What can you do if rental agents stop talking?

It's every home seeker's biggest frustration: you respond to an ad within minutes, send all your documents and... it stays dead silent. This' ghosting 'by rental agents is unfortunately a dime a dozen in an overheated market. Real estate agents often receive hundreds of responses to one home and choose the path of least resistance: only respond to the candidates they invite.

Although it feels rude, it is often just a matter of lack of time for a broker. However, that does not mean that you have to wait patiently. By changing your approach and becoming more proactive, you're almost forcing them to stop ignoring you.

Why are you actually being ghosted?

To fix the problem, you need to understand why brokers are ignoring you. It is usually due to one of these three reasons:

1. Your file is not complete: If a broker has to choose between someone who has already sent everything and someone they still have to ask for a payslip, they always choose the first one.
2. You just don't meet the (strict) requirements: Sometimes they have an income requirement of four times the rent. When you're at 3.8, your data often ends up immediately in the “no pile” without a message.
3. The mass is too big: With more than 200 responses, a broker simply stops reading as soon as the first ten suitable candidates for a viewing have been selected.

Change your strategy: from mailing to calling

E-mails disappear in an overcrowded inbox. If you're really serious about a home, you should pick up the phone.

The “golden quarter”

As soon as a new home comes online (set your notifications to “immediately”!) , send your request and call the office ten minutes later. Kindly ask if your request has been received and if there are still places available for a viewing. By making your voice heard, you change from an anonymous email address to a real person. Brokers often find it more difficult to reject someone on the phone immediately than to ignore an email.

Make your first message irresistible

If you do email, make sure you stand out. A standard message like “I'm interested in this property, when can I see it?” is almost guaranteed to be ignored.

Make a short, powerful introduction to yourself:

• Who are you and what do you do for work? (Please immediately state your type of contract and gross income).
• Why does this home suit you? (For example, “I work nearby in the hospital”).
• When can you view? (Indicate that you are flexible and can come immediately).

The fewer questions the broker has to ask you, the greater the chance of a response. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to say 'yes' to a viewing.

The strength of follow-up

Have you had a viewing and you hear nothing after that? Now is the time for a proper follow-up.

Don't wait a week, but send a short thank you for visiting the next morning and repeat your interest. If you still hear nothing after two days, call again. Ask about the status of the selection process. Sometimes the landlord's first choice has fallen off and your call puts you back at the top of the list as a “reserve”.

When to throw in the towel?

Unfortunately, there are real estate agencies that are known for never responding to rejections. If you've tried to get in touch three times (mail, call, follow-up) and you don't get a response, don't waste your energy any longer. Focus on other providers.

There are also more and more platforms where you communicate directly with private landlords instead of via a broker. Here, the chance of a human response is often much higher, because the landlord himself is also looking for a personal click.

Remember: it's a numbers game. Don't be discouraged by the absence of a response. It's usually not your fault, but a system that beeps and creaks under pressure.