How long did it take you to find your rental place?

[Guest bubbe2005]

I can be very picky (much like with jeans and shoes). When i see on domain.com.au for rentals, some will state the next available viewing, so lets say one had a viewing for October 25, if i miss that one would I have to call to see the next one, I just don't see why you (as the potential renter) can't be the one to decide on the date of the viewing, why does it have to be a specific date up to the rental agent? that's bloody annoying. I mean I just can't see myself viewing with a hundred other applicant (how am I supposed to take in the place and analyse it and ask the agent questions of concerns) as well as competing for that rental place.

[Guest Guest75]

Dates are set by the agent as they have to liaise with the tenants normally,it's unfair to expect tenants to drop everything,tidy the house for each individual rental candidate.

 

Also there is a lot of competition for many rentals. As many as 15 can turn up so the agent can normally find a tenant with one viewing ( if the rental is decent)

[NicF]

Tyke is right about it being unfair on the tenant to do viewings at lots of different times, but to be honest open inspections are pretty much the norm, even for empty properties and for house sales as well. Depending on where you want to live though demand for rental property varies and the numbers at viewings can be small. If you are interested in a property that is empty then it is possible the agents may be to arrange a viewing at a time other than during the open inspections. However don't bet on it as they may be busy with other things like opens on properties and inspecting occupied rentals, and if you a looking somewhere popular the property may have already been let.

 

We found our rentsl pretty quickly and my OH was the only person at the open for the house we are in now. However we live in an area with a lot of rental properties and the demand is lower than the supply. Nice properties get let quickly and the less nice ones stay on the market for longer. Depending on where you are looking you should be able to find somewhere reasonable pretty quickly. Although inspections are via opens the agents don't want properties sat empty for months so the opens are pretty frequent.

Edited October 21, 2012 by NicF

[Guest vikkiann]

It took us about 2 weeks to find a rental. We went to loads of opens and I was very picky, we have the right to be if we are going to be living here for the next 12 months. When we saw this house and decided to apply for it, I also offered lower than the rent they were asking and got it

[Guest nakigirl]

We found our place in two weeks. I am super picky and struggled with the whole open viewing scenario. We concentrated on looking in the local paper which has a lot of privately rented properties and this worked out really well. We viewed about 3-4 houses, all on our own with the landlords and spent ages in the one we eventually took. We could have moved in then and there as the place was empty but the landlord was happy to wait two weeks so our container could arrive. Have had no problems since, we have been here 5 months and he hasn't even wanted to inspect the property, Oh and he was happy for us to have our dog here as well.

[Guest La1ney]

Hi we got ours in about 3 weeks. It was the 5th house we had applied for. Going to all the open house viewing is really boring and they all start to look the same in the end. We did manage to always have a good chat with the agents. We were very grateful to be accepted were we are as we had to out of our short term rental. We were actually in the end accepted for 2 housse so we had a choice.

[sidestep]

It's also a frustrating process because you view the house with potentially untold numbers of other hopefuls, fill out an application form if you like the place then the agent takes them all to the landlord who then decides who gets it. You could end up going to loads and getting knocked back each time. It's just luck of the draw.

 

Good luck.

[Guest leeannekays]

We found ours in 1 week of arriving here. I didn't enjoy the process but it's just the way it's done over here. We turnt up and so did about 10 other families, all trying to talk to the agent. I had to really be strong and voice that this is the rental we wanted and I can move in ASAP and really sale us as a family. Then i put a pack into the agent the following morning. The pack was full of information on us including a reference and bank statement proving we could pay for the rental and so they got to know abit about us as a family. We got a call 2 hours later saying we had secured the rental. I was over the moon.

 

Leeanne x