Nelson Alexander

The agent tried to use a 5-​year-​old photo seeking $ 154 for a picture hook missing once I vacated the property. Despite asking the date of the photo many times, the agent refused to provide it. Date of the photo was not disclosed until the morning of a VCAT hearing.
The claim was rejected by VCAT on the basis that the photo pre-​dated the beginning of the tenancy.
The agent also attempted to make me pay the $ 154 by saying they would lodge a tenancy blacklist if not paid. The Tribunal said that this was not true and the attempt to dissuade me from getting my bond back has been referred to Consumer Affairs for enforcement review. Tenants and landlords: AVOID.

We have just moved into a new place in Fitzroy which we found through Nelson Alexander.
My wife and I couldn’t make the viewing and the agency were not very flexible about doing an alternative viewing. They did, however, suggest we send a friend instead, who can lodge an application on our behalf. I’m still not sure why applicants cannot just post applications.
It ended up we were the only viewers of the property, and we could have got the property at a lower price, had we known /​been able to do a seperate viewing, so we will always wander if we are paying too much.
The signup process was difficult, and the agent was not present. They had an alternative person assist us to sign up, but this person knew very little about the property but did make a phone call directly to the landlord for us, and they agreed to assist in paying for a new phone connection (as the flat is a new build).
All in all, not bad but not amazing.
These guys are are probably the best real estate agents in the area. I think with a few tweaks in the way they communicate to clients (and a bit more respect for tenants), they could get a 4, or even 5 star from me.

Apparently us Gen Y’s really can’t sit still and are the generation that moves house the most. I can’t disagree, as I am currently living in 4^th house since moving to Melbourne 6 years ago (I think this one is a winner though.)
However, this just means that I have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of real estate agents and I would rate the Fitzroy Nelson Alexander somewhere in the ‘so-​so’ category.
While they were VERY flexible with me during financially challenging times, they were also VERY behind on maintenance issues. For instance, if it were for a million and one frantic phone calls from me to their emergency hotline, the tap that broke in the bathroom would probably still be gushing with water. They are certainly more focussed on pleasing their houses landlords than tenants.
But like the other review says from Matt, make sure you’re in their good books otherwise you might have a bit of trouble renting on the Northside.

Nelson Alexander seem to have a virtual monopoly over the rental properties in the Fitzroy/​Carlton/​Collingwood areas. For this reason, it’s really worth ensuring that you are in their good books, because they typically prioritise previous tenants, who they know, when they are renting out new properties. This can be really frustrating when the rental market is so fierce and you keep finding out that the houses that you are applying for are always going to previous Nelson Alexander renters.
In any case, now renting through Nelson Alexander myself, I’ve found them to be very competent and easy to communicate with (which is unusual from my experiences with rental agents to date).