Last month, Trade Me Property's rental listings showed double-digit rises in the median weekly rent compared with October 2018, together with a spike in enquiries - but none so readily as a two-bedroom, Lower Hutt property in Fairfield Avenue.
Listed on Trade Me for $340 per week, the two-bedroom house attracted 117 enquiries from prospective tenants within the first two days of the listing, making it October's most popular rental listed on the site.
The property was described as having a modern kitchen with gas cooking, a living room with a fireplace and outdoor flow to a deck area. It also came with a storage shed, single garage and off-street parking.
Commenting on Fairfield, Cindy Robertson, team leader of Ray White Kemeys Brothers in Petone, said that the area's popularity comes down to proximity to local amenities, without the price-tag.
"Fairfield is just out of the popular Hutt Valley High school zoning, therefore if [people] don't need the school zone, its cheaper than [the] next-door suburbs [of] Waiwhetu and Waterloo," Robertson said.
At $340 per week, the property attracting all the attention was at the cheap end of the market.
"The average rent for a two-bedroom property in Fairfield ranges from $450 to $480, for $560 to $590 for three bedrooms," Robertson added.
For prospective tenants enquiring about rental properties, Zac Snelling, head of property management at Ray White said that recently introduced privacy guidelines make it more challenging to explain their situation, or a specific scenario.
"The recent privacy commission recommendations restrict what information landlords [and] property managers can ask from prospective tenants," Snelling said.
A tenant may not be working, yet have plenty of funds available to pay rent.
"We can't ask for [specific] information to show their ability to service the rental requirements," Snelling explained.
Tenants wanting to stand out from the crowd and show why they would be great tenants can choose to provide the relevant information to help a landlord or property manager make an informed decision.
"If a prospective tenant finds a property that's perfect for them, the best advice I can give is to ensure a landlord [receives the] relevant information.
"Put together anything that you feel can help a prospective landlord understand either yourself or your family unit (or group) a little better," Snelling advised.
The busy period for rentals has started and prospective tenants wanting to secure a well-priced property are wise to provide the necessary information up front, to help them secure it before everybody else.
