‘It can pull heart strings’: Include your bio and other tips to get a rental

Rental markets around the country are currently so hot that in some states, listings are seeing more than 70 people lining up to apply for a single property.

With so much demand and such little supply, potential tenants need to ensure their application stands out above the rest, and experts in the area say it’s not just about dressing the part at inspections.

Get your paperwork together

The first step is ensuring you have all the relevant paperwork together so you can make the process as fast and smooth as possible.

“Include a well-crafted cover letter, complete the rental history section thoughtfully and provide three pay slips or, if self-employed, the last tax return and a letter from your accountant,” said Jessica Melling of LJ Hooker Robina.

Include a short bio

Ray White Surry Hill’s Anita Sano suggests including a short but detailed bio which can help landlords form a connection with the applicant.

“When the landlord reads someone’s bio, it can kind of pull heart strings a little bit. If they were a psychology student in their time and you have a psychology student applying, they might think ‘I’d like to give that person a chance’.”

Organise your references

Ensuring you have multiple references ready to respond to agents’ calls is an integral part of helping you land that rental.

“Usually, tenants are waiting on their references and that’s the reason they’ve missed out,” said Ms Melling.

“Inform your references in advance about potential calls and emails. Request a swift response to the property manager.”

Move fast

With a tight rental market, it’s essential to make sure you have all your ducks in a row so you can move as fast as possible.

“If you like something apply straight away,” said Ms Sano.

“Landlords don’t want it to be a dragged-out process, they want to secure someone quickly and don’t want to worry about vacancy or having it online too long.”

Ensuring you have multiple references ready to respond to agents’ calls is an integral part of helping you land that rental. Pic: Shutterstock

Maintain relationships with agents

If you miss out on a property, try to keep and maintain a good relationship with the agent.

Often agencies have off-market properties that haven’t hit online listing portals yet but are ready to be leased.

“If you’re on our books and have a good application, the likelihood of us contacting you is quite high,” Ms Sano said.

This article originally was originally published on view.com.au.