Hunts Posted July 14, 2019 Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 Hi everyone, We are arriving in Melbourne on Saturday and only have 2 weeks in a hotel apartment so we won't have much time to find a rental property. Does anyone have any firsthand advice relating to the rental process? I have been looking for a cover letter template but they all seem very generic. We also have a dog so we need to add that information to the letter as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberJoe Posted July 14, 2019 Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 Hi @Hunts We did not even need a rental cover letter, our agents were only interested in: The application form completed for the rental we wanted Identity documents References - Any previous place you've rented who would be willing to give you a reference. We asked the AirBnB owner we rented from for a month for a reference and this was accepted Proof of previous rental accommodation payments - This was the big one. The agents were very happy to accept our proof of payment for the AirBnB as well as our previous home loan statements. If you have a rent journal, get a copy and submit that. The agent said, it shows good tenancy characteristics. As for finding a rental, best to be prepared. Unlike South Africa where houses are available for a viewing the whole of Sunday or during the week. Apartments in Sydney at least are only available for 15 minutes on Saturdays! So, if you want to see two places a bit further away from each other it is quite a bit of a rush to get around. We found it best to make use of RealEstate.com's map search function to determine if we'll be able to make the inspections in time for the rentals we were interested in. Domain is also a great site to find more options. https://www.realestate.com.au/rent/in-melbourne+city+-+greater+region%2c+vic%3b+/map-1?channel=rent&includeSurrounding=false&persistIncludeSurrounding=true&source=location-search https://www.domain.com.au/ All the best, it is a bit nerve wrecking at first but sure you'll be fine! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunts Posted July 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 Thanks for the help @CyberJoe. I've heard that the whole process is rather daunting. We have already bought a car which we are picking up next week Tuesday so that will be a help with getting between different viewings. I've read a lot of conflicting information about the documents that are required when applying for a rental. A covert letter, a cover latter for your pet, references, bank statements, employment letter, salary certificate etc. I'll still prepare a cover letter in case the agents that we deal with do ask for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frosty Posted July 15, 2019 Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 Not sure if things are different in Melbourne to Adelaide. We recently went through the process of securing rental. As mentioned each viewing is literally 15 minutes and all those who are interested will be viewing at the same time. The agents here unfortunately don't work around your schedule, you need to work around theirs. Also, no use in really contacting an agent directly and telling them what you are interested in, 9/10 times they will just refer you to the website and request you do everything online. You are not going to get the 'hands on' experience that one is use to in South Africa. Most agencies require you to register a profile on a website and from there you upload all the required info. If you are lucky all the properties you are interested in will use the same platform and you can submit your Expressions of Interest for all the ones you like from the same platform (saves a lot of time). Only once your EOI is successful do you have the opportunity to officially apply, so don't be afraid to send out more than one EOI. Search for what you like online and go view them when they are open for viewing. Have documents such as Passports, Bank Statement, Visa Letter, Salary Slips etc available to upload. We didn't have any rental info as we had lived in our own property back in SA and just mentioned that and showed proof thereof. We also didn't have any current salary slips in Australia as we just arrived, so we just showed funds we have available in accounts (both Australia and abroad) and showed we are receiving an income from properties back in South Africa. In short, provide enough information that will make the owner feel comfortable having you as a tenant, so put yourself in their shoes when providing information. You can detail you situation in a cover letter and upload that, however I don't think we did that. If I remember correctly there was a section on the online form which allowed us to provide additional information. But in the end I guess it comes down to the platform the agent uses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 Preload your application ready with all the supporting documents even before you view the property. When you see it and you like it, tell the agent you've already applied and if it seems interest in the property is high and competition is tough, offer either a longer lease or a 4 - 6 weeks upfront payment. (PS: Agents aren't allowed to ask you for this). Be nice - agents literally will not lease to someone they don't like if there are other potential tenants as they have to deal with you for the duration of your lease and if you're demanding, rude, difficult etc, you'll go to the bottom of the pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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