Thursday, February 28, 2008

Rental Applications Being Taken as Seriously as Job Applications

Renters are treating the house-hunting process like the search for a job, even submitting resumes and photographs of themselves with their tenancy applications.

As Sydney's rental crisis spirals out of control, many applicants are also offering $50 to $100 above the asking rent to secure a property. Some are offering to pay 12 months rent in advance to secure a place to live.

People have been putting together compendiums of their whole lives, together with glowing references, binding them, and presenting them as if they're awards. The Marquette Turner team can certainly attest to this. One instance we can name are a Kiwi couple in their early 20's that put together a presentation folder of the quality that our agents would present.

We're being given life stories, their CVs, referrals, savings history, parent/employer guarantees and even including portfolio pictures of themselves.

It really is like applying for a job, they want to make their applications stand out. And, quite simply, this DOES go along way.

Finding a property to rent these days is almost a full-time job - and thus it is being taken just as seriously as career applications.

Building a raport with the real estate agent also goes a long way - they are after all the ones that provide the landlord with the applications and their "thoughts" on each applicant.

Michael Marquette or Marquette Turner confirms this, saying that "It is becoming increasingly rare for rental properties to become vacant these days, with existing tenants more willing than ever to sign up a new lease, rather that simply continue month to month."

He continues "On the rare occasion that a property does become vacant, tenants are already offering much higher than the asking rent, so it's becoming like a rental auction, and with so many people being forced to sell up as interest rates rise, more people will be forced into the rental market."

Quite simply, the situation for would-be tenants continues to look challenging.

Simon Turner simon@marquetteturner.com.au

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