How to nail your first rental application

So you’re ready to take the plunge and move into your own rental property…that’s great. But many first-time renters find themselves in a bit of a conundrum.

In order to nail a rental application, there’s a focus on previous rental history. And, of course, as a first-time renter, that’s something you don’t have.

But, don’t let that hold you back. Every renter has been a newbie at some point, so here are our top tips on how to nail your first rental application…

What’s required in a rental application?

A successful rental application involves proving you are who you claim to be, are the type of person who will look after a property, and have the income to afford the property.

That means it’s one part identity check, one part character references and one part evidence of income.

The identity part is relatively easy and involves providing a standard 100 points of ID, such as a combination of your driver’s licence, recent utilities bill, Medicare card, passport etc.

Income should also be pretty straightforward. It might involve a current payslip, bank statement, or perhaps your most recent tax return.

The application process will also see a property manager check in with your employer to ensure you have the regular income required to pay for the property.

Then comes the character checks, which often include a focus on rental history…

Character checks

Character checks will see the property manager seek references from people who know you as a person.

These can’t be members of your family, but instead will be other people you know who speak to the fact you are an upstanding and responsible person.

A character referee might be a fellow employee where you work or someone reputable who has known you for a long time.

Speaking with your employer also forms part of the character check process. In addition to ensuring you are employed and can afford to pay the rent, the chat the property manager has with your employer will also cover a little about what sort of person you are.

At this stage, property managers would also normally seek to ascertain your previous rental history by checking things like tenancy databases and speaking with previous property managers.

This is the type of information that you won’t have as a first-time renter, but there are other things you can provide instead.

What to include if you don’t have a rental history

If you don’t have a previous rental history, your attention should turn to providing references that indicate you have the ability to look after a property and are reliable.

These might include:

A reference from a neighbour – which adds weight to what type of resident you are and how well you might look after a property.

A reference from previous share accommodation – which speaks to your ability to consistently pay rent and look after a property.

The final word

At some point every renter has applied for their first property and has been in the position where they don’t have a rental history.

Property managers know and understand this and take it into account. The best thing you can do is find alternative ways to showcase how reliable you are as a person and how well you would take care of someone’s valuable financial asset.

How we can help

Our experienced property managers pride themselves on establishing great relationships with both rental occupiers and owners.

We manage every property as if it were our own and you can learn more about our property management services here.

Alternatively, if you are looking to rent a property, you can view the properties we currently have available here.