Whistler Cay Suites for Rent

There is a serious housing shortage in Whistler, B.C..

Everybody knows it.

Home owners are reluctant to become landlords. Tales abound about poor tenants; overcrowding, wild parties, destroyed homes.

Home owners fears are reasonable after all; a home in Whistler is a very significant investment.

There is an very apparent lack of Whistler rental advertisements in Craigslist.com, Pique News Magazine, bulletin boards and through the Whistler Housing Authority.

Yet, I am surprised with the manner in which people are presenting themselves as potential renters.

I placed an ad on Craigslist.com last night and have received 127 e-mail of interest in less than 24 hours.

Some are offering to pay more than advertised, pay 3 months in advance or double the security deposit. These may seem like great incentives to best your competition and become the ideal candidate; and may work with some greedy landlords.

They are however, not good ways to distinguish yourself.

More money is never a bad thing, don't get me wrong.

What is more important for me; is finding the right fit and ensuring there is a win/win deal between the landlord and tenant.

Double deposit, more rent, payment in advance is not as appealing as having a great tenant. Someone who will cherish your home as much as you do. Someone who can understand how much you have worked for to earn the right to make mortgage payments on monthly basis to the bank.

Slumlords care about the money.

Landlords care about the tenant.

 

1. Salutation and Closing. If you are going to take the time to respond; at least show you can write a letter.

2. Address the letter to Landlord. "Hi", "Hey", "Yo", "To whom it may concern", are all inappropriate when the landlord makes their name known. Spell their name correctly.

3. Include a picture. Preferably with other humans or a living thing. Show that you are not a creep and others people like you. Family pics are the best. Just think about the flip side. When looking for places for rent; do you gravitate to listings with pictures?

4. Emotionalize your situation. If you have a plight; speak it. If your a champ, state it. Most landlords will lean toward people they know more about.

5. Be honest. I cannot stress this enough. Do not fabricate anything in your application or communications. Lies tend to snowball; especially here in Whistler.

6. Employment. State who you work for or if your independently rich. Landlords want to know how you will be paying the rent. Include how long you have worked for, how much you get paid, if your about to get a promotion, are the top employee, etc. Offer you bosses name and phone number (check with them first) as a reference.

7. Ideal Home Environment. Do you work Days or Nights? Like to cook, garden, grow vegetables? Do you like to read or watch TV in the evening or rock out on your drum set? Set the vision for the Landlord; don't let them imagine one for you.

Share who you are and separate yourself from the pack!