Going “above and beyond” to help her tenants find a home or settle in once they’re there isn’t something unique for Monique Fildes.
It’s part of the Ray White Adelaide City property managers’ MO.
Never was that more evident than when she recently helped a newly blended family find their first home together.
Monique says the family, made up of two adults, five children and their beloved pet cat, reached out to her as their current rental home was being sold.
“They were finding it extremely difficult to find a rental that had enough space, was in their budget and had a landlord that would rent to tenants with an animal,” she says.
“In the week leading into their last weekend at their current home, we banded together and helped them secure a family home where they had enough space for all five children to have their own rooms, and kept below their budget.
“There was such relief from the parents and they were able to start their new journey as a blended family in the most perfect suburb and home.”
Like it is across most of Australia, the rental crisis in Adelaide makes it difficult for tenants to find a home.
Domain figures released at the start of March show the national vacancy rate is at a record low 0.8 per cent, while in Adelaide it sits at just 0.3 per cent.
Together with Perth, Adelaide has the lowest vacancy rate of all the capital cities.
Monique says she doesn’t just view her landlords as clients, she also views every tenant and prospective tenant as a client that deserves excellent service, particularly in Adelaide’s busy rental market.
She says while it’s not as hectic as Sydney or Melbourne, Adelaide rental properties, particularly large family homes, were being snapped up quickly, with multiple applications for each home.
“I like to treat tenants as your everyday client,” Monique explains.
“My theory is to treat people as you want to be treated, so I do try and go out of my way if I can, where I see someone is suitable (for a property) or are in a situation where they need a little bit more help.”
Monique also recently assisted a couple relocating to Australia from Scotland for work, not just with finding a rental but where to find bedding and other household items.
“I emailed them a whole list of places near to where they rented their house that they could go and buy these things, along with what’s the best quality and what you should be paying price-wise,” she explains.
“If I can help with something little like that, I do, because I think it makes a difference, especially when people are coming to a new country and don’t know anyone there.”
To read more inspiring stories of property managers going above and beyond the call of duty get your hands on the autumn edition of Elite Agent magazine by becoming a Pro member.
