New Year, New Home

January signifies the start of a new year whereby many of us make new promises to ourselves, create new year resolutions, add new adventures to our bucket list, update our wardrobe with new pieces, commit to buying a new car; and if you are a tenant in January, you will quickly realise that January is also the month that a massive number of people madly rush to settle in to their new rental home, resulting in what can feel like chaos for many tenants.

Landlords love this time of year as demand is at its peak and their investments lease easily. For Leasing Agents, January is bitter sweet – it’s by far the busiest month of the year, creating all sorts of stress, but on the other hand, it’s a month for kicking goals and delivering amazing results to clients. For tenants on the other hand, this time of year can be quite stressful and chaotic to navigate. So here are a few tips from our Leasing Manager, Yvette, on how to get through this transition a little easier as a tenant.

1. Start looking in advance – do not, I repeat, do not start looking for your new home last minute in the first quarter of any year, especially January. Demand is high which mean you have far more competition than you would at any other time of the year. Start looking 4-6 weeks out from when you want to move in, so you are well prepared.
2. Book private inspections – a proactive and committed leasing agent will jump at the opportunity to take you through a home privately. If you can, schedule this viewing before the weekend open home – this gives you a competitive advantage over other prospective tenants. At Eastside, if you were to apply, are approved, pay your deposit and send your lease back before the open home, the house is secured to you and you have effectively beat your competitors (woo-hoo!)
3. Only send complete application forms – the faster we can process your application and send it to the owner, the faster we can get a decision back to you. Sending an agent an incomplete application forms dramatically slows down the process as we must follow you up and chase phone numbers and email for employers, agencies and references. Always include 100 points of ID, payslips, pet applications and the email and phone number for your current agent, employer and referees when applying. Doing this may just be the reason your application lands on our owner’s lap before others!
4. Apply before viewing – some agencies do not allow this, so it is best to check before you do. Here at Eastside we strongly encourage tenants to apply before their scheduled inspection. This allows us to process it before we meet at the property and if everything checks out and the owner is happy with what they see, we can often give approval once you have inspected the home. This again speeds up the process for you and shows our agency and our owners that you are seriously considering the home.
5. Only apply for homes you love – a part of our application processing includes checking tenants on TICA which is a tenancy database. This database shows our agency how many times you have been searched by other agencies who are also processing an application for you. If you are appearing on this database 10000 times, it doesn’t fill any agent with confidence. Think from an agent’s perspective, if you have applied for 15 properties and are approved for 5+, you are going to be declining a lot. This wastes a lot of time for an agent. Only apply for those you actually love and can see you and your family living in. We want to place the best fitting tenant in our properties as much as you want to be approved for your favourite home!
   
6. Check your email and phone regularly – we will regularly need to contact you via phone and email once processing of your application begins. Make sure you always have your phone on you and reply to all messages and calls promptly to avoid missing out on a property. If you take too long to respond to a successful application email/phone call, the owner may instruct us to move on to the next if you are unable to confirm you receipt/get your lease and deposit back in time.
7. Work with an agent – again, a proactive agent should want to help you find a home as it means their investments are rented quicker. Work with an agent that is keen to help you find a suitable property on their books. Provide your contact details and a summary of what you are after, that way they can notify you when a home is available or becoming available.

Finding a new home to rent can, but shouldn’t be, exhausting. We hope the tips Yvette has provided will help you find your next dream home. If you are currently looking and would like assistance with the process, call Yvette and her team – 33905000 or email yvette@eastsidepropertycentre.com.au