Finding a room in a share house in some suburbs can be cutthroat. When you're looking for a rental in the inner city suburbs, you're up against a lot of competition.

It's a little bit like online dating. You want to impress your potential new housemate, but you've also got to play it cool (you don't want to look desperate!). The inspection goes well, they seem to like you and you definitely like them.

Arrive on time

Show up late to your inspection and you're basically saying "please don't give this room to me, I'm hopeless and unreliable". 

Allow plenty of time for traffic, delayed public transport (it's inevitable) and any other unexpected delays. Arriving on time shows you're reliable and trustworthy - which matters a lot when you're applying for a rental.

Be honest

If you're planning on bringing your dog/cat/significant other, much like coming through airport customs, now is the time to declare it. 

If you lie about important things now like your ability to pay rent, your job, levels of cleanliness, or party animal habits, that is guaranteed to come back and bite you. 

Dress to impress

Just because these people will eventually see you in your pj's, doesn't mean you should rock up in your stained trackies that most definitely haven't seen the insides of a washing machine for several weeks.

But you also don't want to give off the impression that you're trying too hard because every other share house has already knocked you back. 

Ask lots of questions

This is a chance for you to make sure you're getting a good deal too, so it's important to ask about all the potential deal breakers like car spaces, whether or not you can bring people over, what their daily schedule is like (particularly if you're sharing a bathroom) or if the apartment is pet-friendly. 

Don't be afraid to ask a ton of questions - after all, you'll be living under the same roof as them. 

Visit many places

Don't make the rookie mistake of settling for the first place you see - even if it IS only 500 metres from your office. Even the most conveniently located apartment can quickly turn into hell if you rush in and end up with bad housemates. 

It's also a good idea to research prices in the area to make sure you aren't being ripped off.

Bring a rental reference

If it's your first time living out of home, you obviously won't have a rental history, so a character reference from your boss and/or colleagues is perfectly okay in this situation.

A character reference should simply confirm your employment with X company, how long you've been working there for, and that you're trustworthy, reliable, and can pay rent and bills on time.

Have good banter

People will be way more likely to give you the room if they actually like you and think you're fun to be around. If banter isn't in your vocabulary, it pays to be super polite and find some common interests. Most people just want to find someone nice and normal to live with. Essentially, you just have to prove you're a reasonably normal person and not secretly an axe-wielding murderer. 

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