QUESTION: I’m searching for a home to rent for us and our seven children. We’ve put our names down for several large properties but we are knocked back again and again.
Obviously the landlords can’t publicly say “no children”. But is there some way we can be forewarned that we should not even bother to look at the place to save all the time and effort it takes to apply? – Family Man, Sydney
ANSWER: With rental vacancies running at about 1 percent, you have to do whatever you can to stand out from the crowd … in a good way.
It’s too easy for lazy agents to filter out non-average applicants so do what you can to sell yourselves as a positive option to potential landlords.
Get a family picture taken of you and the kids, all scrubbed up and shiny, and attach it to your applications.
Write a letter pointing out that seven well-behaved and closely monitored kids is better for their property than, say, five students, plus their boy and girlfriends, plus their couch-surfing mates. The simple fact that you have made the effort will impress most landlords.
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