draecos Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Hi I'm sure this is the same frustration that every new family to Perth finds. We have applied for 4-5 properties and been knocked back for all of them without any advice as to why. We are a family of 2 adults and 2 younger children. We've provided all the ID (photo and written) we can, previous rental statements, mortgage statements, bank statements showing current balance and salary being paid, medicare, passport, proof of address, bills, employment contract, contract for finance on a car etc etc. Even a nice letter to the landlords stating why we would be good tenants and our current situation. I can't help feeling that all this is purely down to money and nothing else as the bank account only shows about $3k (at time of printing). Perhaps we need to take out things like the contract for car finance so the landlords don't think we are committing to too much/ I can't help feeling that we need to say that we will put down x number of months of rent in advance to secure a property or perhaps we are looking in the wrong area. What is everyone else's experience? Is there a 'right' way of doing a rental pack? How do you secure a rental successfully or do you need to show you have thousands of dollars despite having full time employment on a decent salary? Alternatively do you find its down to discrimination because we're new and migrants? Are we being too impatient given the dire rental situation in Perth? Would be grateful for any advice and guidance. Thanks in advance. David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi69 Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 To be truthfull it sounds like your doing everything right, sometimes its just down to pure luck and a decent agent i think. Our story was we managed to secure our rental back in May while still in the UK. Great stuff. We then looked on behalf of friends who were still in the UK at the time, it was then that i found out just how bad it was out there. It was third time lucky for them and that only happened i think because we turned up to view but the agent didnt!!. The tenants were still in the rental and were good enough to let us look round, we then basically went to said agents office, complained about what had happened but that we still wanted to apply on behalf on our friends, i think we made them feel that bad that they got that one. This month we had a friend staying with us while he looked. Again it was a nightmare, at least 20 other couples turning up to view, and he too got turned down. Fourth viewing there was only a few other couples, he explained to the agent that as he had only been here a few weeks he didnt have all the relevant info (as well as having no money in the bank). The agent was great and said to just fill in what he could and he heard next day that he got it. Total luck of the draw so please dont feel its you or your bank balance (although i do think there are some anti expat agents out there). Just keep going to the home opens and im sure you too will have a change of luck. All the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfie Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Presently there are 11 house rentals in Rockingham. It is a bad situation throughout Perth. NOR seems to be particularly bad Mandurah area seems to have more rentals and it appears slightly easier in that area. People tend to struggle in Baldivis to find somewhere also. Keep trying I am sure you will be lucky at some point although it is disheartening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest djj Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Hi, I will not be arriving in Perth until early 2013 but I understand that the rental market is pretty dire in Perth and is stressing out so many people. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/rental-discrimination-leaves-tenants-distraught-20120812-242im.html I wish you all the best in finding something real soon. djj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAK Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 It took us 5 weeks to secure a rental and I was giving up any hope, plus we were in a house provided by OH's employer that we should have only been in for 4 weeks. We have finally got one in Baldivis and I put every shred of evidence in the pack I could find, things you have mentioned, plus copies of our visas, birth certificates, UK and Oz bank statements, police checks we had done when applying for visas, OH's wage slips, we have a small dog so put in some pictures of him looking pathetic in quarantine, as I am not employed here I got friends who I used to work with to write character references for me, I spent a fortune at the local library on photocopying!! We also did something I always said we wouldn't do, we offered a bit more on the rental which is probably what worked, but we had started looking at higher weekly rentals in the hope that there would be less people showing up, but there were always plenty of others there despite the rental amount. I really feel for you as it isn't easy and it is so disheartening especially when I kept reading about people who managed to secure a rental on first application, I started wondering what is wrong with us. After going through this experience I feel sorry for people who turn up here having to look for somewhere to live and find a job. Good luck, I hope you find somewhere soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chardy Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 We got the first house we applied for in Lakelands and it was only the 2nd we viewed. There were 4 applications and we got it above the others as the info we supplied was better than the others and we chatted to the agents at the viewing to give them the right impression. Make sure you have at least 2 oz based references for each adult too although we think they only contacted 2 of our 4. We included a letter describing ourselves, birth certs, marriage cert, passport copies, copies of bank cards, bank statements showing enough savings to cover the 12 months, reference letters with full contact details from our oz contacts, mortgage statements from the UK and copies of our house sale details from the UK. If you like the house a lot tell the agent and don't be picky about minor things that you know you could live with and certainly don't complain about them to the agent. We did offer 6 months up front but the owners weren't bothered. I wish you luck in your onward search and your persistance will pay off in the end ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basicweb Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Keep going! It does sound like you are doing it all right, the market is tough still, and I don't think it's going to get any easier. On the positive side we have had people that have been panicking about finding a longer term rental and then get offered the first one they applied for. So there seems to be no logic to it! All the above is great advice, and if you can get a reference from your short term rental landlord that will help too. Good luck Tracey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozzachino Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 We got the first house we applied for in Lakelands and it was only the 2nd we viewed. There were 4 applications and we got it above the others as the info we supplied was better than the others and we chatted to the agents at the viewing to give them the right impression.Make sure you have at least 2 oz based references for each adult too although we think they only contacted 2 of our 4. We included a letter describing ourselves, birth certs, marriage cert, passport copies, copies of bank cards, bank statements showing enough savings to cover the 12 months, reference letters with full contact details from our oz contacts, mortgage statements from the UK and copies of our house sale details from the UK. If you like the house a lot tell the agent and don't be picky about minor things that you know you could live with and certainly don't complain about them to the agent. We did offer 6 months up front but the owners weren't bothered. I wish you luck in your onward search and your persistance will pay off in the end ! seriously?? I am not sure i would be comfortable providing that level of data to a landlord. Marriage and birth certificates? Surely a passport or driving license is usfficient proof of id. Copies of bank cards?? Isnt that a fraud risk?? when you say oz based references do you mean work ones or personal? Obviously as new migrants surely not everyone would be able to provide this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pom on the move Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I would agree with most of the above comments, We arrived last year (2 adults 2 young children) & looked at a few rentals, we filled out the form & all went into the office got chatting to the girls that worked there & later got a phone call saying we got it. (The girls put in a good work apparently :-) ) There are so many people now looking each time you have put in an application there are probably at least 5-10 others that are getting turned down too. I know they shouldn't but if they have an application from a couple that have lived in Perth they might pick them over you. You could always ring the agents and ask them if there is something you didn't provide that could help you next time. Also try and have everything ready to provide, look at house then drive straight to office & hand in form. First come First serve ? you never know. Gook Luck x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest farang Posted December 1, 2012 Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 I got the second one i applied for, i was not in perth when i got it, i supplied references for employer and some friends only, i think i clinched the deal because i offered more money than they were asking, my view is that they can rent it out easy so go for biggest cash offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draecos Posted December 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Keep going! It does sound like you are doing it all right, the market is tough still, and I don't think it's going to get any easier. On the positive side we have had people that have been panicking about finding a longer term rental and then get offered the first one they applied for. So there seems to be no logic to it! All the above is great advice, and if you can get a reference from your short term rental landlord that will help too. Good luck Tracey Thanks Tracey. This is basically is what has now happened, we panicked and then the first one we applied for was put back on the market. We reapplied and were successful... I swear some landlords need their heads examining... Thanks to you all for your advice, I guess we were doing the right thing its just simply luck of the draw in a very, very crowded market. Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraighttothePoint Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 seriously?? I am not sure i would be comfortable providing that level of data to a landlord. Marriage and birth certificates? Surely a passport or driving license is usfficient proof of id. Copies of bank cards?? Isnt that a fraud risk?? Obviously as new migrants surely not everyone would be able to provide this? You are right that is a fraud risk and a major, major one at that. If this type of data was in the wrong hands then somebody who has bank details, coupled with DOB and passport details, could easily have a go at stripping a persons assets or indeed take over their identity. And you could also bet that this type of information, if passed on, could be lying around for all to see in an office or on a desk. My advice to anyone handing over personal data is to check very carefully what is needed and to consider what you are handing over. If asked for that level of information by an unsecured source I would refuse and move onto another option. No matter how desparte I was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nikki35 Posted December 5, 2012 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 All about the money. We got the 1st one we applied for in Mullaloo. As put down an extra 35$ a week oh and how we so wanted our kids in that local school. It worked aas they seen ya as long term tenants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraighttothePoint Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 All about the money. We got the 1st one we applied for in Mullaloo. As put down an extra 35$ a week oh and how we so wanted our kids in that local school. It worked aas they seen ya as long term tenants. I say this nicely so please do not shout at me!! This is one of the main reasons as to why rents are spiralling out of control and why local people, who have been here struggling on low pay for years, cannot get a rental and end up sleeping in their cars or in tents. But hey ho like you say it is all about the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfie Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 I say this nicely so please do not shout at me!! This is one of the main reasons as to why rents are spiralling out of control and why local people, who have been here struggling on low pay for years, cannot get a rental and end up sleeping in their cars or in tents. But hey ho like you say it is all about the money. Yes rents are high very high and it seems in Australia you have to have an investment property or two and yes landlords will sell to the highest bidder its an auction unfortunately in a dog eat dog world The term greedy springs to mind a lot since being here But at some point it will crash ............................. I am also shocked at the amount of homeless people and soup kitchens here. Plus the lack of good support organisations to provide guidance around providing solutions to these problems. Perth the boom city of WA is not all as it seems. There has been a rapid influx of people from all corners of the globe and other services are not adequate to cope, lack of affordable housing, hospital facilities doctors nurses policing etc etc. Hence a knock on effect of all the social problems here with again not enough services to provide support its like an ever turning wheel ................................. On a lighter note we will all be dead on the 21st according to the Mayan calendar ................... haha something to look forward to eh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraighttothePoint Posted December 9, 2012 Report Share Posted December 9, 2012 (edited) Yes rents are high very high and it seems in Australia you have to have an investment property or two and yes landlords will sell to the highest bidder its an auction unfortunately in a dog eat dog worldThe term greedy springs to mind a lot since being here But at some point it will crash ............................. The funny thing I have found here is that the Aussie investment thing is seen as a bit of rites of passage and everyone has at least one or more. I think the real reason that this has been promoted is to ensure that folk have their own assets in their old age to save on the state providing for them. Good but the real point has got lost a little with all the changes going on in Perth. An investment by nature can be risky and most certainly that is the case in relation to a property investment. However what I have found is that no matter how many thousands the owners have in their proporty already freed up they still keep on increasing the rents and see no reason as to why they should take any level of risk at all. I have had a property in the past, 100% owned and paid for, and when we rented it out we rented it for market, or just below market rate if that covered the running costs, because we had our money already made. No need to be greedy. However here greed has kicked in and regardless of wealth people still want more and more. It reminds me a lot of the south of England, and Aberdeen, in the 80's when both these places were going gang busters and greed was good. Both those places showed up against every value in life that was good I am afraid. Anyway as you say the crash is coming, the signs are there already, and the secret is to get into a position that protects you from the down turn. It is a big fall from a way up there but less of fall if you already have a plan. Edited December 9, 2012 by StraighttothePoint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chardy Posted December 9, 2012 Report Share Posted December 9, 2012 seriously?? I am not sure i would be comfortable providing that level of data to a landlord. Marriage and birth certificates? Surely a passport or driving license is usfficient proof of id. Copies of bank cards?? Isnt that a fraud risk?? when you say oz based references do you mean work ones or personal? Obviously as new migrants surely not everyone would be able to provide this? I agree it's not ideal to give that much info but if it means the difference between getting a house or waiting months for a hovel then it has to be done ! It was also required to meet that particular agents ID level, without it we wouldn't have got considered. I was very careful about what was used and any unused docs were shredded in front of me, the bank card details are useless unless both sides are shown. The house owners don't get to see it as the agent chooses the tenant. References were all Oz based friends, some of which I met through online forums, others mates who moved over a few years ago. We did put UK employers and friends on there but agents don't want to bother ringing the UK so weren't used. Move in on Tuesday and can't wait ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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