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Anyone who has ever looked for an apartment knows that the competition is fierce and the whole thing can quickly become frustrating.
Jürg Keim «Observer»
Perseverance, strong nerves, tenacity, cleverness: These are the skills that can be worth their weight in gold when looking for an apartment. In urban areas in particular, where living space is becoming ever scarcer and more expensive, the question arises: How do I manage to stand out from the crowd of people looking for a property?
Of course, there is no universal recipe for this. And you can’t do magic either – if the landlord is looking for a small family, you will have a difficult time as a single person.
Nevertheless, if you follow certain rules of conduct, you are more likely to get a rental contract. As the essence of your own experiences and those of Observer readers on the advice hotline, here are seven tips that will increase your chances of success in the housing market.
1. Establishing contact: Stick to the rules
If you have seen an apartment on an internet platform and you are expressly asked to contact us by e-mail, you should not play detective and try to find out the telephone number. The advertiser will have his reasons for not providing his number.
If the telephone number of a tenant who is looking for a new tenant is given: try to be the first to view the apartment (see point 2). However, if the management or the landlord is looking, a different approach is preferable (points 3 to 5).
2. The tenant is looking for: Be quick and willing
If you move out early, you have to look for a new tenant yourself, otherwise you run the risk of having to pay the rent by the regular termination date. The tenant who is moving out is therefore fundamentally interested in providing as many interested parties as possible; at the same time, he doesn’t want to have too much effort with it. You can take advantage of this by trying to get pole position for the tour.
For example, tell the tenant who is moving out that you cannot attend the official appointment because you are unable to attend and suggest an earlier date. Then convince him that you will take over the apartment without any ifs or buts and sign a corresponding letter of intent. Also, be willing to take over any of the tenant’s furnishings at a generous price, especially if he only recommends you to the management as a new tenant. If the tenant can choose, he will only specify subsequent tenants who will buy what he wants to get rid of.
3. Viewing with the manager: Stay in memory
If the inspection of the intended apartment is carried out by the landlord or the administration, the tip is: be the last. The landlord will remember the last visitor to the viewing while the crowd in front of it will blur. You also have the great advantage of being able to talk to the landlord undisturbed.
Sniff the house beforehand and think about what type of tenant you are looking for. If necessary, talk to neighbors and get information that your competitors don’t have.
Have an open conversation with the administrator, also tell something about yourself, establish a connection to the other person. Try to empathize with the administrator, decipher his needs. Is it important to him that a particularly quiet tenant moves in? Or do the other tenants in the house have very close contact with each other? Explain why you meet these requirements. Finally, by recognizing the manager’s ideas, you can unconsciously convince him that you are exactly the right choice for the vacant apartment.
4. With the landlord: be the first – and the only one
In exceptional cases, it can also be an advantage if you are the first applicant to introduce yourself to the administration or the landlord: If you are given the opportunity to look at the apartment yourself before the official appointment, you may be able to gain a decisive advantage over the Create competition even before the landlord sees you for the first time. Use these advantages consistently in the subsequent conversation and convince the landlord with empathy and arguments (as in point 3).
5. Apply in writing: as if it were a job
If the administration or the landlord wants to avoid a mass event, prospective tenants must apply in writing in advance in order to enable the landlord to make a pre-selection.
Apply as you would for a job – that means: sell yourself!
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Introduce yourself: who are you? Where do they work? Include a favorable photo.
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Explain why you need an apartment.
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Tell me why you are applying for this apartment. For example, because all your friends live nearby or because you are expecting children.
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Avoid spelling mistakes and keep your tone and design factual and simple.
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Include references, such as your current landlord or your employer. Be sure to ask the reference persons beforehand.
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Enclose a current debt enforcement extract.
6. Follow up – but not too much
How to behave after the visit? You don’t want to be intrusive – and at the same time it’s about being remembered by the landlord. These strategies have proven effective:
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Write a letter or email that same evening. This is particularly advisable if the tenant search is made through the landlord or the previous tenant – they usually make decisions more emotionally than administrations. Briefly explain why you like the apartment so much, why you should be chosen and how happy you would be if you made a positive decision. But don’t apply it too thickly, you will find a good mixture of objectivity and emotionality.
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As an alternative: The next day or the day after that, just go by the management and confirm again how much you want this apartment and hope that you will be chosen. But don’t give gifts or anything like that – that usually goes wrong.
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As a last resort, you can make a phone call. But this variant will have the least impact because it can appear distant.
7. Apartment under the hand: use the network
The best apartments are awarded under the hand. Therefore, let your network of contacts play: use Facebook and other online options. Send everyone you know an e-mail and ask for active support. Explicitly ask the recipients to forward your mail to their friends as well – this will have an unimagined scattering effect, which can be an important factor in boosting luck when looking for an apartment.
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