Tips for Completing a Rental Application

Whether you’re applying with Ledger & Lane or another real estate agency, these tips can help make the application process smoother and help agents and owners assess your application efficiently in a competitive rental market.

The goal is not to provide as much information as possible, but to provide accurate, relevant and complete information that helps demonstrate your suitability for the property.

Please avoid providing sensitive or unnecessary personal information unless it is directly relevant to your application.

Ledger & Lane invites applications through realestate.com.au and these tips refer specifically to that platform.

1. What agents and owners are generally looking for

When processing an application, agents and owners are generally assessing three key things:

Ability to pay rent reliably

Household income should generally be sufficient to comfortably cover the rent and living expenses. Evidence of consistent income, savings or previous rental payment history may assist in demonstrating financial capacity.

Care of the property

Owners want tenants who will maintain the property appropriately, including general cleanliness and ongoing upkeep.

Responsiveness and communication

Clear and respectful communication throughout the tenancy process is important for both tenants and owners.

When completing an application, it helps to ensure the information provided is accurate, current and relevant to these areas.

2. Who should apply

It is generally recommended that anyone over 18 or contributing to the rent be listed as a “leaseholder”.

Anyone under 18 should generally be listed as an “occupant”.

All leaseholders must complete an application before it can be submitted to the agency.

If someone over 18 will reside at the property but does not wish to be listed as a “leaseholder” you can opt to provide additional context in the “About Me” section.

3. About Me

Always ensure this section is current and relevant to your application.

You may wish to provide context that assists the agent and owner in understanding your application.

Applicants may choose to include supporting documents such as written references or pet information where relevant.

Please avoid including sensitive or unrelated personal information.

4. Application Summary

You should always include your preferred lease commencement date.

If your preferred dates do not align with the owner’s preferred timeframe, the agent may discuss alternative arrangements with you.

If you are considering offering below the advertised rent, it is important to consider the current market conditions and level of competition for the property.

5. Residential History

Provide accurate contact details for your references, including both email addresses and phone numbers where possible. Double-check spelling and ensure the contact details are current.

If you do not have formal rental history, alternative references may include private landlords or other relevant referees depending on your circumstances.

We recommend you notify your references that they will be contacted as part of the application process so that they can respond quickly.

6. Employment

Provide correct contact details for your employer, manager, HR department or accountant if self-employed. Where possible, use business contact details rather than personal contact information.

We recommend you notify your references that they will be contacted as part of the application process so that they can respond quickly.

7. Finances

Applicants are asked to provide evidence of income or financial capacity relevant to the tenancy application.

This may include payslips, employment letters or other financial documents (such as property owner statements) reasonably required to assess affordability.

Where relevant to your circumstances, applicants may also choose to provide additional information regarding savings or other financial support available to assist with meeting tenancy obligations.

Please do not provide unnecessary financial information unrelated to the application.

8. Identity Documents

Applicants are required to provide identification documents to verify identity and support the tenancy application process.

-Photo ID (driver’s license and/or passport)

-Proof of name and address (Medicare card and/or utilities bill)

-If you own a business: business registration

-If you do not have rental history due to being an owner occupier: council rates

Quick Communication & Complete Applications

Finally, be thorough and honest. Providing clear, accurate and relevant information helps agents and owners assess applications more efficiently and may reduce delays during processing.

Ensuring your references are aware they may be contacted and responding promptly to reasonable requests from the agency can also help keep the process moving smoothly.

Best of luck and we hope to see your application soon!