prowest 
How much time do you need to find a rental?
Current rental lease about to run out? Or do you need to move to a new city by a set date?
Whatever the reason you might need to move, if you know that you’re going to need to find something to rent in the near future it’s a good idea to start looking sooner rather than later.
Everybody is going to take a different amount of time to find a rental, but factors that may influence how long it takes is how competitive the local rental market is, when the properties you want are available, how organised you are and whether you can find the time to head to rental viewings, just to name a few.
What if you need something right away?
If you have found yourself needing to find a property ASAP then you may be lucky enough to be able to find something and be moved in within the week, but you’re going to need to get moving on inspecting properties as soon as you can.
Look for listings that say they are available immediately and have all of your paperwork ready to hand into property managers straight after viewings (if you are interested in the property).
It may take around 24-48 hours from the time you apply until you know you are approved, or perhaps longer, but this does depend on the property manager being able to verify the information you supply to them, so ensure that everything is accurate and up-to-date.
The property manager also needs to then wait to hear from your landlord to find out whether you are approved.
If you are approved then you can discuss with the property manager the date you want to move into the property.
What if you don’t need to move for a few months?
For those who have a bit of time up their sleeve to find a rental, it still doesn’t hurt to start looking and shortlisting properties right away.
Start searching online to see what’s in your budget and check out the availability dates, because there is a chance that some properties won’t be available for some time, which may line up perfectly for when you need to move.
Most properties will probably be available within at least a month though, so you might not find much available when you need it if you start looking too early.
Keep in mind though that if you do find something that you really like and you want to secure it then you might miss out if you don’t go for it straight away.
There are a lot of cases where people need rental properties for dates in the future, but sign onto a lease earlier than they need to, simply to lock the property in. This will of course likely mean that you need to pay for rent before you are ready to move to the property, but it really depends on the particular property and situation.
Whatever the case may be, let the property manager know your circumstances and when you want to be able to move into the property so they can take this into account.
If you have given yourself a lot of time then if you miss out on one rental property then you should still have plenty of time to find another by the time you need it.
