Ep 77. Renting Uncovered
In this episode, Michelle is joined by Nikki Montaser, director of Front Door Property and one of Sydney’s most respected property managers. Together, they unpack what really happens behind the scenes in the rental market — and the small, often‑overlooked things that can make or break a tenant’s application, experience and long‑term success.
Here’s what you’ll learn from today’s episode:
The number‑one mistake almost every tenant makes on their application — and why incorrect reference emails can cost you the property
How to stand out at an inspection (and why simple politeness gives you a real edge)
Why building rapport with the property manager matters more than you think
What property managers look for when choosing between multiple strong applications
How privacy law changes are reshaping what tenants need to provide
Why trust and communication lead to better outcomes for both tenants and landlords
The direct link between how a tenant is treated and how well they care for the property
What investors often overlook — and why properties purchased with a buyer’s agent consistently perform better in the rental market
The features that reduce vacancy rates (and the surprising deal‑breakers that turn tenants away)
Why previously owner‑occupied homes tend to attract better tenants and stronger rents
Speakers in today’s episode:
Michelle May - Michelle May Buyers Agents
Nikki Montaser - Front Door Property
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This podcast has been produced and edited by Snappystreet Creative
Please note that any views or opinions presented in this podcast are solely those of the speakers, and do not necessarily represent those of any business. These views and opinions are general in nature, and do not take account of your personal objectives, financial situation and needs. Please consider whether it applies in your circumstances and seek professional advice wherever appropriate.
Listen to the Episode Now
Michelle:
Hey, and welcome back to another episode of the Buy Your Side podcast. If you're new here, I'm Michelle. I am the principal of Michelle May Buyers Agents. Lovely to meet you. You are obviously listening to this podcast because you want to get your feet on the property ladder. But I was thinking the other day of topics to help you with and of course, it most likely is the fact that you are now a tenant, you're renting somewhere or you're still living with mum and dad. And I thought, whilst you're still renting, let's try and make your life easier whilst you're living in someone else's property, maybe applying for somewhere else before you get the keys and own your own place.
And to that end, because I am not a property manager, I have invited my very good friend and most excellent property manager, Nikki Montaser, here from Front Door Property. Nikki, so good to see you.
Nikki:
Thank you, you too.
Michelle:
I know we're both in blue. It must be a sign for us to chat today. So Nikki, I know we've been working together for a really long time because I buy investment properties for some of my clients and you then look after them. So we've gotten to know each other over the years and I finally managed to drag you in to answer the questions that I've been burning to ask you for a really long time so I want to jump straight in.
Now, you're obviously a property manager in Sydney, and you have been, you've had your own business for a really long time. I imagine that you must come across a lot of applications, on a daily basis, trying to weed out the right ones and the better ones. Is there one thing you wish every tenant knew to make their application process easier?
Nikki:
It's a really boring answer, but this one is to do with email addresses and their references. So when we get our applications, there's not a lot we can do until all the references have come back. I think honestly, 99% of applications have email addresses for the references that are incorrect. And it can just be bad spelling, but it could also be even simple ones like .con with an N instead of .com. Obviously, that's something we can see on our end and correct, but if it's to do with the spelling of someone's surname, perhaps, and we don't know their surname, obviously, we can't do that, so that email goes nowhere. The other one is references, that the email addresses don't exist anymore and particularly relevant to past property management references, which is a really important one for us to get back but it's gone to someone at a company who no longer works there and it's gone nowhere. So those just don't come back.
Michelle:
Well, we all know that, within the real estate industry, starting off in property management is for most or a lot of young people a way to get into your first job in real estate, right?
And I've been a tenant myself and have had numerous property managers, particularly when you're renting through a big company, a big agency and the turnover of that staff is incredible. So I can imagine for you that it must be really annoying and frustrating.
Nikki:
It's really frustrating because I think the property manager references are one of the most important ones we've got if you're currently a tenant. So for those email addresses to go nowhere, it's really frustrating because all it does is slow you down and you might then get another application and you can see, look, all their references have come back. So that's actually a good one to start with. I think a lot of people miss out on properties because of those email addresses.
Michelle:
So tip number one would be to make sure that you double-check whoever you put as your reference, that they were actually still there and that
Nikki:
Absolutely, and their email address is correct. A lot of it has fewer spellings.
Michelle:
Yes, because we all know how difficult it is to buy, but even more difficult is to rent something decent. I can imagine for you, Nikki, that with the good properties you get inundated with applications, so if it's too hard, you just move on to the next one.
Nikki:
Well, there's got to be a lot of speed in it because tenants will often apply for more than one property. It's very rare that they just choose one because they really need to cover their bases. So if we're not quick in our processing, we have to be extremely thorough, but we also have to be quick because otherwise you'll go back to that tenant and say, congratulations, you've got the property. And they're like, I was approved for something else this morning and so they don't want to go ahead. Therefore in order for the landlord to secure the best tenant, we need to be really fast at what we're doing as well. So those little things like references, if they don't come back, we can't really move forward with that application until we've got them.
Meanwhile, we might lose another great applicant, so we can't wait for them. So it's such a small thing to do, but it's such an important part of sharing an application.
Michelle:
Yes, that makes sense. What would you say would make a difference for you if you have two applications out of three, four, or five that are identical, they're spelled correctly, and you're able to get in touch with them?
Or how do you attack the process of selection in that sense? Because I'd love to know what could make it, no particular application stands out more than another.
Nikki:
So that one is definitely forming a connection before you apply. So open, if there's a lot of people, we literally get people who almost push you out of the way as they come in, like literally bang into you as they walk through and don't say hello.
Michelle:
Ok, rude.
Nikki:
Yes rude, they look around, they leave, they don't say goodbye, nothing, but then they end up applying for the property. And then in comparison, you get a person who arrived early so they could see, before you've set up, they introduce themselves, they have a chat, they let you know a little bit about themselves.
They look around the property and when they leave, they say goodbye, they say thank you. They ask any questions that they've got about the property at the time. And they're starting to build that rapport with us and that connection, which is really important for us when they're our tenant. So I got a list of applications.
I'm certainly looking for those people who bothered to stop and talk to me and introduce themselves, and honestly, it's very few and far between people who do that.
Michelle:
Really?
Nikki:
It really is and it's such a simple thing just to be polite and friendly and respectful when you view the property. It's a really easy one, but not a lot of people do it. And I think, again, they're rushing from inspection to inspection, so they don't have time, but it's a really important step.
Michelle:
That's so interesting to me. I mean, because when I'm working with clients buying property, I say to them, the first thing I say is that so much of what we do is not about property. It's about the people, the people in the transaction.
Like in my case, you've got your vendors' motivations. You've got your agents' motivations, the other buyers out there and trying to strategise in a way.
But it's interesting to see that in your part of the real estate world, it's the same, really.
Nikki:
Absolutely. Yes, it's definitely about the people, not the property. Tenants have an emotional connection to their properties, their homes, once they've moved in.
Michelle:
There you go.
Nikki:
So you need to be very mindful of that and there’s a lot of communication skill that needs to go into that and you know, a lot goes on, it's not just about a leaky tap. There's a lot more to it; that's all people related.
Michelle:
And I think if you if you've got a good relationship with your property manager from the get go, then you're much more inclined to trust them and to go, hey, listen, yes, I do have a leaky tap and the landlord's not going to kick me out or increase the rent straight away over something like that. Right? which means that you get things fixed, but also your landlord's investment is going to be, safeguarded that way.
Nikki:
Yes, 100%. I think it's really important for tenants to feel valued and secure in their property and supported. It goes a long way, I find that our tenants tend to stay on longer if they're treated that way.
There's a whole mentality in our business of tenants versus landlord and vice versa and I've never subscribed to that I think it's just treating people with respect and kindness and building up that trust and it goes a long way with the tenant, then looks after the property in a great way and that follows through to be a massive benefit to the landlord as well so it's well.
Michelle:
Yeah, this is why I like working with you because we have the same ethos when it comes to, you know, property and the human side of it all. So if you're listening, talk to your property manager and say hi and, you know, just be a decent person. But I'm sure if you're listening, you already are.
Nikki:
That's what we want.
We want to know that we're going to deal with you moving forward. Let's go with the friendly, respectful, polite people. That's what we're looking for.
Michelle:
Now, what's one of the top questions you get asked multiple times a week?
Nikki:
It’s probably related again to applications. How do I get to the top of the list with applications? And again, that's definitely one of the ways that you fill out your application, make sure that you've got all the information that you can.
As an owner, it's really hard. We're going through quite a different time at the moment with all the privacy laws coming out and there's a lot more changes to come. But it's really important to show the landlord your documents that, yes, you can afford the rent and, yes, you are employed if that's where your rent money is coming from, etc.
So, I think just even though you're firing off all these applications, you really do just have to slowly, carefully fill it out, get that spelling, all that basic stuff and make that connection as well. They're really the only things you can do. It's just trying to make the connection with your property manager before you apply and fill in the application form correctly and to the best of your ability.
Michelle:
I get it because it does feel very intrusive, you know, when you're going through that process as a prospective tenant, where they want to know everything about your life.
And look, I come from Europe where in Holland, renting for life through a co-op or government owned is is very normal and know you can rent for 30 40 50 years in the same property here of course it's a very different thing and sometimes tenants do get treated like second-class citizens but they're paying thousands of dollars a week, so I think working having people like you in the industry raising the standard when when it comes to things like that is amazing and I think that also for you you're doing the best thing for your landlords as well right there's that fine balance because obviously you're employed by them but like you said if you get a landlord who understands that in order to get a better tenant if you look after your tenant.
Nikki:
It is. It is.
Absolutely, and they will look after the property better. There's just a direct correlation of how they are treated to how they treat the property.
Michelle:
Wow.
Nikki:
Building up that trust, it's a huge one. I actually had a case recently where the really lovely lady looked after the property so well. And as she was moving, unfortunately, some damage happened to the floorboards and they actually damaged the floorboards to an extent that they needed to be replaced.
I had to have that conversation with her to say, look, I'm really sorry, but the cost, it was over $3,000. which is an awful conversation to have with someone. It's an enormous amount of money.
But actually, she was ok and I talked her through it. Like I said, what we had done to try and mitigate her loss, etc what the landlord had done, etc. in the end, she just said, look, I'm happy. I trust you. I know that you're fair to both parties, and I'm happy to pay it. That was an extraordinary amount of money. It has a direct correlation to the landlord benefiting by building that relationship and just being kind and mindful as you go along.
Michelle:
Yeah, absolutely. So, looking after investors, looking after landlords, what would be your top advice for new or even seasoned investors really?
Nikki:
So my answer to this one, it's going to sound like we've colluded, but I haven't, we promise. My biggest advice is actually to use a buyer's agent. And I've had this discussion with you in the past before.
When I look at my portfolio, there is an absolute difference in the properties that were purchased with the help of a buyer's agent versus not and there's, I know that you have a checklist of what makes a great property as you go along and that definitely shows when you're renting.
So, if you've got a car space or a storage cage or extra storage somewhere and air conditioning and all of those items where a tenant just goes tick, tick tick tick, they make an extraordinary difference to vacancy rates.
I've got a great property in Paddington that we rent out, and the vacancy, between the tenants, it is never an instant rent. And the reason is they come in and they say, there's no room for my bedside table.
Now, it's a beautiful apartment, but it just doesn't tick all those boxes. So every time it comes up for rent, you know, there is a small vacancy period for it, and it's because of that one thing.
So I think that when you use a buyer's agent, there is a real difference in the quality of the property, which honestly there's a direct correlation between the quality of the tenant, the amount of rent you can get, and not having a vacancy period.
Michelle:
But I think it's also the difference between the buyer's agent, who is the investor brothers in a tight suit and no sock wearing brigade who are chasing the build equity and buy your next one, babe.
They're chasing the yields as opposed to the quality A-grade properties.
So, which is what we do, right? My team and I don’t always buy on main roads. And if you know, have you been listening to this podcast, you know don't buy on yellow roads with high traffic volume, don't buy in high density because it's just so we're chasing capital growth. And that means that naturally we're putting on our owner occupier hat on as well as our investor hat because like, it's like people forget that tenants are humans too, in a way like tenants don't want to live in a cage, they don't want to live in a dank property, you know, with roaring trucks past their window at night and no air conditioning and all that kind of stuff i mean ah to me it's really simple and basic but i guess it's not the case
Nikki:
It is and well, the only properties in our portfolio that compare to the ones that have had help with buyer's agents are the ones where it was an owner-occupied property and then they've moved out and either bought something different or moved overseas, etc.
Now their properties, they always tick the boxes too.
They've done their homework when they've looked for something for them, they know all the parts that are important. So they're comparable in quality in our portfolio, but the difference is huge. It's quite amazing.
Michelle:
That's, well, there you go. It's interesting the fact that owner-occupied, previously owner-occupied properties coming onto the rental market, they've been tendered with love and care, right?
They've been summoned home and therefore, it'll be a good home for someone else moving next. So if you're new to investing, consider a buyer's agent.
Nikki
Thank you.
Michelle:
Thank you, Nikki. It's been such a pleasure having you on. And I'm going to have you back because I'd love to hear your take about women specifically renting properties and what they can do to help themselves, renting better properties, not missing out, that kind of thing. We're going to have you back for a bonus episode for International Women's Day. Thank you so much for coming on today. If people want to get in touch with you, either to rent out there property or for anything else, how can they best get in touch with you
Nikki:
Probably through our website frontdoorproperty.com.au, that's got all of our contact details, it's got my mobile number etc you can just get the details there.
Michelle:
There you go. Frontdoorproperty.com.au. Thank you so much, Nikki. Now, if you've been listening to me for a while and you want to know more and work with me, did you know that I have an online course coming out? I'm so excited. It's called Better Home Buying, and it's going to be launching on the 18th of April.
It's going to have modules, interactive sessions with me, downloads, everything that you need to know, all the tools that I've been teaching you through the podcast in a succinct course that you can do over a weekend or take your time doing. Get on the wait list by getting in touch at hello@buyourside.com.au. I'd love for you to work with me.
Thank you for listening and until next time.