By Jennifer E Kent
Equipping tomorrow’s
tenants Do you ever think back to when you first left school? I do. I was so eager to ‘grow up’ and move out of home, become my own person… pay my own rent (and why ever did I want that so badly!). It wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. Finding a landlord who was willing to take a 17-year-old university student and her two friends as tenants was a challenge I didn’t anticipate. It was both frustrating and disappointing but, with the help of some kind people who stuck their neck out for me, I eventually had my rental property. Your experience may read much the same, perhaps with even more challenges. Someone helping others get off on the right foot with landlords and property managers is Katie Knight from RE/MAX Success. I spoke with Katie about her involvement in the Queensland Government’s Tenancy Skills Institute and how she’s helping our future tenants.
Katie, how did you become involved with the Tenancy Skills Institute? I met with the organisers at a function some time ago - at that stage they were running the program independently. I remember looking at what they were doing and seeing the value in what the program had to offer.
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Can you explain what the program is all about? The program targets anyone who wants a rental property or like to improve their skillset in maintaining private tenancy. It’s now a Queensland Governmentfunded program where students can either book themselves into a course online, or may be referred to the program by someone like me. It’s designed to give students the skills and understanding of what is involved in renting a property. It covers everything from communicating effectively with property managers and neighbours, care and maintenance
of the property, independent living and budgeting. It gives basic information that no-one tells you as a first-time renter and it does it in an in-depth, thorough way.
How do you work with students? I’m invited to speak with course graduates. I’m excited for them and am keen to show them how they can connect with property managers (friends not foe!). It gives me a chance to talk to them about how things really work and what to expect. Fostering good relationships from the start is really beneficial to everyone.
