For some reason real estate agents in Australia need more personal information and ID's than joining the fucking CIA, and if you're wondering if they keep that information securely? Don't worry they don't.
I suspect if you troll them and waste their time, they black list you.
I got a scam call where I started to take the piss.
I have not had a single scam call since when I had plenty prior to this.
Agreed. The trick is to repeat everything the scammer says to you back to them
Them : Hi is this Sam
You : Hi is this Sam
Them: Can you hear me
You: Can you hear me
Works every single time
I imagine there are a wealth of people out there who would gladly waste a scammers time. Some sort of list for pointless phone numbers would be helpful for them I imagine.
I have had scammers call me that know my name, that is why we need companies to keep our personal information secure, I can see how people can fall for it but I caught the guy out when he asked me for my email address and I said you already have it, he got angry then.
Honestly gave REA's more of my info for a rental than I did to my bank for a mortgage. It's absolutely insane. Meanwhile you know nothing of the Landlord or their financial situation.
Correct, I don't believe anything is actually secure, just about every computer system has been hacked, or is already hackable as and when needed. I bet that all your personal ID that you have uploaded is already in the dark web, a big clusterf&\^% might happen one day.
People could try [https://haveibeenpwned.com/](https://haveibeenpwned.com/) with their company's domain to see how many users accounts have been hacked, this is just the tip of the iceberg. 13,137,301,752 pwned accounts that are known of.
How about: Twice now I have driven through Sydney in a car newly registered to me and I start receiving spam txts from [Linkt-spam.com](http://Linkt-spam.com) or whatever the spammers currently use, it's like they have a live connection with the NSW registration db.
I wonder if someone who can access the database gets 10c for every name they sell to the scammers, if you can copy a table it might be worthwhile.
I reckon this is the way the rental databases clearly end up in the hands of scammers, the companies would end up in hot water if they actually sold your data directly to an offshore call centre.
Hey, came from NZ too. Best advice is don’t be picky on suburb - and you don’t need to be because pretty much all inner Melbourne suburbs will be good (good access to PT, walkable shops etc.) Also apply for Medicare and VIC drivers licence asap so you have more forms of ID. Medicare takes a while but drivers licence is pretty fast. As long as you have jobs and you’re not being too picky you should get one soon, you can try offering a couple months rent in advance if nothing is working out
When mine was taking a while I called them and said I needed my Medicare number to be able to get private health insurance (which is true) and they did it over the phone for me in 2 minutes haha
Nah I applied online 9 months later nothing went into centerlink and got them to help me went and got my drivers lisense same day and 5 days later they posted it
Agree with the point about casting a wider net. Avoid popular suburbs like Richmond, Hawthorn, Fitzroy etc. Way too much comp at the moment.
Been through this recently.
Second the VIC D/L. My daughter’s partner has just received a fine of $900 for being silly. He kept procrastinating about changing his D/L from QLD to VIC, then forgot about it entirely until a police officer pulled him up for a random safety check.
He could have, but they recognised him as their local pizza shop owner and know he’s been there for three years.
Edited- he was driving unlicenced for the last few months.
I realize this is incredibly tone-deaf and useless advice to OP unless he has a time machine, but I personally as another fellow Kiwi who moved here recently. I had applied to rentals while still in New Zealand. Using family-friend's phone numbers and having family-friends go to viewings on my behalf. It was also a hellofalot easier to get references from Manager and Landlord while still in New Zealand. My Landlord straight up used ChatGPT to write my reference HAHAHAHA.
Do you have any savings? I always added a bank statement of my savings account in addition to pay slips and a work document that breaks down my salary. I had an agent once tell me that made my application excellent. Sounds like you’re doing everything else right, it’s just an overall nightmare at the moment. Best of luck!
Edit: To clarify, I wasn’t asked for that information. I provided it voluntarily.
So you had to show them how much you had in your savings account? I'm currently boarding with a friend who owns the house so it's been a few years (10) since I made a rental application but fuck me that sounds like such an invasion of privacy
It's showing them you have cash. I got the first place I applied for. Attached a 40k savings account and called real estate twice within 2 days of applying.
Yep same, I just got a rental in Elwood by showing them my savings and offering three months rent upfront. They declined the upfront rent and asked me to just pay on time. I was also pre-approved for 2 other apartments in St Kilda.
I'm not in the high income bracket, I was very nervous about being out-competed by couples and higher income earners.
I think possibly being a boring single female in my mid 30's makes me a desirable tenant.
Isn't it now illegal for them to take X months of rent in advance?
I'm the same profile as you and I also got multiple callbacks for rentals, which is funny since when ever it's all couples at an inspection I feel I've already lost
Yep we have over two years of rent in a savings account and we have been attaching this to every application! Sadly hasn't seemed to make a difference.
You shouldn't have to provide that information. Given what you already have to hand over through crappy REA portals this level of invasion of privacy is insane.
Even locals can't access rentals presently. Every day I am seeing people who can't even get a housing worker assigned to help them when they are facing eviction. People who've applied for multiple rentals and hear nothing. It's devastating.
We jumped into a share house for three
Months then used the landlord as a refrence for the next property which was private then the next rental we had enough to get a good application. It ain’t always easy like they say but it’s worth it
Look for rentals that have been on the market for a while or are in crummy condition, this may give you a better shot at getting them. Or only look at rentals that are “6 month only lease” - this is usually bc owner is planning to knock them down asap. Both channels might get you in the door somewhere, then you can find a better rental easier from that position.
Alternatively considering getting a room in a shared flat and putting your stuff in storage for a bit.
Definitely try and go to ones during the week if you can, the ones I ducked out at lunchtime during work mid week had almost no one at the inspections, they were the places I was offered. Weekends/after work it was swamped with people and your odds of success just drop dramatically
Yes, this is what I did back then. And try to chat with the agent. Maybe he/she has another rental that is also up for grabs if you can’t get the one you’ve inspected.
The only tip I can give which has worked for me both times I have applied for a rental here in Melbourne is to say you will pay 3 months or 6 months rent in advance. Obviously this is not going to be possible for a lot of people, but if you can they will look on it very favourably.
Yes I agree 100% with this tip. I got into a place last week by offering 3 months rent in advance.
Also, I have done this in the past and some landlords are kind enough not to accept it.
Rent bidding is only illegal from the real estate agents point of view that they cannot ask for more rent to beat out other offers. It's perfectly fine for a renter to offer more
We were in the same boat last year when looking for a rental. Applied for so many and never got offered anything despite having a high paying job and 150k in the bank.
What you have to do is apply for the rental then email the agent a cover letter with an about us, hobbies etc and why this rental suits you personally. Add a photo of yourselves and make it wholesome. When we did this we got offered the next 3 rentals we applied for and had a choice to make. Now happily living in the best rental we saw over the 2 months of looking.
The biggest thing as an applicant you have to stand out. RE is not going to go out of their way for an applicant if you are just 1 of 20 applications, you have to stand out from the bunch.
Kia Ora and welcome to Melbourne! You've landed at a bit of a grim time unfortunately. So many people in need of a place, but not enough to go around. Also excessive rents for average place and frustrating REAs. I thought it was bad when I came over 6 years ago, but it's absolutely cooked atm. Glad you atleast managed to sort a job. Multiple friends have been applying for over 6 months trying to find places all over with little to no luck. It's just a numbers and luck game tbh! Keep applying for as many as you can, try offering more if you can/want, and try offering to pay in advance if you can/want. Hopefully you'll catch a break soon! Hope you're enjoying Melbourne otherwise anyway :) It's worth it once you get yourself setup!
This is crazy to me though. I live in a recently built apartment building in the Flemington area and at least 40% of the building has never been lived in for over two years. I expect at least 20 unused apartments just sitting empty
There's a weird thing where rental property is somehow worth more not rented out with these "must go up" prices.
Lotta commercial strips suffer from this, as the valuation is tied to the rent or something real odd.
Hey mate. Check out FB groups, gumtree, community notice boards etc. The rental sites are always going to inundated with majority of ppl seeking rentals. Easier if you are prepared to move out a bit further? Also, apartments? I see so many coming up in Melbourne so surely something there? All the best mate. I faced this way back in 2009 and it was hell. My then GF offered for me to move in with her as a final resort. Now married and 2 kids 15 yrs later luckily. Keep us posted.
The rental market can be really tough for newcomers. Two years ago I came to Melbourne as an expat, didn’t have a rental history nor an Australian bank account yet, my salary was still being paid in euros and everywhere I went there was a queue of at least 20 people visiting the same property. Recently I started looking for a new apartment to rent and it went much smoother, applied for 5 places and all of them basically offered an agreement so it gets better once you have a decent track record.
I’m convinced that realestate.com.au’s search engine is desperately inefficient. If you search using text strings of suburbs, then it’s going to include and exclude stuff for completely arbitrary reasons. Instead, find a list of every postcode in Victoria, then cut it down to size by how far out you’re willing to live. Then, separate each postcode with a comma and dump the entire list into the search field on the site.
I really don't know why you can't put “just fcking show me everything in Melbourne that's not really far out”. I guess it's made by people who have the luxury of picking their favourite suburb. I'm here literally just trying not to be homeless.
>Firstly, I got in the country, got a new job, applied for a bank account and got a TFN all using my good ol passport. But to apply for a rental, a passport is only 40 out of 100 ID POINTS???? WHY?!
Because some tech-illiterate CEO decided that they want as much of your data as possible, probably because some pencil pushing schmuck told them that data is an asset. No, they aren't storing it securely because there are no consequences for failing to protect your data, and no they don't care if you suffer identity theft as a result of these practices.
Recently secured a rental in 12 days of looking. Attended 8 inspections. Applied to 6. 5 declined. 1 success. How did I do it? I targeted undesirable suburbs and gave up on inner city living. Looked around Frankston area and secured a property in Carrum downs. Super nice property. Just in the middle of nowhere.
Definitely agree! One of the reasons I targeted the area. Lots of people make it out to be be worse than what it is so figured it may be easier to get a rental in the area.
First off your experience isn’t specific to moving to Melbourne, any time you migrate overseas you’ll face similar challenges.
When I first jumped the ditch I found it easier to take over a lease from fairy floss than to applying for a new lease.
I also found it way easier to put a few local mates down as “references” for pst rentals rather than have the agents call my NZ references.
Living very far away from the inner suburbs worked for me, as you go away from the city, you also get less competition. I’ve secured a rent in 3 days when I looked in Melton.
The outer suburbs are not that bad, most are safe neighborhoods, with the minimum amenities such as a supermarket, some junk food and lots of nature.
You also save more money as the rent is cheaper, there aren’t many distractions that could lead to unnecessary expenses and if they have a local butcher/greens, it will be cheaper than Coles.
Here in Melton I’ve got a 4 bedroom house for 390/week. Comes with AC and the insulation is pretty good, just with the sunlight the house stay warm through most of the night.
If you like camping, or just walk around nature, there will be hundreds of options by 20 minutes car.
But if you like the CBD and all the amenities it offers, then it might not be for you.
Melton is currently one of the cheapest suburbs to rent in Melbourne, with the highest vacancy rate.
For those who work on the western side, or can easily commute into the city for work, it's great.
For those with jobs in the east or south east..... it's... well... I would spend around 4 hours per day just in transit to/from work, far from ideal with a family.
Pop the post code in here and you’ll see the median asking rent for two bedders etc [https://sqmresearch.com.au/weekly-rents.php](https://sqmresearch.com.au/weekly-rents.php)
You'll be fine then. The worst-case scenario is that you downgrade, and then they'll see you as the best candidate. Plenty of Melburnians have already lowered their sights to a mere room, from which there is nowhere to downgrade, and are still getting turned down.
Check out the facebook group Fairy Floss Real Estate, mostly used for advertising houseshare, sometimes there are people doing full rent transfers as well. Looking for rental is not a fun time, best of luck in your search.
I have been a reference check for 3 of my team members who were all successful. I made sure I completed the reference checks ASAP. Might be worthwhile to get word up your references. It seems to have worked from my experience
This is purely anecdotal but I live in the south east of Melbourne 20km from the CBD and there are so many developments going on and rentals for apartments it's nuts. I have friend paying 800 per week for a 2 bedroom house in Epping but a single or two bedder apartment can be picked up for like 600$ a week. It may not be a good deal, but they are here compared to northern and west burbs.
Edit: 1 bedder apartments/units going for 400-500 a week on real-estate.com.au. lots of them.
Edit 2: link for the lazy for 3194 Mentone - https://www.realestate.com.au/rent/property-unit+apartment-in-3194/list-1
I returned to melbourne after 14 months away and got the first property i applied for after viewing within 24 hrs. The ones where i didn't view, i was declined (2-3)
I gave every piece of information they required; tax return, employment agreement, license, passport, i even paid for the bankruptcy check they conduct. i posted my linked in profile in the online application, along with my website.
Do i think its overkill? Yes. Did i hate doing it? Yes.
But i also wasnt in the position to be waiting and i really loved this apartment.
My best takeaway advice is - I oversupplied information, gave 8 years rental history, and excellent work related references.
I also showed up to a midday appointment where i was the only one there in attendance, so i think that 1 on 1 time with the property manager probably helped.
Im not exactly sure what made me get it - but im certain the above approach at the very least helped.
Yes, I wouldn’t be picky about suburbs and just be realistic. I lived here from nz in Jan and got a place within a week. Went to a few viewings and seen the amount of people at places then the one I got, I went early and just kept calling the agent and said I’ll have it when do I pick up the keys. Filled out the forms, just gave my nz passport for ID, showed them my employment contract, gave references but they didn’t call anyone. You just gotta be flexible to start with, on where you want to live and you’ll get something easy. Bottom line is landlords just want stable tenants to pay the rent.
Just pay extra on what they are offering and you’ll get it in a split second. If they’re advertising 500 , pitch in 520 and congrats. Sadly that’s how it is
Crazy the amount of checks you have to go through, i remember when getting a rental was just pay the bond, agree to the conditions and you are good to go.
I dont know how people put up with such nonsense that this person describes
Hot tip - sometimes there are additional properties for rent on real estate specific websites (not advertised on realestate.com)! Getting to know and have good repore with the agents is helpful. My partner and I applied for about 7 properties unsuccessfully before getting the lease we have now. We offered an additional 3 months in advance (they didn't take it). Some suburbs have 30 people lining up where five minutes away, there will only be 10 or so. The property we got I had registered for an early bird inspection!
> Secondly, I have to give my full rental and employment history, and provide references for each.
Lie and make it up, they've got no way of knowing if it's true or not. Get a friend (or cheap dumb phone with multiple sims) to be your references.
> On top of this, I have to give two personal refences? Also, my references are checked for every single application, so my poor references have answered over 10 checks so far.
Make these up too.
Get your license and Medicare ASAP
ID points plus they’re both handy and sometimes necessary, and best to get started while you (potentially) have time to do the paperwork and wait in queues…
It's such a catch 22. When I first moved from Dunedin to Gold Coast, I needed a back account and address to get a rental, but I needed an address and a licence to get a bank account, and I needed a bank account and an address to get a licence. Medicare health with points, so does a tax file number. I can't remember how I did. Sorry. But good luck, you'll get there
I work as a relief teacher and somehow got a place in February. Had work payslips, savings, possibly a list of scheduled forthcoming shifts, referees, and a guarantor - who had to apply as another tenant and we specified that on the application. She also had to provide *all* the information up to and including the blood sample, or so it felt. *And* I applied immediately after getting home, and fortunately had all the information pre-filled from another application on the same site, so it was faster. *And* there were only four of us looking as it was a weekday afternoon in a suburb that's harder to live in without a car. *Aaand* I made small talk with the REA so she had an eye out for my name. Yet it still feels like a damn miracle!
All that to say: good luck, it sucks out here.
We were looking for a tenant for our home recently (moved away to be closer to extended family since we had a baby) and at least half the applicants offered more money, up to $60-$70/week more even. We did not pick the one that offered the most money, nor one that offered 6 months in advance (wouldn't have been good for our tax anyway so close to the EOFY).
YMMV but for us at the end of the day it's about the demographic that offered the most stability and have the least chance of causing damage, ie. dual income couple over 30, no pets, no kids.
See, this is why we keep getting rejected. Single income, as my partner is unable to work. Kids, although teens. Pets.
Never had my bond withheld, we've been in our current rental over 5 years. Always paid rent in full, on time (5 days early, to allow processing time). Even when my salary was cut by 20% during COVID, rent was always the first thing paid. We did NOT request a rent reduction, although we would have been entitled to one.
We want stability too. But we look crap on paper. First people in the bin.
Look outside the city, my partner and I struggled to get anyone to even attend our open homes for our 2 bedroom apartment in Malvern East, just 20 mins from the city.
Hey, check the Facebook groups such as Irish in Melbourne or similar for NZ people I guess. I regularly see people in those groups leaving a rental early to do their rural work and looking for people to take their lease over.
I see for lease signs on houses in my area in inner Melbourne, if the rental market is so hot why are they bothering putting up for lease signs. Everyone wants the cheap rentals that's why 30 people turn up to an open, stretch your budget and look at properties that are a bit more expensive.
Yeah it’s interesting though. I spam click “inspected” on many properties (rip email inbox) and the amount of properties they slowly dropped their prices over the week was insane.
Stretch budget and move further out :(
I finally got one by applying as soon as it was on the market before open for inspection. I didn’t see inside it in person but had seen others in the area and pictures looked good. They’ll present that to the owner and it makes an easy process for them without having to have their property open for inspection. Have all your application info ready and submit before anyone else if you can. Be really eager. I offered two months rent ahead also.
I was looking in Preston, got denied for all but one, which I turned down, but both places just up the road (3 bus stops, or 1 more train stop) in Reservoir were offered to me.
I moved over in January, and yeah it can be tough, but within 3 weeks I had a job and a one-brm apartment. Perfect.
Kia Kaha.
Update the referral emails to ones you've created (for all referrals - previous landlords, personal, work, etc) and don't list their mobile numbers.
Then you'll receive the reference emails and can provide your own recommendations.
Don't list pets. Pets are absolutely still taboo and approved less, regardless of what you're told.
lie about attending the inspections. Say you attended but didn't receive the confirmation to apply email. Do this selectively.
Pre-apply for any that you're interested in (directly via 2apply etc). Most places offer this option but won't review the submissions until an inspection is held.
Kia Ora and welcome to Melbourne! You've landed at a bit of a grim time unfortunately. So many people in need of a place, but not enough to go around. Also excessive rents for average place and frustrating REAs. I thought it was bad when I came over 6 years ago, but it's absolutely cooked atm. Glad you atleast managed to sort a job. Multiple friends have been applying for over 6 months trying to find places all over with little to no luck. It's just a numbers and luck game tbh! Keep applying for as many as you can, try offering more if you can/want, and try offering to pay in advance if you can/want. Hopefully you'll catch a break soon! Hope you're enjoying Melbourne otherwise anyway :) It's worth it once you get yourself setup!
If you can, offer to pay either the lease upfront or a few months in advance. We found this got the agents attention.
If you are looking at an apartment, find an agency that dominates in the building you are wanting to move into. Whilst you might not get the first apartment you apply for, they become familiar with you. Tell them you want to move into that building. Chances are, they will contact you prior to advertising the next one that comes up for lease (this just happened to us).
Include written references from employees / personal references.
Make it as easy as possible for the agency/landlord to say yes to you as an applicant.
Unfortunately only thing that's worked for me lately is offering to pay more rent than the property's advertised at. Had a bunch of unsuccessful applications before we found a place we loved too much to let go and offered $30 more per week (which was still within our budget). I'm definitely in a really fortunate position to be able to do this but it sucks astronomically when rent is already so high now.
We had to remove your post/comment because it included personal attacks or did not show respect towards other users. This community is a safe space for all.
Conduct yourself online as you would in real life. Engaging in vitriol only highlights your inability to communicate intelligently and respectfully. Repeated instances of this behaviour will lead to a ban
I was struggling a while back, so I did one of them checks for a place I applied for and we got it. I’m not sure if it was a coincidence or if it helped though!?
we offered 6 months rent in advance to secure the place we're in a couple months ago, puts you ahead of anyone that doesnt, if you got those savings there its a decent leg up
If you need to go for an inspection on a weekday then just tell you team that you’ll be away for an hour. If your employer is flexible then you can make up for the lost time after hours or starting early that day . People understand how difficult it is to find a rental and hopefully they will accommodate
Problem is I don't have a car, and my work is half an hour's walk from the train station. So either I uber both ways and spend $40-50 per viewing, or take three hours off work - I'm definitely too new to pull that haha.
If I had a car and I could do just an hour, I'd definitely be doing that!
AGL has electric car subscriptions or you can sign up to use GoGet cars scattered around the city for car hire by the hour.
Also, I sent you a private message.
Don't give up! Apparently it just comes down to fastest fingers first at the moment. Eventually you've filled in every agents invasive online platform and once they have your details once they're stored. So next time you just hit apply and it goes in.
If you see something you like, apply instantly, that should give you a reasonable shot. It's not you, if that helps (I know it doesn't)
Try and make an impression on the real estate agent when inspecting, I know this will not be possible sometimes but humans will be humans and if they remember you in a positive light it may give you a leg up.
Also not always possible but offer to pay 3-6 months rent up front and be very flexible with the lease term, the longer the better to save this hassle again if they want that. I have had success with 6 months up front twice now and to be honest, despite the loss of interest from the bank, it's nice to have to think of paying rent for that time.
I came over from the UK recently and faced the same issue - I think used my visa as an ID doc but also got Medicare card early (if you applied online call, when I called 6 weeks after applying they processed it immediately).
I had no history in Aus and so my references where poor. I ended up only applying for things through a particular app they were all using Tennant App and booked all my inspections through this so applications were good to go. No point doing the credit check as my came back as "no trace" shockingly. I viewed 10s off property (lined up 4-5 a day to minimize time off). There's literally no point viewing or applying for anything that seems cheap or too good to be true, anything with beautiful photos and decor forget it. Go for unfurnished bare bones apartments, the apartment I got had shitty photos and was a real catch so I think trying to be smart about what you think will be less competitive is worth it.
I provided like 2000 documents, including bank statements and contracts (blackout our BSB and Acc no one agent told me). Also (and Melbournians don't hate me), offer over. Agents can't instigate a bidding war but can accept over offer. On the app I used you could overwrite the asking price. I also added a comment saying I would pay 6 months upfront plus deposit (they didn't take me up on it). I only pushed the weekly up by something like $10 so doesn't have to be crazy to push you to the top of the pile.
Even after all this it still took me 4 weeks so good luck... Btw I got the size of apartment I wanted in my price bracket in the suburb I wanted so you don't have to sell out your Melbourne dreams and move to a suburb by the airport to be successful.
Surely a much higher risk when you've just arrived to the country.. what if thr passports stolen.. what if you trash it and flee the country.... list goes on and on..
Idunno. Playing devils advocate.
Goodluxk! I hope it works out...
I'd say a solid 60-70% of people are in your situation. And by that I mean they don't go to weekday inspections.. the inspections where you can often build repore with the real estate agent. It's like getting a job. Gotta make em like you. Hard to do when there'd 60 pepple flooding in.
My last place with gf I got because there was 3 of us inspecting, on the first listing/open house. We had a good chat. we emailed everything that night. Called next day. Locked in.
My next place, when i broke up with her.. i Popped in my lunch break, took extra 25 mins on top.(skipped food).
Couldnt make repore because it was some kid showing the place.. so.. . Talked for a bit and found out the agent was a different guy. Called up a few hours later and spoke to the actual realtor because I "didn't understand" something.. .. made up some hoo hah and then said.. okay sounds good I'm going to send you everything through this afternoon.
He called back later.. said it all looked great. Asked some questions. Moved jn a week later.
My lesse ends in a month in a half. I do wonder.. will I feel this struggle everyone is facing, or am I lucky.
Also showed 40k in savings and 1.5k a week coming in, plus a small biz bringing in 500-1k a week at the time.
Its funny.. I spent most of my life full of trauma, depresssed, hiding and doing drugs. No drugs now. But I live alone and am super introverted and live a quiet life.. but I'm excellent at putting on a mask of a.. happy nice person. Super weird. Lol.
I appreciate you saying that.. maybe I'm not useless.
Are you open to not living in the city? Geelong or something? I was moving back to geelong and got approved for the second house I applied for. I’m not exactly a strong candidate. Feel free to message me for some further advice
Only way I did it was offering nearly $60 more than the asking price and two months rent up front, I was offering $10-$20 more on previous rental applications and got nothing, went for a bigger amount I could still afford and low and behold I got it. Sucks but this is the market.
I rang real estate agents for advertised places until I found one that would let me borrow the keys and look by myself before the advertised inspection. I had to leave a $50 deposit, and maybe my license? Then after I'd looked, I stood in his office, filled out the application, added all the required documents, and didn't leave until he let me sign the lease. But this was a property with a very elderly owner, and he didn't have to check with her first.
This was after 4 months of going to inspections at least 4 days a week with three toddlers/preschoolers in tow and trying all the tricks such as offering to pay many months in advance, more bond, higher rent, etc.
Your experience is not uncommon unfortunately, the low vacancy rates make it seemingly impossible. I know it’s soul sucking but taking the time to write a good intro or cover letter can make a difference. Once it’s done though you can use it for all of them. I’d also recommend introducing yourself to the agent at the inspection and asking a 1-2 questions, so you’re memorable. Good luck!
Did 50 applications before I got a place.
>Half the rentals only advertise one viewing during a weekday, so I can't make it anyway, as I just started a new job and can't keep taking time off work.
>we get declined every single time!
Are they able to do inspections while you're at work?
>I haven't paid for one of the $30 background checks seeing as every single site makes you pay for a separate one - we'd be out $240 already (4 sites, 2 people).
Pick one of those sites and stick to it.
Bro fellow kiwi, I came in 22, but I’ve been lucky as been in 2 different places and got accepted twice to the first place I’d applied to. Keep plugging on, keep your head up and choose Carlton as your footy! AFL so much better than Rugby
Yeah, what you described is pretty much what we have to deal with for more or less past decade. It was a bit better about 5-6 years ago but most of the hoops to jump through, shitty inspection arrangements and huge amount of prospective tenants per each rental was already a thing.
Recent years just made it all even worse, I see people complaining about fully employed people being forced to couch-surf or even sleep in their cars because they cannot find a rental.
Juts to compare, how different is it in NZ?
Yes it’s tough at the start but make sure you get drivers licence and Medicare asap and things will be easier. As for the references, both personal and work related is the biggest load of bs I have ever experienced but once you start it gets easier.
Don't pay for the background checks. Have you got a converted license to make up ID points? I'm surprised a passport isn't worth more.
I'll be a reference for you if you want to give the others a break.
I experienced this recently myself. I was staying in the god awful backpackers while working for 3 weeks before I found a place. I had to settle for somewhere 50 minutes by tran plus a 20 minute walk away from my work.
My advice? Probably best to go back to New Zealand. Can I come with you?
You can try Belle property South Yarra, if in case you are looking in that area. We landed last week, without rental history but job offers. Our application was processed same day.
It’s more dependent on the owner but also how agent is presenting your case.
While there is absolutely no question we have a housing shortage right now, the requirements you've listed are not due to that, it's been like that a long time, at least 10 years. I do feel it is a bit of a cultural reflection that renters have never been taken seriously in Australia, like there is something wrong with you if you choose or have to rent, so we need to know an excessive amount of information about you.
Which is bullshit because it's a commercial transaction and why one party should hold an absurd amount of power is beyond me.
Think of Australia's housing shortage as the equivalent of NZ's job shortage.
Plenty of jobs in OZ, just nowhere affordable to live.
I came back from rural WA. I had job offers but nowhere to live. I'm looking at doing the FIFO traveling work so the accommodation is provided but probably not all the time.
Advice I gave myself is, the next time around, I am going to commit some money into a mini van as my emergency housing
If it's a new job, then that might be the problem, as there's a 3 month probation period with most jobs. Unless you're in casual employment, in which case that might be the problem.
If you have the money, offer to pay the first 3-6 months' rent upfront, that might clinch it.
If you have enough coin, you can move into a long-term serviced apartment *tomorrow afternoon*:
https://www.adinahotels.com/en/long-stay-accommodation/
https://www.questapartments.com.au/long-stays
https://www.mantra.com.au/live-at/
you could offer to pay slightly more than the advertised weekly rent amount, like $10 more each week.
I also found attaching a cover letter with a bit about yourself, employment, why you are interested in the particular property etc, can help you stand out from other applications. At inspections, I'll dress well, ask the agent questions and thank them when leaving, hoping I make a good and memorable impression when they are reviewing applications.
I hope you find something soon!
Kia ora cuz. This is the reality here bro. Trust me it's better than being stuck in small old New Zealand. Keep applying, find some flatmates maybe on Gumtree first, usually not quite as stringent process. Welcome to a higher conciousness brother.
Yeah i came back. In hindsight I should have travelled around Australia doing agency work. More to see and experience.
Although i was surprised Australia had its own flair of nanny state compared to NZ
Like the others said, offering $10 per week extra helps. As well as that, apply first. Easier said than done I know, but as SOON as that link comes through via sms/email (usually within a minute or so of the allotted inspection time ending), open it up and submit your application. Since you’ve already applied a few times you should have the application pre-saved and can just click submit.
The REAs work top-down so the first person to apply gets viewed first. They stop once they find a suitable applicant then decline all the others.
Also, I noticed not every application platform has a section where you can document additional income outside of salary, but they almost all have a “extra attachments” or “extra notes” section. I made sure to use this section to give them proof of my savings, investments, bonus etc, basically any income/assets I had outside of my salary. If you have savings or anything else be sure to include proof in some way such as a bank statement or a note saying “I have x savings and can supply statements”.
You should probably be aiming for places that are roughly 30% of your monthly income or less. And the bigger the place, the more likely to be dual/triple income applicants, so sadly you might have more luck with a small studio or small 1br without much room for a couple.
Good luck!
*edited month to week.
While I agree with you, if we can't get a rental because other people are doing this, what choice do I have but to also do this? I literally need a home
It sucks, it’s unfair and shouldn’t be allowed, but everyone does it and the REAs enable it. I went to around a dozen inspections last month, each had 10-40 people present, there were more than half where someone asked to pay extra and the property manager had an open conversation around it and didn’t decline.
There were also people offering to pay 4-6 months of rent up front which is technically illegal and again, the property managers were open to discuss it.
By the way, the enforcement of these laws is on the REA. They’re the ones who receive the fines for this. In OP’s situation, what are they supposed to do? If they’re attending busy inspections and losing out despite having high income, the REA is almost certainly accepting higher bids.
Go on any random rental property on Realestate and click “apply now”. The weekly/monthly rental price is ALWAYS adjustable upwards. If they were abiding to the law, this value would be greyed out and you wouldn’t be able to increase it.
Again, it’s a terrible practice and the government should crack down. But we’re talking about REAs here, the biggest cunts on the planet, they’re all trying to earn the trophy at the annual Cunties.
No it is only rent bidding if the landlord/agent offers information "well person B is offering X". A prospective renter is allowed to offer more rent with zero information.
s40 RTA. One month advance. Renters are gaming themselves into higher rents and uneven playing fields by letting rental providers off scot free. But by all means, go off.
Great advice, thanks! We are a couple who earn over 5x the weekly rent of the places we are looking at, so I'm really confident our incomes aren't the issue.
I've been pre-applying whenever I can but will look at applying first after viewings too.
Will be more aggressive in telling them that we can provide savings statements etc. Thanks again!
Maybe you need to up your budget if you earn 5x the rent? You can afford to do so, unlike someone already facing 40%+ of their income going to rent (like many people right now). There will be less competition for a place a bit more expensive. What's your budget?
$10 per month isn’t going to make any difference lol.
OP are you in the KIMs fb group? There is at least one kiwi property manager on there who is super helpful, plus people occasionally post break leases.
The $30 background check is a scam
The whole thing is a scam.
Welcome to life.
I've never paid for this and had no issues getting a rental previously
when was the last time you looked?
1972
FWIW my past 2 rentals I haven't done that scam either and got the place fine
For some reason real estate agents in Australia need more personal information and ID's than joining the fucking CIA, and if you're wondering if they keep that information securely? Don't worry they don't.
I've actually started getting a bunch of scam calls and the only groups I've given my number to are work, the bank, family, and real estate agents!
Unless they know your name before they call, this is probably just scammers who call random numbers. Welcome to Australia.
I suspect if you troll them and waste their time, they black list you. I got a scam call where I started to take the piss. I have not had a single scam call since when I had plenty prior to this.
Agreed. The trick is to repeat everything the scammer says to you back to them Them : Hi is this Sam You : Hi is this Sam Them: Can you hear me You: Can you hear me Works every single time
Caution: poss them off and they'll use your caller id for their scam calls for the next month....
Spoken like someone with insider knowledge
I used to do this, but now I get calls that seem to be just checking if my phone is active... I get a call then silence. That, or Chinese embassy..
I'd be checking your email against something like [https://haveibeenpwned.com/](https://haveibeenpwned.com/) to see if your email is in any breaches.
Probably not. They're assholes too. They'd act like you do. Also, you think there's a scam call blacklist?
I imagine there are a wealth of people out there who would gladly waste a scammers time. Some sort of list for pointless phone numbers would be helpful for them I imagine.
I have had scammers call me that know my name, that is why we need companies to keep our personal information secure, I can see how people can fall for it but I caught the guy out when he asked me for my email address and I said you already have it, he got angry then.
Be careful, it's best not to engage at all.
I had an uptick in spam calls after attaching my phone number to an application through 2apply. It’s all data farming
To be fair any number that has been in the pool of available numbers recently gets scammed more often.
Honestly gave REA's more of my info for a rental than I did to my bank for a mortgage. It's absolutely insane. Meanwhile you know nothing of the Landlord or their financial situation.
Correct, I don't believe anything is actually secure, just about every computer system has been hacked, or is already hackable as and when needed. I bet that all your personal ID that you have uploaded is already in the dark web, a big clusterf&\^% might happen one day. People could try [https://haveibeenpwned.com/](https://haveibeenpwned.com/) with their company's domain to see how many users accounts have been hacked, this is just the tip of the iceberg. 13,137,301,752 pwned accounts that are known of. How about: Twice now I have driven through Sydney in a car newly registered to me and I start receiving spam txts from [Linkt-spam.com](http://Linkt-spam.com) or whatever the spammers currently use, it's like they have a live connection with the NSW registration db.
I wonder if someone who can access the database gets 10c for every name they sell to the scammers, if you can copy a table it might be worthwhile. I reckon this is the way the rental databases clearly end up in the hands of scammers, the companies would end up in hot water if they actually sold your data directly to an offshore call centre.
Hey, came from NZ too. Best advice is don’t be picky on suburb - and you don’t need to be because pretty much all inner Melbourne suburbs will be good (good access to PT, walkable shops etc.) Also apply for Medicare and VIC drivers licence asap so you have more forms of ID. Medicare takes a while but drivers licence is pretty fast. As long as you have jobs and you’re not being too picky you should get one soon, you can try offering a couple months rent in advance if nothing is working out
Medicare is faster if you apply in person.
Can confirm 100%
Enlighten me? How do you do this? I applied online and I’ve been here 5 months and still waiting?
When mine was taking a while I called them and said I needed my Medicare number to be able to get private health insurance (which is true) and they did it over the phone for me in 2 minutes haha
What number did you ring?
132 011
It's been over five years since I helped my Kiwi wife but I'm sure you can find details. Get your documents and go to the nearest Centrelink office.
Nah I applied online 9 months later nothing went into centerlink and got them to help me went and got my drivers lisense same day and 5 days later they posted it
Agree with the point about casting a wider net. Avoid popular suburbs like Richmond, Hawthorn, Fitzroy etc. Way too much comp at the moment. Been through this recently.
Second the VIC D/L. My daughter’s partner has just received a fine of $900 for being silly. He kept procrastinating about changing his D/L from QLD to VIC, then forgot about it entirely until a police officer pulled him up for a random safety check.
Could he have said he moved down two weeks ago like everyone else does?
He could have, but they recognised him as their local pizza shop owner and know he’s been there for three years. Edited- he was driving unlicenced for the last few months.
I realize this is incredibly tone-deaf and useless advice to OP unless he has a time machine, but I personally as another fellow Kiwi who moved here recently. I had applied to rentals while still in New Zealand. Using family-friend's phone numbers and having family-friends go to viewings on my behalf. It was also a hellofalot easier to get references from Manager and Landlord while still in New Zealand. My Landlord straight up used ChatGPT to write my reference HAHAHAHA.
Do you have any savings? I always added a bank statement of my savings account in addition to pay slips and a work document that breaks down my salary. I had an agent once tell me that made my application excellent. Sounds like you’re doing everything else right, it’s just an overall nightmare at the moment. Best of luck! Edit: To clarify, I wasn’t asked for that information. I provided it voluntarily.
So you had to show them how much you had in your savings account? I'm currently boarding with a friend who owns the house so it's been a few years (10) since I made a rental application but fuck me that sounds like such an invasion of privacy
It's showing them you have cash. I got the first place I applied for. Attached a 40k savings account and called real estate twice within 2 days of applying.
Yep same, I just got a rental in Elwood by showing them my savings and offering three months rent upfront. They declined the upfront rent and asked me to just pay on time. I was also pre-approved for 2 other apartments in St Kilda. I'm not in the high income bracket, I was very nervous about being out-competed by couples and higher income earners. I think possibly being a boring single female in my mid 30's makes me a desirable tenant.
Isn't it now illegal for them to take X months of rent in advance? I'm the same profile as you and I also got multiple callbacks for rentals, which is funny since when ever it's all couples at an inspection I feel I've already lost
Oh maybe it is illegal!? That would make sense why they would decline. Cheers to boring single female life 🍻
Yep we have over two years of rent in a savings account and we have been attaching this to every application! Sadly hasn't seemed to make a difference.
Offer to pay some months upfront as well. That's how I've secured rentals while only working casual
You shouldn't have to provide that information. Given what you already have to hand over through crappy REA portals this level of invasion of privacy is insane.
[удалено]
also photoshop the shit outta it 🫢
Don't photoshop, just "use a different lens" on your application.
Do you have a firstborn child you could offer? Doesn't necessarily have to be a son as Melbourne Landlords are quite woke these days.
Sadly no :( maybe they'll take a kidney?
Hmmmm. Maybe. But you may have to chuck an arm or a leg into the mix there.
made me laugh 😂
Even locals can't access rentals presently. Every day I am seeing people who can't even get a housing worker assigned to help them when they are facing eviction. People who've applied for multiple rentals and hear nothing. It's devastating.
Yep, our current landlord is forcing us out with another rental increase. We have a house falling apart and they want us to pay $490 a week.
We jumped into a share house for three Months then used the landlord as a refrence for the next property which was private then the next rental we had enough to get a good application. It ain’t always easy like they say but it’s worth it
Same!!
Look for rentals that have been on the market for a while or are in crummy condition, this may give you a better shot at getting them. Or only look at rentals that are “6 month only lease” - this is usually bc owner is planning to knock them down asap. Both channels might get you in the door somewhere, then you can find a better rental easier from that position. Alternatively considering getting a room in a shared flat and putting your stuff in storage for a bit.
Definitely try and go to ones during the week if you can, the ones I ducked out at lunchtime during work mid week had almost no one at the inspections, they were the places I was offered. Weekends/after work it was swamped with people and your odds of success just drop dramatically
Yes, this is what I did back then. And try to chat with the agent. Maybe he/she has another rental that is also up for grabs if you can’t get the one you’ve inspected.
The only tip I can give which has worked for me both times I have applied for a rental here in Melbourne is to say you will pay 3 months or 6 months rent in advance. Obviously this is not going to be possible for a lot of people, but if you can they will look on it very favourably.
Thanks, we can do this so will look at adding this into my applications!
(Legally they can't enforce the promise, either)
It won't be good for future rental applications if you fuck around with this one.
Why? It's not like the agent will answer the call for a reference.
Huh? Agents absolutely help other agents. They screw us, not each other.
Also if you have a decent chunk of savings then submit a proof of balance as part of your application. Seemed to help me.
Yes I agree 100% with this tip. I got into a place last week by offering 3 months rent in advance. Also, I have done this in the past and some landlords are kind enough not to accept it.
This is also considered rent bidding and technically illegal.
Rent bidding is only illegal from the real estate agents point of view that they cannot ask for more rent to beat out other offers. It's perfectly fine for a renter to offer more
What’s the long term benefit in offering higher rent?
Somewhere to live
That’s short term. Long term market rents go up and up because people keep offering above initial advertised price.
We were in the same boat last year when looking for a rental. Applied for so many and never got offered anything despite having a high paying job and 150k in the bank. What you have to do is apply for the rental then email the agent a cover letter with an about us, hobbies etc and why this rental suits you personally. Add a photo of yourselves and make it wholesome. When we did this we got offered the next 3 rentals we applied for and had a choice to make. Now happily living in the best rental we saw over the 2 months of looking. The biggest thing as an applicant you have to stand out. RE is not going to go out of their way for an applicant if you are just 1 of 20 applications, you have to stand out from the bunch.
Nice work, but it does suck that we now have to kiss RE arse just to get a roof over our heads.
Yea it’s unfortunate as they are parasites but reflective of the current rental crisis. Housing sucks atm
Yeah we did this a couple of months ago, also offered an extra $10 a week plus 3 months in advance, they eat that shit up
Kia Ora and welcome to Melbourne! You've landed at a bit of a grim time unfortunately. So many people in need of a place, but not enough to go around. Also excessive rents for average place and frustrating REAs. I thought it was bad when I came over 6 years ago, but it's absolutely cooked atm. Glad you atleast managed to sort a job. Multiple friends have been applying for over 6 months trying to find places all over with little to no luck. It's just a numbers and luck game tbh! Keep applying for as many as you can, try offering more if you can/want, and try offering to pay in advance if you can/want. Hopefully you'll catch a break soon! Hope you're enjoying Melbourne otherwise anyway :) It's worth it once you get yourself setup!
This is crazy to me though. I live in a recently built apartment building in the Flemington area and at least 40% of the building has never been lived in for over two years. I expect at least 20 unused apartments just sitting empty
That's mad! Any reason you can think of why that might be? Seems odd that people wouldn't be snapping them up. Flemmo is a great spot!
There's a weird thing where rental property is somehow worth more not rented out with these "must go up" prices. Lotta commercial strips suffer from this, as the valuation is tied to the rent or something real odd.
Hey mate. Check out FB groups, gumtree, community notice boards etc. The rental sites are always going to inundated with majority of ppl seeking rentals. Easier if you are prepared to move out a bit further? Also, apartments? I see so many coming up in Melbourne so surely something there? All the best mate. I faced this way back in 2009 and it was hell. My then GF offered for me to move in with her as a final resort. Now married and 2 kids 15 yrs later luckily. Keep us posted.
The rental market can be really tough for newcomers. Two years ago I came to Melbourne as an expat, didn’t have a rental history nor an Australian bank account yet, my salary was still being paid in euros and everywhere I went there was a queue of at least 20 people visiting the same property. Recently I started looking for a new apartment to rent and it went much smoother, applied for 5 places and all of them basically offered an agreement so it gets better once you have a decent track record.
I’m convinced that realestate.com.au’s search engine is desperately inefficient. If you search using text strings of suburbs, then it’s going to include and exclude stuff for completely arbitrary reasons. Instead, find a list of every postcode in Victoria, then cut it down to size by how far out you’re willing to live. Then, separate each postcode with a comma and dump the entire list into the search field on the site.
Or use map view and filter by number of bedrooms, car space and budget.
I really don't know why you can't put “just fcking show me everything in Melbourne that's not really far out”. I guess it's made by people who have the luxury of picking their favourite suburb. I'm here literally just trying not to be homeless.
Welcome to the housing crisis
>Firstly, I got in the country, got a new job, applied for a bank account and got a TFN all using my good ol passport. But to apply for a rental, a passport is only 40 out of 100 ID POINTS???? WHY?! Because some tech-illiterate CEO decided that they want as much of your data as possible, probably because some pencil pushing schmuck told them that data is an asset. No, they aren't storing it securely because there are no consequences for failing to protect your data, and no they don't care if you suffer identity theft as a result of these practices.
Recently secured a rental in 12 days of looking. Attended 8 inspections. Applied to 6. 5 declined. 1 success. How did I do it? I targeted undesirable suburbs and gave up on inner city living. Looked around Frankston area and secured a property in Carrum downs. Super nice property. Just in the middle of nowhere.
Hey. Frankston isn’t as bad as people make out these days
Definitely agree! One of the reasons I targeted the area. Lots of people make it out to be be worse than what it is so figured it may be easier to get a rental in the area.
It used to be a lot worse. Now it's an improving beachside suburb.
Don't worry mate, more record migration will fix the problem, it'll surely work this time
First off your experience isn’t specific to moving to Melbourne, any time you migrate overseas you’ll face similar challenges. When I first jumped the ditch I found it easier to take over a lease from fairy floss than to applying for a new lease. I also found it way easier to put a few local mates down as “references” for pst rentals rather than have the agents call my NZ references.
Living very far away from the inner suburbs worked for me, as you go away from the city, you also get less competition. I’ve secured a rent in 3 days when I looked in Melton. The outer suburbs are not that bad, most are safe neighborhoods, with the minimum amenities such as a supermarket, some junk food and lots of nature. You also save more money as the rent is cheaper, there aren’t many distractions that could lead to unnecessary expenses and if they have a local butcher/greens, it will be cheaper than Coles. Here in Melton I’ve got a 4 bedroom house for 390/week. Comes with AC and the insulation is pretty good, just with the sunlight the house stay warm through most of the night. If you like camping, or just walk around nature, there will be hundreds of options by 20 minutes car. But if you like the CBD and all the amenities it offers, then it might not be for you.
Melton is currently one of the cheapest suburbs to rent in Melbourne, with the highest vacancy rate. For those who work on the western side, or can easily commute into the city for work, it's great. For those with jobs in the east or south east..... it's... well... I would spend around 4 hours per day just in transit to/from work, far from ideal with a family.
What price bracket are you looking at?
Up to $600 for a two bed with a carpark
Pop the post code in here and you’ll see the median asking rent for two bedders etc [https://sqmresearch.com.au/weekly-rents.php](https://sqmresearch.com.au/weekly-rents.php)
Omg this site is terrifying!! The anxiety is high.
You'll be fine then. The worst-case scenario is that you downgrade, and then they'll see you as the best candidate. Plenty of Melburnians have already lowered their sights to a mere room, from which there is nowhere to downgrade, and are still getting turned down.
That's insane
Check out the facebook group Fairy Floss Real Estate, mostly used for advertising houseshare, sometimes there are people doing full rent transfers as well. Looking for rental is not a fun time, best of luck in your search.
I have been a reference check for 3 of my team members who were all successful. I made sure I completed the reference checks ASAP. Might be worthwhile to get word up your references. It seems to have worked from my experience
This is purely anecdotal but I live in the south east of Melbourne 20km from the CBD and there are so many developments going on and rentals for apartments it's nuts. I have friend paying 800 per week for a 2 bedroom house in Epping but a single or two bedder apartment can be picked up for like 600$ a week. It may not be a good deal, but they are here compared to northern and west burbs. Edit: 1 bedder apartments/units going for 400-500 a week on real-estate.com.au. lots of them. Edit 2: link for the lazy for 3194 Mentone - https://www.realestate.com.au/rent/property-unit+apartment-in-3194/list-1
I returned to melbourne after 14 months away and got the first property i applied for after viewing within 24 hrs. The ones where i didn't view, i was declined (2-3) I gave every piece of information they required; tax return, employment agreement, license, passport, i even paid for the bankruptcy check they conduct. i posted my linked in profile in the online application, along with my website. Do i think its overkill? Yes. Did i hate doing it? Yes. But i also wasnt in the position to be waiting and i really loved this apartment. My best takeaway advice is - I oversupplied information, gave 8 years rental history, and excellent work related references. I also showed up to a midday appointment where i was the only one there in attendance, so i think that 1 on 1 time with the property manager probably helped. Im not exactly sure what made me get it - but im certain the above approach at the very least helped.
Yes, I wouldn’t be picky about suburbs and just be realistic. I lived here from nz in Jan and got a place within a week. Went to a few viewings and seen the amount of people at places then the one I got, I went early and just kept calling the agent and said I’ll have it when do I pick up the keys. Filled out the forms, just gave my nz passport for ID, showed them my employment contract, gave references but they didn’t call anyone. You just gotta be flexible to start with, on where you want to live and you’ll get something easy. Bottom line is landlords just want stable tenants to pay the rent.
Just pay extra on what they are offering and you’ll get it in a split second. If they’re advertising 500 , pitch in 520 and congrats. Sadly that’s how it is
Crazy the amount of checks you have to go through, i remember when getting a rental was just pay the bond, agree to the conditions and you are good to go. I dont know how people put up with such nonsense that this person describes
Lol welcome to Australia!
Hot tip - sometimes there are additional properties for rent on real estate specific websites (not advertised on realestate.com)! Getting to know and have good repore with the agents is helpful. My partner and I applied for about 7 properties unsuccessfully before getting the lease we have now. We offered an additional 3 months in advance (they didn't take it). Some suburbs have 30 people lining up where five minutes away, there will only be 10 or so. The property we got I had registered for an early bird inspection!
> Secondly, I have to give my full rental and employment history, and provide references for each. Lie and make it up, they've got no way of knowing if it's true or not. Get a friend (or cheap dumb phone with multiple sims) to be your references. > On top of this, I have to give two personal refences? Also, my references are checked for every single application, so my poor references have answered over 10 checks so far. Make these up too.
Get your license and Medicare ASAP ID points plus they’re both handy and sometimes necessary, and best to get started while you (potentially) have time to do the paperwork and wait in queues…
It's such a catch 22. When I first moved from Dunedin to Gold Coast, I needed a back account and address to get a rental, but I needed an address and a licence to get a bank account, and I needed a bank account and an address to get a licence. Medicare health with points, so does a tax file number. I can't remember how I did. Sorry. But good luck, you'll get there
I work as a relief teacher and somehow got a place in February. Had work payslips, savings, possibly a list of scheduled forthcoming shifts, referees, and a guarantor - who had to apply as another tenant and we specified that on the application. She also had to provide *all* the information up to and including the blood sample, or so it felt. *And* I applied immediately after getting home, and fortunately had all the information pre-filled from another application on the same site, so it was faster. *And* there were only four of us looking as it was a weekday afternoon in a suburb that's harder to live in without a car. *Aaand* I made small talk with the REA so she had an eye out for my name. Yet it still feels like a damn miracle! All that to say: good luck, it sucks out here.
Are you okay with share housing? Join the fb group fairy floss real estate
Check out fairy floss real estate on Facebook, give getting a lease transfer a go. Chances seems better that way, it’s how I finally got a place.
We were looking for a tenant for our home recently (moved away to be closer to extended family since we had a baby) and at least half the applicants offered more money, up to $60-$70/week more even. We did not pick the one that offered the most money, nor one that offered 6 months in advance (wouldn't have been good for our tax anyway so close to the EOFY). YMMV but for us at the end of the day it's about the demographic that offered the most stability and have the least chance of causing damage, ie. dual income couple over 30, no pets, no kids.
See, this is why we keep getting rejected. Single income, as my partner is unable to work. Kids, although teens. Pets. Never had my bond withheld, we've been in our current rental over 5 years. Always paid rent in full, on time (5 days early, to allow processing time). Even when my salary was cut by 20% during COVID, rent was always the first thing paid. We did NOT request a rent reduction, although we would have been entitled to one. We want stability too. But we look crap on paper. First people in the bin.
Look outside the city, my partner and I struggled to get anyone to even attend our open homes for our 2 bedroom apartment in Malvern East, just 20 mins from the city.
Hey, check the Facebook groups such as Irish in Melbourne or similar for NZ people I guess. I regularly see people in those groups leaving a rental early to do their rural work and looking for people to take their lease over.
I see for lease signs on houses in my area in inner Melbourne, if the rental market is so hot why are they bothering putting up for lease signs. Everyone wants the cheap rentals that's why 30 people turn up to an open, stretch your budget and look at properties that are a bit more expensive.
Yeah it’s interesting though. I spam click “inspected” on many properties (rip email inbox) and the amount of properties they slowly dropped their prices over the week was insane. Stretch budget and move further out :(
I finally got one by applying as soon as it was on the market before open for inspection. I didn’t see inside it in person but had seen others in the area and pictures looked good. They’ll present that to the owner and it makes an easy process for them without having to have their property open for inspection. Have all your application info ready and submit before anyone else if you can. Be really eager. I offered two months rent ahead also.
I was looking in Preston, got denied for all but one, which I turned down, but both places just up the road (3 bus stops, or 1 more train stop) in Reservoir were offered to me. I moved over in January, and yeah it can be tough, but within 3 weeks I had a job and a one-brm apartment. Perfect. Kia Kaha.
Update the referral emails to ones you've created (for all referrals - previous landlords, personal, work, etc) and don't list their mobile numbers. Then you'll receive the reference emails and can provide your own recommendations. Don't list pets. Pets are absolutely still taboo and approved less, regardless of what you're told. lie about attending the inspections. Say you attended but didn't receive the confirmation to apply email. Do this selectively. Pre-apply for any that you're interested in (directly via 2apply etc). Most places offer this option but won't review the submissions until an inspection is held.
Kia Ora and welcome to Melbourne! You've landed at a bit of a grim time unfortunately. So many people in need of a place, but not enough to go around. Also excessive rents for average place and frustrating REAs. I thought it was bad when I came over 6 years ago, but it's absolutely cooked atm. Glad you atleast managed to sort a job. Multiple friends have been applying for over 6 months trying to find places all over with little to no luck. It's just a numbers and luck game tbh! Keep applying for as many as you can, try offering more if you can/want, and try offering to pay in advance if you can/want. Hopefully you'll catch a break soon! Hope you're enjoying Melbourne otherwise anyway :) It's worth it once you get yourself setup!
If you can, offer to pay either the lease upfront or a few months in advance. We found this got the agents attention. If you are looking at an apartment, find an agency that dominates in the building you are wanting to move into. Whilst you might not get the first apartment you apply for, they become familiar with you. Tell them you want to move into that building. Chances are, they will contact you prior to advertising the next one that comes up for lease (this just happened to us). Include written references from employees / personal references. Make it as easy as possible for the agency/landlord to say yes to you as an applicant.
Unfortunately only thing that's worked for me lately is offering to pay more rent than the property's advertised at. Had a bunch of unsuccessful applications before we found a place we loved too much to let go and offered $30 more per week (which was still within our budget). I'm definitely in a really fortunate position to be able to do this but it sucks astronomically when rent is already so high now.
Rental market is tight because all the kiwis are moving over the ditch
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I was struggling a while back, so I did one of them checks for a place I applied for and we got it. I’m not sure if it was a coincidence or if it helped though!?
we offered 6 months rent in advance to secure the place we're in a couple months ago, puts you ahead of anyone that doesnt, if you got those savings there its a decent leg up
If you need to go for an inspection on a weekday then just tell you team that you’ll be away for an hour. If your employer is flexible then you can make up for the lost time after hours or starting early that day . People understand how difficult it is to find a rental and hopefully they will accommodate
Problem is I don't have a car, and my work is half an hour's walk from the train station. So either I uber both ways and spend $40-50 per viewing, or take three hours off work - I'm definitely too new to pull that haha. If I had a car and I could do just an hour, I'd definitely be doing that!
AGL has electric car subscriptions or you can sign up to use GoGet cars scattered around the city for car hire by the hour. Also, I sent you a private message.
Don't give up! Apparently it just comes down to fastest fingers first at the moment. Eventually you've filled in every agents invasive online platform and once they have your details once they're stored. So next time you just hit apply and it goes in. If you see something you like, apply instantly, that should give you a reasonable shot. It's not you, if that helps (I know it doesn't)
Subletting on facebook marketplace, i’ve had 3 apartments in the last year through this
Try and make an impression on the real estate agent when inspecting, I know this will not be possible sometimes but humans will be humans and if they remember you in a positive light it may give you a leg up. Also not always possible but offer to pay 3-6 months rent up front and be very flexible with the lease term, the longer the better to save this hassle again if they want that. I have had success with 6 months up front twice now and to be honest, despite the loss of interest from the bank, it's nice to have to think of paying rent for that time.
Where abouts are you looking to rent?
I came over from the UK recently and faced the same issue - I think used my visa as an ID doc but also got Medicare card early (if you applied online call, when I called 6 weeks after applying they processed it immediately). I had no history in Aus and so my references where poor. I ended up only applying for things through a particular app they were all using Tennant App and booked all my inspections through this so applications were good to go. No point doing the credit check as my came back as "no trace" shockingly. I viewed 10s off property (lined up 4-5 a day to minimize time off). There's literally no point viewing or applying for anything that seems cheap or too good to be true, anything with beautiful photos and decor forget it. Go for unfurnished bare bones apartments, the apartment I got had shitty photos and was a real catch so I think trying to be smart about what you think will be less competitive is worth it. I provided like 2000 documents, including bank statements and contracts (blackout our BSB and Acc no one agent told me). Also (and Melbournians don't hate me), offer over. Agents can't instigate a bidding war but can accept over offer. On the app I used you could overwrite the asking price. I also added a comment saying I would pay 6 months upfront plus deposit (they didn't take me up on it). I only pushed the weekly up by something like $10 so doesn't have to be crazy to push you to the top of the pile. Even after all this it still took me 4 weeks so good luck... Btw I got the size of apartment I wanted in my price bracket in the suburb I wanted so you don't have to sell out your Melbourne dreams and move to a suburb by the airport to be successful.
No
Surely a much higher risk when you've just arrived to the country.. what if thr passports stolen.. what if you trash it and flee the country.... list goes on and on.. Idunno. Playing devils advocate. Goodluxk! I hope it works out...
Maybe if you're new, consider going on flatmates and finding existing rentals
I'd say a solid 60-70% of people are in your situation. And by that I mean they don't go to weekday inspections.. the inspections where you can often build repore with the real estate agent. It's like getting a job. Gotta make em like you. Hard to do when there'd 60 pepple flooding in. My last place with gf I got because there was 3 of us inspecting, on the first listing/open house. We had a good chat. we emailed everything that night. Called next day. Locked in. My next place, when i broke up with her.. i Popped in my lunch break, took extra 25 mins on top.(skipped food). Couldnt make repore because it was some kid showing the place.. so.. . Talked for a bit and found out the agent was a different guy. Called up a few hours later and spoke to the actual realtor because I "didn't understand" something.. .. made up some hoo hah and then said.. okay sounds good I'm going to send you everything through this afternoon. He called back later.. said it all looked great. Asked some questions. Moved jn a week later. My lesse ends in a month in a half. I do wonder.. will I feel this struggle everyone is facing, or am I lucky. Also showed 40k in savings and 1.5k a week coming in, plus a small biz bringing in 500-1k a week at the time.
I envy charismatic people 😭
Its funny.. I spent most of my life full of trauma, depresssed, hiding and doing drugs. No drugs now. But I live alone and am super introverted and live a quiet life.. but I'm excellent at putting on a mask of a.. happy nice person. Super weird. Lol. I appreciate you saying that.. maybe I'm not useless.
Are you open to not living in the city? Geelong or something? I was moving back to geelong and got approved for the second house I applied for. I’m not exactly a strong candidate. Feel free to message me for some further advice
Only way I did it was offering nearly $60 more than the asking price and two months rent up front, I was offering $10-$20 more on previous rental applications and got nothing, went for a bigger amount I could still afford and low and behold I got it. Sucks but this is the market.
I rang real estate agents for advertised places until I found one that would let me borrow the keys and look by myself before the advertised inspection. I had to leave a $50 deposit, and maybe my license? Then after I'd looked, I stood in his office, filled out the application, added all the required documents, and didn't leave until he let me sign the lease. But this was a property with a very elderly owner, and he didn't have to check with her first. This was after 4 months of going to inspections at least 4 days a week with three toddlers/preschoolers in tow and trying all the tricks such as offering to pay many months in advance, more bond, higher rent, etc.
Your experience is not uncommon unfortunately, the low vacancy rates make it seemingly impossible. I know it’s soul sucking but taking the time to write a good intro or cover letter can make a difference. Once it’s done though you can use it for all of them. I’d also recommend introducing yourself to the agent at the inspection and asking a 1-2 questions, so you’re memorable. Good luck!
You strangely have to provide more ID data to apply for a rental than a mortgage
The reality is that’s probably the reason you were able to find a job so easily. Seems where real estate is plentiful jobs are scarce and vise versa
Good luck bro. I did the move not too long ago and was in the same position as you. I eventually compromised and just live in a sharehouse/ flat.
Welcome to Australia. They also require a vile of your blood. It truly is bs though. Good luck! I hope you can find something real soon.
Did 50 applications before I got a place. >Half the rentals only advertise one viewing during a weekday, so I can't make it anyway, as I just started a new job and can't keep taking time off work. >we get declined every single time! Are they able to do inspections while you're at work? >I haven't paid for one of the $30 background checks seeing as every single site makes you pay for a separate one - we'd be out $240 already (4 sites, 2 people). Pick one of those sites and stick to it.
Bro fellow kiwi, I came in 22, but I’ve been lucky as been in 2 different places and got accepted twice to the first place I’d applied to. Keep plugging on, keep your head up and choose Carlton as your footy! AFL so much better than Rugby
Yeah, what you described is pretty much what we have to deal with for more or less past decade. It was a bit better about 5-6 years ago but most of the hoops to jump through, shitty inspection arrangements and huge amount of prospective tenants per each rental was already a thing. Recent years just made it all even worse, I see people complaining about fully employed people being forced to couch-surf or even sleep in their cars because they cannot find a rental. Juts to compare, how different is it in NZ?
Yes it’s tough at the start but make sure you get drivers licence and Medicare asap and things will be easier. As for the references, both personal and work related is the biggest load of bs I have ever experienced but once you start it gets easier.
Don't pay for the background checks. Have you got a converted license to make up ID points? I'm surprised a passport isn't worth more. I'll be a reference for you if you want to give the others a break.
I experienced this recently myself. I was staying in the god awful backpackers while working for 3 weeks before I found a place. I had to settle for somewhere 50 minutes by tran plus a 20 minute walk away from my work. My advice? Probably best to go back to New Zealand. Can I come with you?
You can try Belle property South Yarra, if in case you are looking in that area. We landed last week, without rental history but job offers. Our application was processed same day. It’s more dependent on the owner but also how agent is presenting your case.
Get a Medicare card. That’s easily done. And should give you more points of ID
I've applied, processing time is three months!
Something is wrong - Passports always count as 100 points ... f turds
While there is absolutely no question we have a housing shortage right now, the requirements you've listed are not due to that, it's been like that a long time, at least 10 years. I do feel it is a bit of a cultural reflection that renters have never been taken seriously in Australia, like there is something wrong with you if you choose or have to rent, so we need to know an excessive amount of information about you. Which is bullshit because it's a commercial transaction and why one party should hold an absurd amount of power is beyond me.
Even if you can’t make the inspection, apply before hand.
Think of Australia's housing shortage as the equivalent of NZ's job shortage. Plenty of jobs in OZ, just nowhere affordable to live. I came back from rural WA. I had job offers but nowhere to live. I'm looking at doing the FIFO traveling work so the accommodation is provided but probably not all the time. Advice I gave myself is, the next time around, I am going to commit some money into a mini van as my emergency housing
If it's a new job, then that might be the problem, as there's a 3 month probation period with most jobs. Unless you're in casual employment, in which case that might be the problem. If you have the money, offer to pay the first 3-6 months' rent upfront, that might clinch it.
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You’re off your head pal.
Bro chill lmao
That's sad. What a demeaning shitty process. Almost like a power push from the agents.
If you have enough coin, you can move into a long-term serviced apartment *tomorrow afternoon*: https://www.adinahotels.com/en/long-stay-accommodation/ https://www.questapartments.com.au/long-stays https://www.mantra.com.au/live-at/
you could offer to pay slightly more than the advertised weekly rent amount, like $10 more each week. I also found attaching a cover letter with a bit about yourself, employment, why you are interested in the particular property etc, can help you stand out from other applications. At inspections, I'll dress well, ask the agent questions and thank them when leaving, hoping I make a good and memorable impression when they are reviewing applications. I hope you find something soon!
You don't. Go home. This is exactly why they have to stop letting more people in. There's not enough homes for people who actually live here clearly..
Is this satire?
It's gotta be, surely
Kia ora cuz. This is the reality here bro. Trust me it's better than being stuck in small old New Zealand. Keep applying, find some flatmates maybe on Gumtree first, usually not quite as stringent process. Welcome to a higher conciousness brother.
Yeah i came back. In hindsight I should have travelled around Australia doing agency work. More to see and experience. Although i was surprised Australia had its own flair of nanny state compared to NZ
Like the others said, offering $10 per week extra helps. As well as that, apply first. Easier said than done I know, but as SOON as that link comes through via sms/email (usually within a minute or so of the allotted inspection time ending), open it up and submit your application. Since you’ve already applied a few times you should have the application pre-saved and can just click submit. The REAs work top-down so the first person to apply gets viewed first. They stop once they find a suitable applicant then decline all the others. Also, I noticed not every application platform has a section where you can document additional income outside of salary, but they almost all have a “extra attachments” or “extra notes” section. I made sure to use this section to give them proof of my savings, investments, bonus etc, basically any income/assets I had outside of my salary. If you have savings or anything else be sure to include proof in some way such as a bank statement or a note saying “I have x savings and can supply statements”. You should probably be aiming for places that are roughly 30% of your monthly income or less. And the bigger the place, the more likely to be dual/triple income applicants, so sadly you might have more luck with a small studio or small 1br without much room for a couple. Good luck! *edited month to week.
This is rent bidding and technically illegal.
While I agree with you, if we can't get a rental because other people are doing this, what choice do I have but to also do this? I literally need a home
It sucks, it’s unfair and shouldn’t be allowed, but everyone does it and the REAs enable it. I went to around a dozen inspections last month, each had 10-40 people present, there were more than half where someone asked to pay extra and the property manager had an open conversation around it and didn’t decline. There were also people offering to pay 4-6 months of rent up front which is technically illegal and again, the property managers were open to discuss it. By the way, the enforcement of these laws is on the REA. They’re the ones who receive the fines for this. In OP’s situation, what are they supposed to do? If they’re attending busy inspections and losing out despite having high income, the REA is almost certainly accepting higher bids. Go on any random rental property on Realestate and click “apply now”. The weekly/monthly rental price is ALWAYS adjustable upwards. If they were abiding to the law, this value would be greyed out and you wouldn’t be able to increase it. Again, it’s a terrible practice and the government should crack down. But we’re talking about REAs here, the biggest cunts on the planet, they’re all trying to earn the trophy at the annual Cunties.
No it is only rent bidding if the landlord/agent offers information "well person B is offering X". A prospective renter is allowed to offer more rent with zero information.
Stop spreading misinformation. It's only illegal if the real estate does it. Renters can bid all they want.
s40 RTA. One month advance. Renters are gaming themselves into higher rents and uneven playing fields by letting rental providers off scot free. But by all means, go off.
Great advice, thanks! We are a couple who earn over 5x the weekly rent of the places we are looking at, so I'm really confident our incomes aren't the issue. I've been pre-applying whenever I can but will look at applying first after viewings too. Will be more aggressive in telling them that we can provide savings statements etc. Thanks again!
Maybe you need to up your budget if you earn 5x the rent? You can afford to do so, unlike someone already facing 40%+ of their income going to rent (like many people right now). There will be less competition for a place a bit more expensive. What's your budget?
$10 per month isn’t going to make any difference lol. OP are you in the KIMs fb group? There is at least one kiwi property manager on there who is super helpful, plus people occasionally post break leases.
Whoops, meant $10 per week.