Christies Beach 
If you missed the article last week in the Advertiser, well I am sure you have heard because everyone is talking about it; there is a huge shortage of available rental properties.
We posted an article (Shortage of Rental Accommodation) in November discussing this problem. It is not uncommon for there to be a slight shortage before December, but it usually picks up again in summer. Of course, that has not been the case this year.
What does this mean for people? Well, it means that a lot of people are getting desperate and offering more money. It has now come to the point, where agents are even telling prospective tenants that they will only be in with a chance if they are willing to offer more than the asking rent.
We posted an article on Wednesday titled ‘We won’t ask prospective tenants to offer more‘. Although, this practice is not illegal in South Australia, it goes against our code of ethics.
Now that is great, if you are one of the lucky people who get accepted by an agent who doesn’t carry out what is essentially a rental auction, but we, like everyone else, have very limited stock. We might not have a property that meets your requirements, or perhaps we do, but with heavy competition, you could miss out on it.
I think people need to start realistically coming up with a back-up plan. Now, for most people, the only back-up plans are more than likely not ideal, especially if you have a family. If you want to move but don’t actually HAVE TO move, then you are in a much better position but some people have a date that they have to be out by.
If that is you, then start looking immediately. Sure, you might have to pay double rent – fine, save up, borrow money, sell non-essential items, do whatever you have to do (legally) to make it work. Desperate times, call for desperate measures.
Pick a ridiculous number, say 100 – plan to apply for 100 properties. Make sure you fill in all the information on the form. DON’T LEAVE BLANK SPACES. If we have to ring you to ask you a question, because you didn’t fill something out, you will go into the pile of applications to deal with later, meanwhile, we’ll keep processing the rest of the applications and most likely come across one that we love and pick them before ever going back to yours.
This is also where it pays to have a good relationship with your property manager. Those with a poor rental history are going to find it much harder to find something else. If you think you might have a poor rental history, then it is time to start thinking how you can turn that around. Owe money? Easy, apologise and pay it back. Caused damage? Even if it is not malicious; apologise and pay for the repairs. Have you been disrespectful to your landlord or agent? Now, this can be a hard pill to swallow but apologise. Have an open and honest conversation without getting rude or defensive. This can turn a bad reference into a good reference.
That being said, even by taking every measure, it is still going to be a difficult road ahead. The sad truth is that you are going to get knocked back multiple times. We don’t want to see people end up homeless so please, come up with a plan B. Start asking family, friends, neighbours and community organisations, if they would be happy to take you in, if you can’t find something. Don’t wait to start planning.
If you would like to speak to a real estate professional about your situation, please give us a call on 08 8382 3773.
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Shortage of Available Rental Properties
19/02/2021
Article posted by Professionals Christies Beach
