Landlords are often cautious about who they decide to rent to. Understandably concerned about their future tenant’s ability to pay their rent on time, landlords often use credit scores, employment status, and previous rental experience to determine if you will be a trustworthy tenant. One of the toughest parts of the renting process is convincing your future landlord that you will be a good fit for them. A rental resume is one way to succinctly show a landlord why they should trust you. Let’s look at how to put the perfect one together.
Nail The Basics
OK, there are a few ‘musts’ when it comes to a resume like this. Write your name, your age, and your complete contact information. Then, include a list of places you’ve lived and contacts for your previous landlords. Also include your employment status, income, credit score, and if you have any pets they need to know about. In terms of references, provided you know you’ll get a good one, they are perhaps your strongest cards to play. Include in your resume that you can provide the landlord with a reference if needed. By offering one up front, a landlord might not even bother pursuing them, taking the fact that you’ve offered them yourself to mean that they don’t have anything to worry about. Make sure everything mentioned here is laid out clearly and is kept up to date.
Write It Well
One sure fire way to ruin your chances at nabbing your dream apartment is to write a disordered, unclear, and error-littered resume. When a landlord doesn’t know you, this resume is all they have to go off. Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and the like show a lack of interest and investment and indicate laziness and inattention to detail. These aren’t the sorts of traits you want to be displaying to the person deciding where you will live. To absolutely guarantee you’re in the clear, spell check your resume and make sure it is clearly formatted. To absolutely guarantee you’re in the
clear, try using some of these resources:
- MyWritingWay – a writing guide.
- ViaWriting – Some grammar help.
- LetsGoAndLearn – Useful writing blogs, with general tips.
Be Honest
You’ve got to give a little to take a lot. In this instance, being honest over even small things will buy you much needed trust. “Though it’s not impossible that you are the absolute perfect candidate for a rental, it’s pretty unlikely. There’s always going to be something that you aren’t eager for them to know. Whatever it is, within reason, be honest about it. A below average credit score doesn’t need to kill your whole application, just own up to it and give an explanation and it could actually count in your favor”, explains Mark Dupont, a freelance writer. Landlords will trust you a bit more if you’re upfront and honest with them about the realities of your situation.
Say Why You Want The Apartment
This serves two purposes. On the one hand, it is useful information and a further reassurance that you weren’t expelled from your last residential address but rather that you voluntarily are seeking an upgrade. At the same time, it’s a chance for you to show some character and to demonstrate what you are looking for in a residence and what you value in a landlord. Don’t be overly critical of previous landlords, but feel free to explain why you are moving on and why this particular apartment is the right one for you. Landlords will really appreciate you doing this.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s important that you put a lot of time and effort into ensuring that your rental resume is as good and as reassuring as it can be. Put in the extra hours and you’ll find that, not only are you more likely to get the place you want, you also always have a great template ready to be used for your next move.
~collaboration
Chloe Bennet is an editor at Studydemic and Let's Go And Learn portals. She writes tips for millennial. Also, she helps with blog management at My Writing Way website.