Frequently Asked Questions
Tenant Options is an online application process for applying for rental properties of your choice. Tenant Options allows you to create a “Rental Profile” and use your profile to apply for multiple properties by duplicating your profile as a new application for each property. The advantage of using Tenant Options is the automated reference checking process. Your referees will be contacted via Tenant Options based on the information you enter into your application to verify your particulars ready for the agent to review. This can even be done before you find a property to apply for allowing you to be ready to submit your application instantly whilst saving time for you and the property manager.
Click on the “forgot my password” button and follow the prompts.
Your username is the Email address you used to create your account. If you still have trouble remembering this, please contact our support and we will verify your identity and provide your specific email address.
You can easily change your details in your profile. Your profile information can be used each time you apply for a property, when you apply for a new property, the system will take your current profile information and create an application to send to the manager of the property. Remember if your employment details change such as wage increase or status you will need to re submit your reference request to them for your information to be correct.
You can delete your profile at any time, simply go to your setting in "My Account Settings" and select the option to delete your account.
All user data is stored within Australian data centres. Tenant Options uses all the standard security protocols, including SSL certificates and modern revisions of TLS (1.2+) to encrypt the information in transit from your computer and our servers to ensure your data is not exposed to unauthorised users.
Data at rest is stored as uploaded by the user (e.g. uploaded documents) maintained by a third-party service with rotating sessions to restrict access data. Data in processing is restricted to the smallest possible endpoints. Data in transit is protected by the above encryption methods. Tenant Options services operate behind multiple network and machine level firewalls to prevent unauthorised access to your data.
We are prepared to respond to the OAIC in the event of a data breach and subsequence procedures. We follow the guidelines from our industry partners, insurance provider and best practices.
Once you have created a profile or logged back in from previous sessions, select “Applications” and then “Apply for a property” to apply for another property.
The intention of these features is to link your applications when apply for a property, this shows the Property Manager that more than one applicant is applying for a property together. If you wish to fill in an application on behalf of your spouse or partner, then you may select the “Add Applicant” button (However, it is still advised that you fill it out together) Alternatively, you may email an application to friends and others you intend to move into a property with which will link your applications in the system.
References
To edit or change the email address of a reference and resend it:
- Go to the Home page.
- Then click Edit my profile.
- Find the referee then change the email then hit Send Reference Email Now button.
Tenant Options will highlight to the agent if references are older than 12 weeks. [Note each agent may have different time frame expectancies on validity of references] You will receive an alert advising you to refresh your reference information before you apply for a property. If are not ready to apply for a property in the near future, it may be better to wait until you find a property and have seen it you before applying and sending your reference requests.
It is a good idea to notify your Referee’s when you send them a reference request so they know to expect an email from Tenant Options and can respond as quickly as possible. If they do not respond you will receive an alert advising you after 48 hours. If this happens, confirm that you have entered the correct email address. It would then be a good idea to contact the referee yourself to see if they have received the request and ask if they could please respond. Don’t forget to confirm their email address and to the remind them to check their spam/junk box. If they still have not received your request resend it by clicking the send reference email button for that particular referee. Contact our support if you have any difficulties and advise the Property manager of the property you are applying for as they may decide to call your referee direct to save further delays.
No, by using Tenant Options your referee’s responses will be valid for up to 12 weeks for all the properties you apply for. If you apply for a property after 12 weeks, you will be prompted to review your details and update them if applicable. You will then need to RE SEND reference requests to your referee’s again. It is advisable to once again alert your referee to expect this email from Tenant Options and why they may be receiving it again.
Providing an email allows you to email your referee while you complete and submit your application so that the leasing agent can process your application faster. Failing to do so can significantly draw out the time taken to process your application. Some of these email fields are mandatory, please contact us on our chat service for more assistance.
Personal Information
Tenant Options allows you and your friend or partner to apply for a property together. There are two ways to do this:
- Invite Applicant via email
- Manually Add Applicant
Invite Applicant by email allows you to send an email to the other applicant you wish you apply for a property with. They will receive a request to join you and this will link your applications for properties you apply for.
Add Applicant allows you to manually add the additional applicant when applying for properties. This option is preferred for couples/spouses who may share the same current living arrangement, email account or may wish to enter their information together under one account.
Additional occupants are those living with you that will not be listed on the lease. e.g. children. These occupants are generally not responsible for terms on the lease.
Additional Applicants are those who are applying for a property with you, their information will be on the lease. (Note, Additional Applicants cannot be under 18)
If you are receiving Rental or Bond Assistance from the government such as SA Housing Trust you will need to select “yes” to either or both these options and in most cases agents will require you to upload any documentation to support this.
A professional or personal reference, also known as a character reference, is a reference provided by an individual who knows you well and can vouch for your character and abilities. This may be someone with a good standing in the community or a business person other than a family member, your employer or a work colleague.
The Utility Connection check box informs the Property Manager that you wish to be contacted by a Utility Broker to assist you with connecting your Utilities upon moving into your new property
By selecting yes you are only advising the agent you wish to be contacted for information about utility providers. You can decline their service at anytime and organize your own utilities independently. Click here to see our terms & conditions.
Employment Information
Please select your current most dominant source of income. You also have the option to enter additional income in the "Other" tile of the application. e.g for a second job/business.
Please enter your Employed information, as it is important for the Property Manager to assess you on your individual income. You may then enter your student information in the "Student" tile.
This is the Gross income before expenses & Tax. It may include anything from Rental income you receive, Shares or Royalties.
Just as if you were employed we would require a reference and confirmation of your income from your employer. Your accountant will be asked to confirm your self employed status and your business income. This will aid in showing your ability to meet your rental obligations.
If you do not use a qualified accountant please provide the details of another owner of the business if applicable that will not be living with you. In the event that you are unable to provide a person to speak on behalf of your business status please contact the rental agent direct.
If your referees do not use an email, it is important to inform the property manager and add that as a note in your application. This way they know to call the referee to confirm the information you have provided.
If you receive none of these allowances, then enter "0" to show that your earnings do not come from these allowances.
If you receive a student allowance, then a copy of your income statements from Centrelink will help to prove this.
If your income is from your parents, then a copy of your bank summary will help to prove this.
Living Arrangement
The more correct current information you can provide the speedier your application will be processed and the quicker you will have a response. It is advisable to contact your Previous agency and confirm the best email you should refer the reference to and that they are going to be at work to receive the email. Use our chat service if you have further questions.
Documentation
You are only required to upload one of the two, your Driver's License or Passport. However, you may upload both if you choose. The reason why you are required to provide one of these, is to help verify your identity.
You are only required to upload one of the two, your payslips or bank summary. However, you may upload both if you choose. The reason why you are required to provide this is to help verify your identity and income, this is used to help determine your ability to make rent payments
You are only required to upload this if you receive government support through centrelink. This is to help prove the income support you receive and will therefore help to determine your ability to make rent payments
If you have provided documentation in Group A relating to your identity, Group B relating to your income and any centrelink documents if you receive government support. Any additional documentation is not required but available if you wish to provide additional documentation. This can include documents such as; Other statements proving income, other documents proving your identity and other documents supporting other areas of your application, such as Council Rates proving ownership of your home if you are a homeowner.
Applying for a Property
To apply for a property, click “Home” and select “Apply for a Property” from there you will be asked to select who you would like to apply with. When you are ready, click "Next" to continue. You will be asked to enter the property you would like to apply for. Click the property from the menu while typing. Proceed to fill in the rest of the page then click "Next" to review your application. When reviewing your application, click "Confirm my application" to send the application to the property manager.
All your information entered within the application is sent to the Real Estate Agency so they may review your application. This includes all information entered across all Personal information, Employment Status, Living arrangements, Documentation and your reference information and the response status from your referees. You can review this at any time on the "Applications" page.
Adding a joint applicant after applying for a property does not automatically add them to your existing applications.
To add your joint applicant to your existing application, go to the Home page, click Status of applications button, then click on the address to open the application. When viewing the application you will see a button + Add Applicant button to add an applicant to the application.