Stress-Free Rental Searching

Looking for a suitable house to rent sometimes can be very stressful. Besides considering the basics and conditions of a house, suburb area the property situated in and the rental price you can afford, you may also be faced with a circumstance change which you now need to think about school zoning, more rooms, cheaper rent, close by amenities, traffic or other factors.

Apart from that, there are too many options out there on the market and it can be very hard and time-consuming to look for one that really suits you. Or maybe even worse, you may suffer the pressure to vacate the current property within a short certain period which definitely adds a great amount of pressure to the already stressful situation you are in.

 

What can you do to relieve the stress? How can you find the house that best suits you and your family? Here, we introduce some handy tips to help you reduce the stress when you are looking for a rental property:

 

1. Understanding Your Circumstances and Needs

1.1 Why do you want to look for a new property?

Relocate for the new job? New baby on the way? Move closer to parents or relatives?  Must vacate current property because the property got sold? Do kids need to start going to schools? Live together with partners?

Reasons can be varied. Get to know the main reason behind can assist you to find a new property more quickly. That is because your search will be more pointed and specific. For example, if only you and your partner are currently living in a one-bedroom apartment, you won’t waste your time on the search for a 6-bedroom house if you know all you need is one more extra room for your first baby on the way.

 

1.2 How many people/pets are going to stay with you? What are their needs?

Maybe your older son is about to leave your house for university next semester, or maybe one of your family members is going to move together to live with you, or your wife is expecting a baby… It is crucial to figure out the total number of people that are going to live with you as well as understand each of their needs.

	Children	Elderly	Pets	You/your partner
Things to consider	Zoned schools? Children friendly designed property: backyard for kids to play? Safety and security: fully-fenced? Heating?HRV?Insulation?	Single level home maybe is more convenient? The friendly community? Close proximity to local amenities?	Room for running around Fully fenced property	Commuting and traveling time between work and home? Other personal needs: nice park, great gym, supermarket…etc.? Garage and parking for cars, boats, motorbikes…etc.?

 

1.3 How much you can actually afford?

Paying more than what you can afford can be extremely stressful and dangerous. Budgeting is important and can help you figure out how much you can afford for a rental house. Some online tool can help you work out your budget easily. Apart from weekly rent, some variable outgoings like water, power, internet, you must also take those factors into consideration. For example, a household may use more power during the freezing winter time for heating, therefore, power bills in winter could be much higher than those in the summer time.

 

2. Looking for a Suitable Home

After Tip 1, a general picture of the ideal rental house which may suit you should be formed. Below is the summary of those main factors you need to think about:

2.1. Property Basics

• Number of Rooms
• Number of Bathrooms
• Heating
• Garage and parking
• Floor and land area
• Single/double level

2.2. Location

• Suburb Selection
• Local Community
• Local Amenities
• School Zone
• Public Transport Accessibility

2.3. Rates

• Rent (Including bond and letting fee)
• Utilities (power, water, the internet)
• Others

You may like to list out all the detailed criteria and narrow down your search. Instead of using Google to start your property search, you could also use those rental property search websites, such as TradeMe Property and Realestate.co.nz. When you visit a rental property search website, try to use its filter function. It can greatly reduce the unmatched listings and save your time hugely! You then can take a closer look at the property description and check against all the criteria that you list out. Alternatively, you could also have a look at our rental listings which are uploaded and updated daily. If there is anything you might like to find out, just drop us a line or give a call to our friendly letting agents.

 

3. House Viewing and Application Tips

3.1 Property Viewing

• Make sure to view the property before renting it
• Be on time for the open home – leave yourself plenty of time to inspect the house
• Ask questions – ask the letting agent whenever you are not sure about something
• Obtain as much information as you can to make an informed decision

 

3.2 Tenancy Application

• Fill out the application form completely
• Write clearly and precisely
• Submit the completed form ASAP
• Provide a valid ID as it is often required
• Provide a direct and effective contact number
• Good renting reference or other supporting documents are usually preferred