Disclaimer:
This article provides general information only and does not constitute financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Property investment involves risk. Always do your own research and seek personalised advice from qualified professionals before making investment decisions.
Key Takeaways
- Use accurate photos and descriptions so applicants can assess the property on consistent information.
- Check current comparable rentals and avoid promising that a particular asking rent will produce a particular applicant pool.
- Stage screening lawfully: collect only necessary application information, then check referees or credit only for preferred applicants with consent.
- Use written, property-related selection criteria consistently and do not rely on instinct or protected personal characteristics.
- No screening process can guarantee tenancy length, payment, property care or lower costs.
Tenant selection should use lawful, consistent and property-related criteria. References or credit information may inform a decision, but they cannot predict payment, property care, communication or tenancy length with certainty.
A documented process can help applicants receive consistent treatment. It should also limit personal-information collection to what is necessary at each stage.
Start with a Quality Property
Applicants compare properties for different reasons. Use accurate property information and avoid claims that presentation will attract a particular type of person.
Present Your Property Well
Before listing, ensure your property is clean, well-maintained, and ready for viewing. Address any obvious maintenance issues, touch up paint where needed, and ensure gardens are tidy. First impressions matter enormously.
Use current, accurate images that fairly show the property. Professional photography is optional and does not guarantee enquiry volume or applicant quality.
Ensure Compliance
Your property must meet Healthy Homes Standards before a new tenancy begins. Quality tenants are aware of their rights and will look for evidence of compliance. Having your Healthy Homes statement ready demonstrates professionalism.
Price Competitively
Research current comparable rentals and any applicable market-rent rules. Applicant numbers and suitability vary, so no asking price guarantees a particular result.
Pricing Research Tips:
- Check Trade Me Property and realestate.co.nz for similar listings
- Look at properties that have been listed for weeks; they may be overpriced
- Ask property managers what similar properties are achieving
- Compare rent and tenancy terms without assuming that a lower offer predicts applicant behaviour or future costs
Write Effective Listings
A listing should accurately describe the property and application process. Avoid wording that expresses a preference based on protected characteristics.
Effective Listing Elements:
- Clear, well-lit photos of all main rooms and outdoor areas
- Accurate description of bedrooms, bathrooms, parking, and features
- Honest information about heating, insulation, and Healthy Homes compliance
- Location details: proximity to schools, transport, shops
- Current pet-consent process and any lawful property-specific restrictions stated clearly
- Application process explained
Avoid urgency claims and statements about the kind of person the property would suit. Describe the property, lawful occupancy limits and tenancy terms instead.
Conduct Viewings Effectively
At viewing stage, the Privacy Commissioner says landlords should generally collect only name and contact details. Do not treat appearance, manner, questions or punctuality as substitutes for consistent selection criteria.
Open Homes vs Private Viewings
Open homes can be efficient when you have many enquiries, allowing you to meet multiple applicants at once. However, private viewings give you more time with each applicant and can help build rapport.
Many landlords use a combination: an open home initially, followed by private viewings with shortlisted applicants.
Questions to Ask
Keep viewing-stage questions about the property and application process. Do not ask about employment history or other protected or unnecessary personal circumstances; collect only stage-appropriate information.
Remember that you cannot ask about protected characteristics under the Human Rights Act. Focus on their ability to meet the tenancy requirements, not personal circumstances.
Application and Screening Process
Use a consistent application process and privacy statement. Collect only information necessary for a lawful purpose connected with finding tenants and managing the tenancy.
What to Request
Standard Application Information:
- Proof of identity, with copies retained only as long as necessary
- Name and contact information
- Current landlord or property manager contact details
- For a preferred applicant, one appropriate form of evidence of ability to pay rent in addition to any credit report
- Landlord and non-landlord referee contact details, with consent to contact them later if the applicant is preferred
- Consent for a credit check, carried out only when actively negotiating an offer with a preferred applicant
Reference Checks
Ask for referee details and consent at application stage, but contact referees only when further checking a preferred applicant. Keep questions relevant to the tenancy criteria.
Take reasonable steps to confirm a referee’s identity without collecting unrelated personal information. Treat any reference as one input rather than proof of future conduct.
Credit Checks
With consent, a credit check may be carried out when actively negotiating an offer with a preferred applicant. Check accuracy and relevance, and do not treat a report as a guarantee of future rent payment.
Making Your Decision
Apply the published, lawful selection criteria consistently to the information you were entitled to collect. Do not reject an applicant because of instinct, subjective “fit” or a protected characteristic.
Document the criteria and how they were applied. Records do not cure discrimination: the criteria, information collection and decision itself must comply with privacy, tenancy and human-rights law.
Retention: Keeping Good Tenants
During the tenancy, comply with maintenance, rent-review and communication duties. These practices do not guarantee that a tenant will stay.
Tenancy length and costs vary. Maintain a professional tenancy relationship without assuming a particular duration or financial result.
The Bottom Line
Use accurate advertising, lawful pricing, staged information collection and consistent written criteria. No process guarantees a particular tenant, tenancy length or financial outcome.