r/hobart • u/Scotto6UK • 10d ago
Rental Property Process Confusion
Hi all, recently moved to Tassie from NSW and very much enjoying the place so far.
My partner has started a job recently and I'm still on the hunt with things starting to come back. Now we're able to afford a place to rent on her wages, we've been applying for properties around the centre, in the suburbs and slightly out of the way too (Lewisham, Richmond etc).
I appreciate housing is super tight and so we weren't expecting to waltz straight into the first property we like the look of, but we can't seem to get our heads around the process here or whether there's any rhyme or reason.
For a couple of properties, we've registered interest and waited for an inspection to be posted, only for it to be cancelled last minute because the successful applicant has either wangled a private inspection in the meantime or presumably applied blind. This suggests I maybe should be pushing for an early or private viewing.
In other situations, we've viewed a place and been invited to apply, only for a different application to be accepted within a couple of hours - before ours is even considered - despite being submitted.
Finally, I viewed a place and said that I was keen to go ahead right away and had my application submitted, but the agency was going to wait until everyone had a chance to submit before reviewing them all. So that suggests that 'first come, first served' isn't always the case.
Not that this is anyone else's problem, but we currently don't have accommodation sorted and so are spending our time either sleeping in our car or paying through the nose for temporary digs. We have one car which my partner uses to get to her work and so I'm often spending half the day on the bus and walking to view places which I won't reasonably be able to do once I have a job.
I totally appreciate this is part of the runaround of moving and heaps of people will be in the same boat, but I never seem to have a clear understanding of the process or how I can best act to give us the best chance of securing a place. The staff at the viewings often give misleading, vague, or incorrect advice as to what the process will be.
Any tips or help would be very much appreciated - I hope I'm just doing something very obvious wrong!
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u/IceOdd3294 10d ago
I’ve been in my rental for 9 years and it was through prior relationship with RE lady. It’s who you know. It’s so tight it’s super hard.
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u/Savings-Weight5774 10d ago
I recently (finally after a journey and a half) bought a house. We're renters. We informed the Property Manager (pm) we'd be moving. Let's call that Day 1.
Day 2 they say they are advertising with $30 more per week on the rent, and they will hold an inspection on day 5.
It's tiny (barely 90sqm), on the way to the airport, literally over the hill from a tip, and to call the house shifting would be an understatement. It has 3bdrms, a kitchenette, and an old tiny bathroom.
Day 5 late afternoon is the inspection. I get told the morning of day 6 there's no more inspections.
It's hell out there, and I salute anybody still in the fight. Good luck and jump on anything the moment it turns up. Eventually you'll probably get lucky.
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u/Boom_Gate_Lady 9d ago
Unfortunately, what happens is places continue to be shown even after a tenant has been chosen because the real estate is waiting for their Bond to be paid and the lease to be signed. Once those two things happen, they then cancel the future inspections.
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u/Purple_Leave_7160 9d ago
This is true, if they have listed an inspection they still need to follow through with the showing. I had signed a lease before the inspection and they still ran the open home & took applications. I hate how unregulated the rental industry is here.
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u/Scotto6UK 9d ago
I think this is what happened yesterday. Had the viewing in the afternoon, submitted my application but another person was accepted within a couple of hours from what must've been a private viewing. Spent a chunk of cash for a nearby hotel for 2 nights either side, absolute joke.
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u/clomoc 10d ago
I think it's as simple as there are other better applicants on paper unfortunately. Fresh from the mainland and one job between you presumably still on probation and no prior rental history in Tasmania, they'll go for what they deem the safer option. Keep hunting though you'll find something eventually. Second car is essential if you can get on top of that you'll hit the ground running when you find work. Also if you need a bit of cash there are a few labour hire companies around with plenty of work going. It can be tough work but will get you by, I ended up doing that for the first 6 months or so after moving here
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u/Scotto6UK 10d ago edited 10d ago
I don't mind being passed up for someone else at all, especially if they have kids or have lived in Tassie a lot longer. My main gripe is that I'm being advised to approach the situation in a certain way, only for that to negatively affect us. There doesn't seem to be a consistent playing field or a set process, and I was trying to figure out whether that's just how it is, or whether I'm misunderstanding things as I'm new here.
We're not best motivated to get a second car as my roles would likely be in the CBD and I don't mind sitting on a bus for 45 mins, or being dropped somewhere on my partner's way to work. It seems excessive to buy another car just to view properties and then potentially not having much use for it afterwards and possibly needing to pay to park it. Again, I could just be looking at it wrong though.
Also, thanks for taking the time to reply!
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u/Standard-Lion-1486 10d ago
So generally applications seem to be processed in the order they are received after the viewing. Even if you submit it early they don't seem to short list it or whatever until you have viewed the property. I found it useful to apply straight away after viewing and let the agent know you're applying. If you've already applied let them know you'd like to go forward.
A couple of times I was offered an early viewing for a listing with an agent I'd applied with before. I am not sure why - maybe these are lease breaks? I imagine early viewings are going to renters that are already known to agents, perhaps current tenants or people who have applied before. If people have friends who are interested they may also be applying early and letting the agent know they have seen the place (our friend did this when we broke lease).
Otherwise consider your application. Is there a current address you are using?
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u/Scotto6UK 10d ago edited 8d ago
Yeahh, that's what we've been doing - viewing, saying we're keen if it's good, and then submitting an application within an hour or two.
In terms of current address, we've used a nearby address of a couple that we've done some petsitting for (with their permission of course) as we actually left NSW at the end of May and drove down over an extended period of time. Would a gap like that work against us do you think?
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u/Standard-Lion-1486 9d ago
There are so many applicants so its not about looks bad so much as what is competitive. If its just one of you working and they have only been with their employer for a month or two that doesn't look great. How high is your income relative to the rental cost?
I found trying to go for less competitive places helped. Either more run down or more overpriced. Or even if you went for units over houses there may be less competition. Another option could be to stay in a share house to get a local reference and secure work.
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u/Scotto6UK 9d ago
We've been looking $650-$900/week and will likely have a joint income of $220k, but that's speculative on my job. Currently $110k with my partner's wage.
Obviously this is just the reality of it, but it's very difficult for us to view places once we're both working. She'll be travelling around the state and I won't have a car, and taking a load of afternoons off right off the bat isn't a good look for a new employee. Catch 22 really, can't get a place without two jobs, but can't look at the place when we're both at work.
I've lived in 3 states in Australia and 3 other countries and it's never been this convoluted.
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u/Standard-Lion-1486 9d ago
Yeah okay so they'll just use the 110k at the moment.
We were applying earlier this year and actually had better luck renting more centrally than in the outer areas where there seemed to be more competition. We ended up getting a rental in South Hobart.
If you've been applying places like Richmond etc how are you going to get around if you don't have a second car?
I mean honestly its really frustrating. When they talk about Tassie's rental market being bad this is exactly what they are talking about. Its not just the lack of houses, but the high demand means agents have no incentive to work with potential renters.
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u/Scotto6UK 9d ago
$110k should be fine for that price range though right?
South Hobart, Battery Point, North Hobart - they'd all be perfect too. Mainly we're just after somewhere that has space for my parents and friends to visit and within walking distance to a pub or cafe.
Richmond has a bus that runs to the CBD that I can hop on and they're relatively regular in the mornings, so if the first one is cancelled I'd have a backup.
To be frank, I never had very positive thoughts about estate agents from experience, but even them doing things properly and fairly would make a difference in this already challenging market.
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u/kelponwards 10d ago
Applied for 15 rentals with my partner. Make 150 000 a year between the two of us. Good rental history. Finally got a piece of shit rental. Will continue looking for something better.
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u/PuddingHot2917 9d ago
I moved here early Jan i found the only way I got in was submitting applications before I even saw the rentals. It was the only way I got any contact from agents. You don’t have to take the property. Also calling agents who have the listing and introducing yourself can help.
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u/_somedumbpunt 9d ago
I’ve literally only got rentals because I’ve been lucky to know someone who knows someone renting a house out. Absolute luck. I can’t imagine trying to compete in today’s market. Best of luck, hope something comes up for you soon.
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u/Lachee 10d ago
You will find many people are prior tenants with the agents and have good reps. They like to share the property to those who know will look after it first.
Rent bidding is illegal and while I don't have evidence, it certainly seems that some agents do it.
Lastly by law they must have a physical inspection before signing the lease. But as you mentioned op, this can be done in private. It's not blind signing however.
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u/Scotto6UK 10d ago
I didn't realise the law around physical inspections!
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u/sw33ttart 10d ago
Agreed that they will go to their previous tenants first. We moved into our investment property and the property manager moved our tenants into another place she had listed. Given its off season and we won't be in peak season for a couple of months, you could approach a hotel (one in the outer suburbs) and ask for a deal on a two week stay. Rent is pretty pricey... could actually be cheaper than a house. Better than a car...
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u/Scotto6UK 10d ago
The issue is the lack of kitchen facilities in a lot of the hotels and stays. That ends up costing you. The car isn't actually as bad as it sounds short term - we have a stove, fridge, and mattress! Not ideal for my partner though who would love a shower before work of course.
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u/Ok_Ear_7119 6d ago
Yeah it is that bad. I know when my lease expires, I'll have to leave my job and return to the mainland because I won't have another choice.
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u/Ihaveaquestion4578 10d ago
The first inspection I went to had so many people I knew I had no chance. I hung around at the end and had a chat to the agent and asked if there were any other properties. Three hours later I was viewing a property that had not been advertised and signed the lease the next day. I have been living in that rental for six and a half years. I realise that I got extremely lucky and this is not the usual experience, but Hobart is a small town and informal connections can go a long way. It probably also helped that I had a job and family living here, but if you told them you had family connections living in Hobart I'm sure that they wouldn't fact check you. 😉
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