agents to refer to, and providing advocacy on
behalf of clients. It is clear from all consulted that
the program has been successful in building more
effective collaboration with real estate agents and
this has been central in being able to gain the
necessary leverage to access properties. All groups
consulted considered the cultivation of strong
relationships with real estate agents as being
central to overcoming the barriers to private rental
access and to also addressing tenancy issues early
on before they become unmanageable. All clients
reported that the two way relationship between
the service and real estate agents have been
critical in assisting them to secure their properties.
…the character of the tenant is decided
upon based on an initial gut feel or
impression. It is not enough for low
income tenants to have a reference,
the tenant needs to be made more
attractive to the prospective landlord.
They have to feel that they and the
property will not be put at risk by
giving someone a go [External
stakeholder].
However, it was reported that effective
relationships take time to cultivate and to sustain
in the longer-term and that this is an area requiring
further two-way development. From the
perspective of the real estate agent it was
reported that services need to have clear
communication about the types of clients that they
work with – who they target and make assurances
that those who are referred to the agent have
been thoroughly assessed for their capacity to pay
and their prior history of renting.
It is really important to not focus on
the negative but to present the client
in the best possible way – usually
providing advice to the client on how
to deal with the real estate agent and
how best to present themselves in
their application. We try to emphasise
that a Centrelink payment i