Renting in Te Puke: Jaydene Kingi is one of the lucky ones

Jaydene Kingi attended The Hub Te Puke's Ready 2 Rent course and it helped her find a rental home.

Jaydene Kingi is one of the lucky ones.

Within a few weeks of starting to look for a rental property - she had one.

She puts it down to attending The Hub Te Puke's Ready 2 Rent (R2R) programme, a five week course that covers a range of subjects including how to be a tenant, how to have a healthy home, rights and responsibilities, how much money is needed and how to be application-ready.

''Being a young mother, I wanted to move out of my mother's home - I just wanted my own freedom,'' she says.

A friend told her about the course.

''She was already enrolled on it and said 'If you are looking at moving out, you should do this course with me'.''

She went along for one hour a week for the five weeks.

''There were different property managers and Tangi [Walker, who runs the programme] informing us on how to be good tenants, what's required when you are looking for rentals.''

It was through the course that she met property manager Adrienne Uerata who was one of the speakers.

''The following week I went to First National and got the listings. They had just put this property on the listings so I put in a pre-application and viewed it the same day.''

Within 24 hours she was told her application was successful.

''I hadn't really been looking - the course got me the house,'' she says.

Meeting property managers, she says, was a crucial element of the course.

''I think it's meeting the correct people - if you haven't met the property manager how are you supposed to have a rapport with them when you are applying for a home?''

Jaydene has worked in the kiwifruit industry but has not had a steady job since becoming a mother. She is now on a benefit and has a flatmate to help with the rent, but says financially she is just about keeping her head above water.

''WINZ, Tangi and Adrienne have all been my support people in terms of getting into a rental. I think I'm very, very lucky and very grateful for the position I'm in.

''My uncle and auntie have come back from Australia and still can't find anywhere to live.''

Tangi says there has been a lot of interest in the R2R programme with good attendances when it has been run.

She intends to start a new five week course soon.