Cairns rentals: Don’t move to city without a house, homeless support agencies say

Prospective Cairns residents have been urged not to move to the city without first securing accommodation as critically low rental vacancy rates hit house hunters hard. JOIN THE CONVERSATION

PROSPECTIVE Cairns residents have been warned not to move to the city without first securing accommodation as low rental vacancy rates hit house hunters hard.

Social services have seen an increase in people moving to the region and then struggling to find a home - even with a healthy budget.

Shelter Housing Action Cairns (SHAC) executive officer Sally Watson said anyone planning a move to Cairns should find a place to stay before they arrived.

SHAC is a not-for-profit organisation which aims to alleviate homelessness and Ms Watson said the lack of dwellings to rent in town was critical.

Shelter Housing Action Cairns executive director Sally Watson is alarmed by the low rental vacancy options for low income earners in the region.

“The Cairns rental vacancy is the lowest it has been for more than 15 years, “ she said.

“What we are noticing is that people who can afford rentals cannot access them for the sheer lack of dwellings.

“For every property vacancy there are lots and lots of people, so the message is that there are not enough places for people who have lived here for many years.”

Ms Watson said if people can find a place to stay before they relocate it will save them money and stress.

“The message is if you are going to come here and hope to find a rental you’ll need to find something to differentiate yourself to the market.”

She said too often this point of difference meant people felt compelled to offer several months rent upfront

“This is beyond the means of many tenants,” she said.

For the best chance at securing a home in the highly competitive market, tenants also need to ensure they are fully organised for a frantic battle, property agents say.

LJ Hooker Cairns Edge Hill director of property, Amanda Boccalatte, said time is of the essence when applying for a property,

LJ Hooker Cairns Edge Hill director of property, Amanda Boccalatte said timing was critical when looking to rent a home.

“Firstly, it is very difficult with houses,” she said.

“We have multiple people applying.

“Only one person can get it, so even if you do everything right you can miss out.

“Put in your paperwork as soon as you like the look of a property online and by the time you get to inspect it, you will then be ahead and include your references and pay slips.”

Cairns Rental Realty principal Jackie Galvin said the scarcity of homes was also due to investors looking to sell properties at peak prices.

“A lot of interstate people are coming here to get out of Covid,” she said.

Cairns Rental Realty director Jackie Galvin said potential tenants need to remember good impressions are important when looking to secure a property.

“People can be too slow. We recently had a property to rent which attracted over 30 inquiries, I emailed them all the rental application paperwork before the inspection, but only one person brought their completed application along,” she said.

Ms Galvin said it was essential that potential tenants showed they would treat a place with respect such as removing shoes before entering.

Originally published as Cairns rentals: Don’t move to city without a house, homeless support agencies say