Real Estate Agent Rejected My Application after Being Approved for Rental Property by Owner

Lekstrabraket on 28/02/2023 - 10:45
Last edited 03/03/2023 - 16:59 by 1 other user

Good morning guys, this my first post, I had a really heart breaking and devastating incident with a real estate agency yesterday in Ipswich QLD area.

As you are all aware we are in the middle of rental crisis in Australia, I have been applying for rental properties for the last 6 months, I have applied for over 100 houses. Then yesterday I received a call from real estate agent informing me that I have been approved for a rental property, she asked me if I wanted to go ahead with property and I said yes.

She asked me about my moving date, from my joy and excitement (I felt like I won the lottery) said yes I am ready to moving asap. So I asked if I can come to their office to finalise the rest of process and sign the lease agreement. She PM text me their address and I showed to their office ready. She came out to the reception area and greeted her, she confirmed my full name and who will be living the property. I then ask her what’s the total cost of bond and rent in advance, and if they accept bond loan and she yes they accept bond loan. She said she will email me the lease agreement later this afternoon and I fill out my banking details. All was great and I’m jumping in joy and being funnily lucky to have a house.

Then an 1hour later I got this text from her:
I won’t mentioned their name
“

Hi ,
Sorry , I do apologise. They owner has now decided to go with another application. Your application has now be declined .
Happy to help you with anything else available.
Kind regards

Agent name

”

My heart sunk, I was shattered and disappointed I was the driving at that time, I had to pull over by the side of road to calm myself down. So I waited for a couple of hours then I call them back to make sense of this situation. Another agent picked up the phone and I explain to her what had happened, she asked my if she can put me on hold, she want a look for my PM, the agent came back later to tell me she mixed up names, I was not the intended applicant. She apologised for the misunderstanding. I didn’t buy their lie. Real estate check background thoroughly.

Sorry guys I am not a good writer or storyteller, can you please help me make sense of this? Had anybody had a similar experience?
.
Thank you.

////

I Would like to share latest update with you guys:

This afternoon I received a call from another Real estate agency that I'm on the last three tenants to be pre-approved for 3 bedroom townhouse, so she asked my few question before she present my application to the owner for final approval. As soon I heard that I almost jumped I had to contain my excitement. Right away offered them to pay 2 months in advance plus bond payments. I did not mention the word "bond loan" or mentioned kids. Two hours later she called back to congratulate me, then emailed me the welcome kit plus lease agreement and their banking details to for the payment. I paid total of $4100 and I signed 12 months lease, So I will get my keys end of next week.
It has been a long grueling 6 months. All i can is, low to mid-income earners in Australia, we are f&%d.The next couple of years is going to be very challenging.

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  peacefulpeanut on 01/03/2023 - 10:23

  I'm sorry, OP, to hear what happened to you. Your dream home is merely steps away from that rejection!

  When I was looking for a rental home whilst I was unemployed with no rental history, I reached out to a friend's friend who owns a real estate agency. Though it was not the most ideal, I got a nice waterfront unit in a safe area within my budget. If you don't know yet, a real estate agent is also human being and will prioritise his/her friend's spouse's friend's cousin's cousin's nephew twice removed for renting opportunities, regardless if these persons can pay the rent or not.

  You should also get reference from people who know your character, i.e. previous property manager, employer, neighbours etc. This is to give assurance to the next landlord that you would not wreck their house and run away without paying. There's a luck factor in it though.

  Another trick is to submit my bank account summary together with the rental application letter, essentially showing that I could pay the rent for, say, 5 years continuously at that time provided the rate remains the same.

  The last suggestion is to find your next home in mixed race/multicultural areas. I'm also a non-white, non-Anglo person, but my ethnicity is pretty much acceptable in the Australian community except maybe in hillbilly areas.

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    ekstrabraket on 01/03/2023 - 13:19

    There are lot of mixed nationalities in the Ipswich area. Where applying have a lot of people from similar background to me.

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  BargainCowboy on 01/03/2023 - 14:46

  This is so tragic. There are steps which can be taken to curb this crisis, which the government refuses to take not to harm their most influential constituents. Bottom line is, the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.

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    peacefulpeanut on 01/03/2023 - 15:05

    What is so tragic? OP earns 85K per year as mentioned in the other comment. Definitely doesn't belong to the low-income bracket and and not eligible for tax offset.

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      ekstrabraket on 01/03/2023 - 15:10

      +2

      If you can't see anything tragic in this crisis, then we as a country we are in a big mess. The fact that even with your money, you can't get a house says it all.

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        BargainCowboy on 01/03/2023 - 16:14

        Exactly, I see households with almost $300k combined income which still cannot afford a place suitable for a family.

      • 

        Ghost47 on 01/03/2023 - 18:45

        +1

        we as a country we are in a big mess.

        Welcome to the real world, you are now woke.

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    irony on 01/03/2023 - 15:12

    The rental crisis seems to be about availability, not price.
    In this case the prospective tenant has applied for over 100 properties that I presume they could afford. Nothing about poorer or richer here.
    I am interested to hear of any short terms steps the government are refusing to take that would increase the supply of rental properties in the next few months.

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      BargainCowboy on 01/03/2023 - 16:15

      +1

      Isn't availability driving prices up/down? Under the constant which is our current availability, there are still steps to take to curb down the spike in prices. It is not all about supply/demand. Some possible steps can be a) tax the hell out of property investments and b) limit property investment. We cannot have good ol' boomer owning 6 properties while others are in a renting loop.

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        lostgoat on 01/03/2023 - 17:41

        The Boomers are and about to move the responsibility to their offspring. They have taught them well how to play the negative gearing game hehe :)

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        irony on 01/03/2023 - 22:28

        Yes, supply and demand control price, but this thread isn't about price, no matter how much you want it to be. The OP made no mention of price.
        This is about supply and availability. It doesn't matter who owns the houses if there aren't enough.

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    tsunamisurfer on 01/03/2023 - 16:54

    +1

    There are steps which can be taken to curb this crisis,

    I don't see how.

    Options :

    1) Raise Rent Assistance - Will just flush the market with more money increasing rents again.

    2) Build more Public Housing - There is already a trades and materials shortage. This will just heat up the tradie market even more than it already is and blocking the private sector from operating to respond to the demand.

    3) Give more building grants - See above.

    4) Allow people to use their super money to buy - Will make prices shoot through the roof if people were suddenly to have access to 5 or 6 figures.

    5) Legislate / rent controls - We want to encourage more properties to come onto the market not less.

    6) Stop Migration - We need more skilled people to come to Australia

    There is virtually nothing the government can do on the supply side and nothing they can do on the demand side. The government is in a corner now.

    The best thing to do is for the government to step away and let the market forces resolve this naturally.

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      peacefulpeanut on 01/03/2023 - 17:38

      You can also contribute to the best thing to do — just keep talking to "A Current Affair" or 2GB.

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      ekstrabraket on 01/03/2023 - 18:51

      This is sounds a lib/ National talking points. Australian needs to wake up, Stop voting for the two big parties, Don't vote labor or Liberal they are all on the same team.

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      Ghost47 on 01/03/2023 - 19:03

      +1

      6) Stop Migration - We need more skilled people to come to Australia

      It's got to a point where we open our legs to immigrants because we need to grow our population to boost our economy rather than because we lack skills. Not saying there are absolutely zero skilled migrants that come in, there are probably some immigrants who have very niche skillsets like I duno, building nuclear subs or whatever, but I'd say most of the immigration we have now is because our natural population growth is just too low, why? Because of stupid housing costs. Immigration is now at the point where it's a ponzi scheme to boost our economy.

      We have a "world class" education system yet our population lack skills? It's all just smoke and mirrors bs.

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      irony on 01/03/2023 - 22:32

      Exactly!

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  ekstrabraket on 03/03/2023 - 16:56

  I Would like to share latest update with you guys:

  This afternoon I received a call from another Real estate agency that I'm on the last three tenants to be pre-approved for 3 bedroom townhouse, so she asked my few question before she present my application to the owner for final approval. As soon I heard that I almost jumped I had to contain my excitement. Right away offered them to pay 2 months in advance plus bond payments. I did not mention the word "bond loan" or mentioned kids. Two hours later she called back to congratulate me, then emailed me the welcome kit plus lease agreement and their banking details to for the payment. I paid total of $4100 and I signed 12 months lease, So I will get my keys end of next week.

  It has been a long grueling 6 months. All i can say is, low to mid-income earners in Australia, we are f&%d.The next couple of years is going to be very challenging.

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  Gros21 on 06/03/2023 - 10:58

  kids and bond loan are red flags. IM glad you got a place and likely exceeding the min requirements pushed you over the line.

  If someone is a single applicant willing to pay the price why would the LL take on some one with kids. While im sure your kids are angels its still twice the general wear and tear.

  I know it makes it extremely hard and you may need to pull at heart strings but likely the LL has place as an investment to to warm his heart.

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