4 Ways To Prepare For Your Rental Application

Having a safe and secure place to live is an essential part of having a fulfilling life, so if you are constantly missing out on a rental property, you must review your application process to find out how you can improve your chances. If you have a history of being a reliable tenant, it could just be an adjustment to your application documents that is needed to get your next home.

Are Your Income Details Current?

Most of the application forms used by rental agents ask for similar information, even if the forms themselves are slightly different. Obvious identifiers are your personal details, current address, previous addresses and your income details. Make sure these income details are the current ones and not those of the previous financial year.

Fill Out All the Fields on the Application Form

A common mistake that we see all the time is a tenancy applicant not completing all the fields in the application form. Often these are names and contact numbers of referees, so we then need to contact the applicant to obtain that information. This delays the application and it could be the difference between making the shortlist and missing out altogether.

An agent asks for detailed information for one reason. It is our responsibility to make sure that the tenants we place in the properties we manage have the financial capacity to pay the rent on time. At Bunbury Real Estate, we also carefully check all our tenant references, so our owners can be assured that their properties are occupied by responsible people who will look after them.

Have Multiple Copies of Identification Documents on Hand

There are two other pieces of advice we can give you to prevent you from missing out on likely rental properties. The first is that you have multiple copies of your identification documents ready on hand to be attached to any application form. Time is of the essence, so instead of chasing around to get copies when you see a suitable property, you can fill out the application and lodge it immediately with the rental agent, complete with attachments.

Check Contact Details for your Referees

The second piece of advice is to have references from former rental agents and/or property owners ready on hand, rather than wait to find a property then need to chase them up. Again, this causes delays in your application. Also, make sure you check that the contact details you have for them are current, and let them know you are moving and that rental agents will be contacting them.

Remember that preparation is everything when looking for a rental property and being the best prepared of all the applicants could just be the edge you need to get your next home.