Melbourne living is becoming more and more of a struggle for non-homeowners, with rents rising constantly. But if you're lucky enough to have found a place, spare a thought for those poor sods currently looking. The latest Real Estate Institute of Victoria figures show that the vacancy rate for rental properties in the inner-city is sitting at a measly 0.3 percent.

I spoke to Daniel Bryan, a Realty Business Development Manager, in search of some insider advice on how renters can help their chances of landing a home. "It is very competitive for renters at the moment," he concedes. His number one tip?

"I would recommend always putting on a cover letter with an application form. Nothing too long, just a bit of a rundown on what they've done for the last couple of years." A brief, descriptive overview of your employment and living history, he explains, will help to fill in any gaps left by your application.

As inspections are now rather crowded affairs, Bryan also recommends making your presence known.

"Get in front of the agent, shake their hand and introduce yourself," he says. "Nothing else needs to be said, but it puts a face to a name. Have your application filled out, and hand it to the agent."

In instances where an agent is faced with several suitable prospective tenants, Bryan says that the choice ultimately lies in the strength of the applicants' references. "It comes down to the quality of the tenant, not how much rent they're offering. A landlord is generally going to accept the best person, not someone who's going to pay an extra 10-20 dollars a week."

Bryan points out that there are still some relatively untapped inner-city areas for those who don't want to admit defeat and slink off to the outer suburbs.

"The inner-west is still reasonably priced. Suburbs like Yarraville and Seddon are 7kms from the city and are much cheaper than the eastern suburbs," he says. "You're more likely to find a small garden or off-street parking in those areas as well."

I have one more hopeful plea, on behalf of renters everywhere: surely these things go in cycles, right? Surely the market will calm down soon, right?

He lets out a sigh. Uh oh.

"They do go in cycles, but I don't see any relief for the next 12 months. Rents, vacancy rates - they're all connected to interest rates. Prospective buyers are holding off buying because interest rates are going up, therefore they stay tenants longer, therefore there's less available property."

Hang in there, fellow renters.

By NICK BOND

Daniel Bryan - Business Development Manager, Robert Martin Realty