Tips for completing a tenancy application form
Depending on where you are planning to rent across Australia, you may find yourself in a highly competitive rental market. Which is why, at Property Excellence, we have put together these tips for completing a Tenancy Application Form… because first impressions matter.
So how can you give your application the best chance for success? How can you create an application that stands out in all the right ways?
Ensure EVERY section of the application form is completed
It may sound simple, but ensuring that your application form is completed in full (and that all the information is accurate and your supporting documents are included) becomes a HUGE time saver for the Agent processing your application, which in turn ensures that your processed application is presented to the landlord as quickly as possible. The more time an Agent has to spend following up with you to obtain the necessary information required, the more application forms that have likely been presented to a landlord before your application has been able to be processed and as such the higher the risk that your application form may not be able to presented to a landlord before they approve a tenant for their property.
Make sure you include all the required supporting documentation
There are 2 main types of supporting documentation that a Real Estate Agency will ask you to include with your application. These are:
- 100 points of Identification documents (examples below)
- Drivers License
- Passport
- Medicare card
- Photo ID card
- Bank statement
- Rental receipts or Residential Tenancy Agreement
- Utility bill (electricity, phone, etc)
- Proof of income (examples below)
- Recent payslips
- Centrelink income statement
- Bank statements
- Financial tax return (if self employed)
Whilst it may seem frustrating to have to put all this together, these documents are extremely important as they allow the Real Estate Agency (on behalf of the landlord) to run the necessary tenancy screening checks as well as to confirm that the property you are applying for is affordable based on your current income (after all, it will would very irresponsible and unethical for an Agent to lease you a property for $400 per week if your weekly income was only $300 per week).
Accuracy of information
Whether it be contact details for yourself, contact details for your references, previous rental history or employment information, it is imperative that you ensure the information you provide is accurate. Incorrect information could result in delays in the processing of your application, or worse yet, your application being declined due to providing false information (for example, false rental history or false employment/income information).
Organise your housemates
Did you know that many Real Estate Agencies have a policy in place which requires all persons above the age of 18 that will be residing at a property to complete an application form for tenancy?
As such, if you plan on renting a property with other people, it’s important that you take the time to get on the same page as your housemates. You’d be surprised how many applications are delayed from being presented to a landlord because not all applicants have completed an application form.
Rental history
Ahh rental history… Some of us have it, some of us don’t. For those of you that have it, this is your time to shine (hopefully… that is, assuming that you’ve always done the right thing, paid your rent on time, met your obligations as a tenant, etc etc). For those of you that don’t yet have a rental history, don’t be alarmed, most of us will be a first time tenant at some stage in our lives… don’t let the fact you haven’t rented before deter you from applying (the secret here is, if you haven’t rented before, make sure your personal references SHINE… more about that in a bit).
When completing this section of the application form:
- Ensure that you include ALL your rental history (don’t skip that rental 6 months ago where you left owing money… us Agent’s have ways of finding out. For more on that, read our article on the importance of paying rent on time)
- If possible, give your previous Real Estate Agent’s and/or Landlord’s a heads up that we’ll be contacting them to obtain a rental reference. This will allow them the courtesy to know that we’ll be contacting them as well as assists in preventing a delay in obtaining your rental references
- If possible, include copies of your rental ledgers for your previous tenancies in with your supporting documents
- Ensure that the contact details you provide for previous Real Estate Agencies and Landlords are accurate (heads up, Agent’s have a way of checking the ownership details of a property, meaning that if you falsify the property owners information, we can find out and in turn this could result in your application being declined for providing false information)
References, references, references
Don’t underestimate the importance of a quality reference. Whether it be rental references, personal references or employment references… A good reference (or a bad reference) can be the difference between your application or someone else’s application being approved by a Landlord or Agent.
For those of you that haven’t rented before, this part of the application form can help you stand out from the others. Don’t necessarily put your best mate that you go drinking with every Friday night as one of your references (unless they are not just your best mate, but perhaps they are also your employer), but instead include references here that can confirm that you are responsible and a person of good character. For example, they could be your current or former employer/s, current or former work colleagues, family friends that have known you for an extended period, former or current educator (for example school, TAFE, university).
Pets and your application
If you have a pet, ensure that you include their details on the application form.
Did you know that it is a breach of the tenancy agreement to have a pet at the property that is not approved. This means that if you don’t include the information of your pet/s on your application, your pet won’t be included in the tenancy agreement and as such you’ll be in breach of your tenancy agreement meaning that your tenancy could be terminated and in turn, you could develop a negative rental history.
Communication is key
Last but not least, communication is key. Here at Property Excellence, our team provide regular updates on the status of the processing of your application including but not limited to:
- Confirmation of receipt of your application
- Status of your application (processing status, properties applied for including their availability dates, any action required by the applicant)
- Confirmation once processing of your application is complete