Nabbing a rental property has become increasingly difficult, but some Aussies are making money by helping others attend inspections.
Adam Walker, 29 from Dee Why in Sydney’s Northern beaches, has made well over $2500 since joining outsourcing company Airtasker 18 months ago, carrying out more than 50 inspections for those who can’t attend themselves.
“I work in the removalist industry, so for me it’s kind of a thing I do in my downtime,” he said.
“The majority of my inspections are midweek, so a Monday or a Wednesday, but there are also agents who do by appointment only where I’ll have the whole place to myself.
“Depending on the client, I could take photos of the inside and the outside. I also take video from the street and entrance of the building and a detailed video of the insight of the building.”
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Airtasker Adam Walker inspecting a unit in Sydney.
Mr Walker said he charges $50 per inspection but the average task price – according to Airtasker – is between $40 and $200, with prices varying depending on how many inspections the user needs completed.
“One of my regular clients gets me to do around 6 (inspections a week),” he said.
“(And) one of my clients I work for, they have a business where they help people find homes to tend to book a bunch of people to do inspections.
“So it’s a good side income…and helps people (find a home) who might be working full time during the week but I also had clients who were overseas or have been away.”
Mr Walker’s advice for others looking to follow in his footsteps is to bring a can do attitude.
“If you want to get into this full time or even just as a side hustle, you really got to look for the work,” he said.
“You also have to put yourself in the shoes of your clients. Imagine you were inspecting your own home.
“You’d want to look presentable and I also, most of the time, check in on behalf of the (client) or say who I’m there for so they can tick that name off their list.”
New Airtasker data revealed paid rental inspections jumped by 105 per cent over the past year, with the highest demand in Melbourne, followed by Brisbane and Sydney.
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Airtasker can apply for as many jobs as they want, making – on average – $50 per inspection.
Airtasker Founder and CEO Tim Fung said tightening vacancy rates had propelled demand for paid property inspections.
“With low vacancy rates and high demand, it’s sometimes difficult to get to inspections, especially when working full-time, or trying to secure a place before relocating. This is where the power of the Airtasker community comes in,” he said.
“People are using Airtasker to get help with on-the-ground rental inspections as Taskers will physically go to a property, take photos, do a walk-through, sometimes even jump on a video call so the renter can get a real-time look. It’s become a valuable way to level the playing field, especially for people interstate or overseas, or just too time-poor to make it to every single open home.”
Mr Fung adds there was no cap on how many inspections an individual could complete each week, leaving the door wide open for making serious money on the side.
“We’re seeing some Taskers double down in this category, building up a bank of customers wanting their inspection services, especially in high-demand cities,” he said.
“Others might do one or two here and there to earn some extra cash.
“Taskers can take on as many or as few jobs as they like, and people can choose someone who’s got the time and availability that suits the customer.”
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