit or a house, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and car parking spaces.
Let your family and friends know that you are looking for a new place, you never know who else might be looking, who has a spare room or has a place to let. You could also share a post on social media to share with your closed network, in case they know of any opportunities.
There are plenty of flat-sharing websites too if you’re willing to move into a flat or house share.
Assessing a Rental Property
Once you have a property in mind, go to a viewing and see if it suits your criteria. You may wish to ask people in the building or on the same street what they think of the area. This will give you a feel for what to expect once you’ve moved in.
Is the price reasonable? You could compare it to other properties in the neighbourhood to check that its competitive or do a check to find what it previously rented for via a home price checker app.
Consider putting together a checklist of all the things you require from a rental property, to help you properly determine if it’s a good fit.
Talk to the Agent
Ask your agent whether the landlord favours a short or long term tenant. This will give you a better indication of whether the rental will be a good fit. For example, you may be looking for a long term lease but the landlord is planning to return to the property in a years time. It’s better to get an understanding of the landlord’s plans prior to signing the lease.
Most leases are 6 or 12 months, however, the period may be negotiated if it suits both parties.
You might also ask the agent to keep you informed of any new rental properties that become available which may fit your criteria.
If the property is missing something you are looking for, eg: installing NBN, ask the agent if you are allowed to get it installed, or if there are any plans to get it installed.
Let the Agent Know You are Interested
All in all, the best fit application will get the lease, but expressing your interest does help.
If you have viewed a property and think it will be a good fit, let the agent know during the viewing. Alternatively, call or email the Property Manager afterwards and express that you like the property.
Submit a Strong Application
Lodging a strong application will help you get the lease. For example, demonstrating that you have good savings and/or stable long term employment that indicates you will be able to afford the rent.
Make sure that you fill out all the required information so you stand the best chance of securing the property.
Let your referees know that you have put them down on your application and that they may get a call. This way they are prepared and are more likely to be available to take the landlord or agents call.
Leave on a Good Note
When you leave your old rental property, make sure that you show you have looked after the property by leaving it in a clean and tidy state. A positive reference will help you when seeking future rental properties.
We’ve also written some expert tips on moving to a new rental property, you can see these over on the Smooth Moves website.
