Applying for a rental property? Follow our top tips!

Know what you want, and use online tools to find them

Are you looking for a three bedroom, two bathroom home in Papamoa? Do you know what school zone you need? Does the house need to be pet friendly? Sites like TradeMe allow your save these types of search criteria, and have any properties that pop up meeting that criteria be emailed directly into your inbox.

In a competitive rental market, you want to make sure that you are proactively applying for the properties that you are interested in. The New Zealand rental market can differ a lot to other overseas rental markets, and we often find people struggle when they arrive into the country, or have just been out of the rental market for a long time.  Using the online tools well will help you get into the home you want, faster.

Be Prepared

Do you know what is involved in filling out an application? There are different documents and information that you will need to provide in order for us to legally organise reference, background and credit checks.  Have your photo ID (NZ Drivers license or valid passport) ready to go so we can input this information into our system, along with the contact details for your referees.

Make yourself memorable

‍Let us know who’s in your family, do you have any pets, what you like to do in your spare time, and mainly why the property you have applied for would be a great fit for you.  We don’t need a novel, but some short sentences that paint a picture can be incredibly helpful. Pet CVs and photos are greatly welcomed! They make applicants really stand out from the crowd.  Once you have applied for the property online or in one of our office locations, give the Property Manager who is letting the property a call to let them know that your application is in, and that you are interested in a viewing or have already booked yourself in for one.

It is not imperative to have your application in for a property before a viewing, but it does help us to speed up the process.

Viewings – be on time and check in

Viewings can be very busy in this rental market. Here are a few things that can help you at a viewing:

Show up on time

A Property Manager may have other appointments and often cannot extend viewing times. This way you will get maximum face time with a Property Manager, and maximum time to check out the house and make sure it is suitable for you.

Introduce yourself to the Property Manager

The Property Manager will be checking off on a list who has booked in for the viewing, and they want to mark you as being present so they can follow up with you once the viewing is done. If you sneak in and out quietly, we may not know that you were there in the first place. Don’t get lost in the crowd!

Be respectful of the property

The way someone treats another persons home and belongings can speak volumes. Make sure you remove your shoes and don’t disturb any of the belongings. If you need to take a look in cupboards or measure any spaces, let the Property Manager know so they can assist you and know your intentions.

Before you leave a viewing…

Let the Property Manager know if you are interested in the property and if you would like your application to be put forward for consideration. This streamlines the process for you and the Landlord.

Be up front, honest – and be yourself!

In your application and your interactions with the Property Manager, be your genuine self.  It is important not to leave crucial information out of your application, as it is much better for us to know this up front than find it when our thorough background checks. Honesty is important, and as you will have a long term relationship with the Property Manager and Ray White it is best that this relationship starts on the right foot.

Talk to us, we’re here to help

Still have questions on how best to apply for a property? Get in touch with our friendly team.