Your rental property is standing empty.
Every day without a tenant feels like money leaving your pocket.
Then the phone rings.
Someone viewed the property yesterday, loves it, has completed an application and says they can pay immediately.
There is nothing inherently wrong with accepting the first applicant.
In fact, the first applicant may turn out to be the strongest applicant you receive.
The problem starts when the reasoning becomes:
Tenant selection is not normally a queue at the supermarket.
It is a decision about who you are prepared to enter into a rental relationship with — often for twelve months or longer.
Yes, you can accept the first applicant —
if you would still choose them after properly assessing the application.
Being first should neither qualify nor disqualify them.
Don't reject a good tenant simply because they were too quick either.
Sometimes landlords hear advice like “never take the first applicant.”
We do not think that is particularly useful.
Imagine the first applicant:
If you would confidently approve that application whether it arrived first, third or tenth, there is little value in delaying merely so that more applications can accumulate.
Vacancy creates pressure — and pressure changes decisions.
Landlords know exactly what an empty property is costing them.
The bond, rates, levies and other expenses are visible immediately.
The future cost of a poor placement is less obvious because it has not happened yet.
One week vacant
The lost rental feels immediate and measurable.
Several months of problems
Arrears, disputes and recovery costs are not visible on application day.
Balance both risks
Avoid unnecessary vacancy without lowering sensible screening standards.
The question is not “Who applied first?”
A better sequence is:
Compare applications using the same relevant criteria.
If several applications are under consideration, consistency matters.
The table above is illustrative only. Actual tenant assessment should consider the full circumstances and relevant lawful criteria.
What should happen to the first application?
Don't keep a good applicant waiting forever because somebody “better” might appear.
Landlords can go too far in the opposite direction.
A strong applicant applies.
Instead of making a decision, the landlord waits:
Then:
Meanwhile, the applicant continues looking and takes another property.
Use relevant, lawful and consistently applied criteria.
Tenant selection should be based on information relevant to the tenancy.
Depending on the circumstances, that may include:
Ask these seven questions about the first applicant.
Finding the right tenant matters more than filling the vacancy quickly.
Read our broader guide to tenant selection, affordability, verification, references and risk assessment.
You can keep control of the decision and still get help with the checking.
If you sourced the tenant yourself, A+ Properties can assist with screening and risk assessment without requiring you to hand the entire rental process over to us.
Useful next reads
Why Finding the Right Tenant Matters
Why a sustainable tenancy matters more than simply ending the vacancy.
Tenant Screening & Risk Assessment
Get a structured view of affordability, supporting information and overall applicant risk.
A+ Landlord Centre
Tenant placement, property management and support for self-managing landlords.
Now make the decision about the applicant — not their position in the queue.
A+ Properties can help screen an applicant you already found or manage the full tenant-placement process from marketing through to move-in.