Real estate agents offer tips on how to secure house during rental crisis in Australia

Real estate agents have suggested tenants write up a ‘resume’ for their family pet as one of several tips on how to secure a rental property.  

Demand for rentals continues to outstrip supply in many parts of Australia, leaving many families struggling to land a home amid fierce competition.

At the same time, apartment rents across the country have increased six times faster than wages, while house rents have climbed at triple the rate, according to recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Now, real estate agents have given their insight into how you can make your application stand out from the rest to reach the top of the pile. 

Real estate agents have suggested tenants write up a ‘resume’ for their family pet as one of several tips on how to secure a rental property

Hanna Cunliffe, property management principal for The Proper Group, said the key was to sell yourself and your family.

‘If somebody knows something about you, whether it’s your sales or rental agent, particularly what you’re interested in and why you like the area, it personalises you a bit more,’ she told the Courier Mail.

‘I’ll go more for people who are comfortable to tell you about their families and their pets

‘For an owner if someone says what they do, this is why I like the area, it makes them people. You aren’t just another application then and that makes it a different thing.’

Agents said it was also key to consider things from the landlord’s perspective, with many owners choosing tenants based on how they think they will look after the property. 

Lance Denovan, principal of Denovan’s Real Estate, said including a pet resume – how well the dog is trained and how you will look after it – often helped put landlords’ minds at ease. 

 Mr Deovan said it was also key to have your ducks in a row before applying: being organised and committed will make the whole process smoother for everyone involved.

‘If you’ve got that ready to go it sets you off on a really good path, because you can lodge that straight away,’ he said.

‘I’d say if there was a particular reason you wanted to live in that particular property, sometimes owners might resonate well with that.’

Offering over the asking price also helps, although may not be an option for cash-strapped families.

Agents said it was also key to consider things from the landlord’s perspective, with many owners choosing tenants based on how they think they will look after the property

Cameron Kusher, PropTrack director of economic research, said: ‘Logically, if people know a property is advertised at $550 per week and they offer $590, they have a better chance.

‘But a lot of people don’t have the capacity to do that.

‘A lot of people are just staying where they are even if their landlords are putting up the rent, because they see that as a better option than being back in the market and attending open homes alongside 30 or 40 people.’