Last week a Geraldton resident asked on Everything Geraldton's Facebook page a very current question we hear all too often “Need a house to rent soon if you can help?”

The first place most people go to when looking for a rental property is either online or the local papers but, there are a couple of other options available including online classifieds sites and Facebook groups, or going into each Real Estate Agent and collecting a current rental list. Also, some local offices have Facebook pages for rentals

The current rental market is starting to get a little easier with a slight surplus in properties available, however, if there is a home you desire, it is still a strong possibility you will be up against some competition.

What can I do to beat my competitor?

Well honestly, there isn’t much that you can do to get “on top” of the list, but there are some small things that may help:
1) Have a good past rental history
2) Get recent referees
3) Ensure your application is completed correctly and you have a bond (or approval for a bond loan) ready to go.

Even after you do all of this, you are not guaranteed the home, ultimately the decision still rests with the owner, not the property manager as some tenants think. The property manager is there to pass as much information to the owner as possible. Be nice to your property manager though and you may be surprised.

There is another option when finding a home, private rentals. But as the old saying goes “It’s not what you know, but who you know”. Just be careful! This is the territory for some scammers & shonky landlords. There have recently been a few changes to protect tenants of private rentals and because of these changes your landlord must provide you with a copy of the “Record of Payment Security Bond” certificate. This proves that your landlord has placed aside any bond money in the correct way and not into their own bank account!

How do you find a private rental?
1) Ask your friends and family, they may know someone who has a home or room available
2) There are a couple of Facebook pages floating around. Often homes for rent are placed on the General Classifieds Facebook group.
3) Local Newspapers

Lastly, do not forget about insurance. As a tenant it is still recommended that you obtain contents insurance, as you never know what may happen. For example with this week’s rain, a tenant of ours had the roof fall in, lucky everyone was ok but their home theatre system and lounge where ruined.

Don’t forget to keep the questions coming and any feedback is much appreciated.

Over and out for now.

Written by Dave Rawlingson and Janette Brennan

David and Jantte are "Team Brennan" at Ray White Geraldton. Learn more here.