Renting for the first time? Where to start…

If you started 2013 with the resolution of leaving the safety and comfort of your family home to stand on your own two feet for the very first time, you may well be beginning your search for a suitable Liverpool rental home.  We recently wrote a guide for first time renters, as well as a blog about renting with pets, which outlined a few tips for making your pet-inclusive rental application a winner in today’s competitive rental market.  We thought we’d add to this by going through the basic 5 step process of applying for your first rental home in Liverpool.

1. Finding a home: More and more, people are beginning their search online.  Some helpful real estate websites are realestate.com.au, domain.com.au, realestate view.com.au, and our website of local Liverpool properties at Professionals Paradise Realty Casula Real Estate.    Google maps and walkscore.com are also great tools for narrowing down your preferred neighbourhoods and checking for suitable facilities.
2. Preparing for your inspection: It’s a good idea to prepare for an inspection by making copies of everything you may need if you decide to make an application for the property.  Making copies of your photo ID and payslips, and collecting phone numbers of suitable referees, are always good ideas.  This will not only save you time later, but the Property Manager is likely to note your keenness when you drop your paperwork into the office immediately after your inspection.
3. Inspection etiquette: Have a chat with the agent hosting the inspection when providing your details, as they’ll then be more likely to remember you if you do submit an application.  If the property isn’t what you’re after, this is also a good opportunity to ask what else they have available – there may be another more suitable home being opened just around the corner.
4. Applying for a rental property: Always be honest when completing your application.  If you have pets, tell us about them, if you don’t have a fabulous rental history, explain what happened and how the situation is now different.  Property Managers will generally find these things out anyway, and you’ll always come across as a more responsible tenant if you’ve been upfront about it.
5. Making your first payment: Most leases will require the payment of a bond (often equivalent to 4 weeks rent), with the first month of rent prior to the hand-over of your front door key.  If you’re moving from mum and dad’s house, this won’t be too much of an issue, but if you’re moving from another rental house please note that it can take weeks for a previous bond to be released, so make sure you have additional money saved to pay these upfront costs.

For a more detailed discussion about your specific rental requirements, we’d love for you to visit our Professionals Paradise Realty Casula Real Estate office or give our Property Management team a call on 02 9601 7455.