It’s 3 AM and you are still up. You are fueled by determination, caffeine, and just a little bit of fear. You know you are not alone in this desperate hour. Many others in your world have received the same email or phone call. They are also preparing for the same arduous battle you are.

As you open your laptop, you need to be prepared, you need to be ready to seize opportunity, and most importantly of all…. YOU NEED TO BE FIRST!

The official 2023 PCS Rental Hunger Games has begun!

Searching for the perfect house rental in your upcoming duty station can make you feel like an actual character from “The Hunger Games” or a competitor on “The Amazing Race”. And if you are heading to the NOVA area, you may even feel as if you are on the pages of the classic novel, “Lord of the Flies” – only the strong survive.

It’s “Knives Out” in today’s rental market and you need to be prepared.

So before panic sets in and you sign a lease with the first property you find, give yourself some tools to make you more competitive in todays market. There are so many resources out there to help you if you are a first time PCSer.

If you need a place to start, check out one of our M:M Experts, Military By Owner for rental tips and house search information. You can also check our Ultimate One-Stop PCS Resource page.

I have moved 14 times over a 27 year period and I have one tip I tell all new spouses…..

Create a Rental Resume!

What exactly is a rental resume? I am not sure it is anything official anyone has written about yet. When I was searching for a home in the DC area from Germany, I found that every place I wanted to rent had 30-50 applicants. How do you seem different than all the others when you all have same budget and timelines?

I was also tired of writing the same information over and over again, so I made a one page resume that contained most of what landlords were looking for in the initial part of the application process.

It is also helpful when filling our background checks and applications for employment.

I include the following sections on my rental resume:

Heading: In this section you can include family name, current address and contact information

Family Profile: This section is entirely up to you. I included our kids and our pets into this section. I also took the time to explain that we were homeowners ourselves and would take very good care of their home. Many landlords intend to eventually live in the houses they rent, so communicating that seems important.

One landlord told me that she had 72 applicants for her house and I was the one she chose. Did the Resume make a difference? I like to think so!

Moving History: This section is like an “Employment History” section, but instead of jobs, you simply list residences and dates lived there. You can include all or just the last few, entirely up to you. It helps me to have them all listed. Having the information at the ready could help you in many ways, but efficiency is the name of the game when applying for a rental.

References: For the landlord, this is the most important part of  the process. In the past three moves that we were off post, all of my applications were checked for references. Your main references should be past landlords if possible. If you do not have a long rental history, employers and neighbors are good references as well. Make sure you give your references a “heads up” that a potential landlord might be reaching out to them.

As I prepare for my own 14th and FINAL PCS this summer, I am passing my rental hack to all you young Tributes about to enter the Rental Hunger Games. Good Luck and remember that there is no perfect house, just make the best decision for your family.