gabby_cat

Help please! We will be arriving in Sydney in early April and will be in serviced accommodation booked by our employers for the first 4 weeks. I am not sure what suitable paperwork we will be able to provide to the agents when we apply for properties. Our bank (Nationwide) won't provide references to carry with us, we own our UK property so have no previous rental history and my husband won't have received any payslips.

I'm sure many other people have arrive in the same situation and would like to know their experiences of what was considered acceptable by rental agencies.

Alfresco

1. Your Husband's proof of employment.

2. Oz bank statement with proof of money in. (that's all we needed as we transfered to Oz before we arrived)

Bikergirl

We had our last annual mortgage statement, our last council tax and utility bill statements showing regular payments. bank statement from Australian account showing we had the bond payment and first couple of months rent in advance, husbands contract and salary, reference details for his team leader (these were checked) and references from our friends here in Australia. Also provided them with reference of a guy a rented a room from a few years ago before i met my husband. Also copies of passport and uk driving licences for ID. We needed ID for both of us. We rented our first place in sydney last September.

Alfresco

Yes, lots of ID.

Bermudashorts

We did a rental pack, the first page was a short note about us i.e. two working professionals, home owners, no kids, we also mentioned our two cats up front and put forward the offer to pay a pet bond. We included in the pack:

• Cover letter
• ID
• UK bank statements showing savings
• Job offer letters / contracts
• Short reference from the UK agent now renting our house through (i.e. saying wht a well maintained and presented property it is)

Had no trouble securing a property even with cats and we weren't asked to make good on the offer of a pet bond.

h2oskineil

I posted this back in October - 11 after hearing a report on the radio here in Perth.....

Tips for getting a rental - Perth
Listened to an interesting interview on the radio today, with tips on the best way to secure a rental in Perth, including where people go wrong..... much of it is common sense, but might be useful to someone out there?

The spokesperson was from REIWA (Real Estate in Western Australia) www.reiwa.com.au

She was saying that the rental market is 'tight' at the moment with more people looking for properties than the number of properties available and people are making the mistake of applying for properties with 'huge gaps' in the information required on the agreement. Basically you must provide as much information as possible to even get a look in, and with the tight market anyone not making the effort to prepare will virtually be discounted at the outset.....

#1 You must prove beyond doubt who you are - There are a lot of scams and so anyone who may not appear who they are will not be considered for the property.
#2 Supporting proof of who you are, lots of it - Utility bills, bank accounts, passports copies, driving license etc etc
#3 Character references (more than one if possible) - Even better a reference from a previous rental agent to show you are a safe bet and will look after the property
#4 Pet reference - If applying with a pet, prove beyond doubt the pet is well behaved, has not caused a disturbance or damage
#5 Appearance - You have to look the part to get the property, many people turn up to present documents and haven't made an effort with their appearance. If you don't look smart, what will the property look like in 6 months!
#6 Look to create a partnership with the agent - The better you get on with the agent and can show that you will be a great tenant, the better your chances of securing the property. The agent has to try and do the best for their property owners.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=736041

Penny45

Good advice so far, I'd also add that I have two friends trying to rent at the moment lower north shore in Sydney and there's not much around. One of them managed to get a place because she had printed and filled in all forms from the estate agent, took all 100 points proof with her and had a bankers cheque ready for first six months rent plus deposit. This was at the fist viewing and she got the place (with a dog too).

DanSolihull

Great thread. Answers a few questions I was wanting to know.

Bikergirl

I would definitely say have application forms completed in advanced - especially when attending open viewings - then all you have to complete is the address and sign and date

h2oskineil

We did this - Pre fill application forms and have a good deposit in cash to show you are serious... great advice.

If you see a property you like, you must act fast, no going home to have a cup of tea and think about it!

paddyo

Chat up the Rental Agent!!! Works every time!

I am only slightly kidding here by the way!

All I had to do was get my company JP to sign and stamp copies of our Passport Bio pages, show them job offer letter including Salary expectations, our new Australian Bank account details and my reference from my previous employer.

They are very familiar, particularly in Sydney, with professional people coming over on a 457 and if you are a good salary package with a reputable or large corporate company you get a bit of leeway. Just have signed/stamped copies of everything you can think of and if any rental agencies have forms online do them prior to viewing but DO NOT submit them until you have physically seen the property.

asher

if you are desperate for a property sometimes adding $5 a week to the rental price will get it for you rather than the hordes attending the viewing

paddyo

$5????? lol.......did you mean to add a zero to that!!
But, that can work, it did for us in our current place, we added $30 pw to the rent and got it.

asher

we added $5 and it worked

paddyo

niceee!!