Australians have been urged against offering more cash to secure a rental, with one property manager labelling it a big red flag. The trend has been exacerbated by the country’s rental crisis, with a lack of supply seeing dozens or even hundreds of people battle to secure a roof over their heads.
Some are even promising to pay $125 per week on top of the advertised rent to be approved for the home. But Daphne Crowhurst, from Titan Property Management, told Yahoo Finance this can be a one-way ticket to having your application thrown in the bin.
“I haven’t housed anyone that’s offered more, only for the simple fact that it actually turns me off them,” she said.
The Adelaide-based property manager said there has been no shortage of people trying this tactic, and it has failed every time.
“People say ‘I can offer you more money’, ‘This is what I can give you, ‘Pick me’… and I definitely don’t work like that,” she said.
“There are so many other factors I care about. I want to make sure you’re nice to talk to, and I go off the energy of the tenant as well to ensure that they are not going to be a nightmare tenant at the end of the day.”
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Property managers in South Australia are barred from accepting offers above what’s advertised, with every other state and territory having similar rules around rent bidding.
That doesn’t stop people from making the offer, but Crowhurst said she will go off on how someone presents themselves at the inspection and the information they provide in their application.
She explained that so many applications aren’t properly filled out, and that can often mean your file gets overlooked compared to someone who has plenty of detail.
“The more information, the better,” she told Yahoo Finance. “Are they adding photos of their family and of their pets? Are they introducing themselves and all that sort of stuff?”
“How long have they been tenants for? What lengths are they going to to impress me or to show that they are going to be a good quality tenant?”
If there are gaps in your rental history, it’s worth explaining the reason behind that. She added that having good quality rental references can make or break your application.