By Holly McGuinness
Applying for a rental property can be a scary time, often feeling like there’s too much to do and the applications are endless, but it doesn’t have to be over complicated if you know what you’re doing.
With so many people currently applying for rentals at the moment, property managers often have hundreds of applications to filter through, so ensuring you have all the required paperwork filed will streamline the process and set you apart from applicants with missing documents.
For most applications you’ll need 100 points of identification and it’s important to make sure they’re up to date, get together a valid photo ID (passport, drivers licence, photo identification card), a secondary ID (medicare card, healthcare card, bank card) and proof of current address (bank statement, utility bill with current address listed).
You’ll need to prove your current income to ensure your affordability of the property, as sometimes what you think you can afford and what the real estate requirements are can differ.
Proof of income often includes your most recent payslips (Not a payslip from six months ago, they need to be up to date), a most recent Centrelink income statement, latest tax return or bank statements, but it’s best to check with the real estate exactly which they accept and make sure these are all your most recent up to date copies.
You’ll need proof of previous rental history, with contact details for the real estate you rented though and a summary of your rental payment history such as a rental ledger.
Finally, although not essential, it’s a good idea to include a brief description of yourself in a cover letter. This can often stand you apart in helping the landlord depict the kind of tenant you will be.
Overall, providing more information will assist property managers in putting together your application, once you’ve viewed property you’re applying for and deemed it suitable, they’ll have everything ready to go.
Although the rental market is highly competitive at the moment, still be careful with which properties you apply for and keep an eye out for potentially hidden issues like low ventilation or visible mould.
