How to Attract Tenants to Your Property: A Landlord’s Guide

If you’re looking to rent out a property for the first time you might be unsure of what’s next once you’ve done all the paper work. You need to find tenants! That’s the job of the letting agent right? Well, yes it is however you need to put in the preparation to make sure they’re attracting right type of tenants to your property.

By understanding whom you are targeting and putting yourself in the shoes of your potential customers you can style your property accordingly.

If it’s students you’re going for then you’ll want a simple and easy to maintain style with furniture to cater for their needs, such as desks in each bedroom and a comfy, sociable living space. Whereas young professionals may prefer a sleeker, more modern look with quality appliances and perhaps more storage.

Not only will creating catering for these needs at the start of your letting journey attract the right tenants, it will also allow them to feel at home and stay for longer.

First impressions

Tenants will more often than not decide whether a property is for them or not before they’ve even stepped in the front door. If there are communal areas, make sure they’re clean and tidy and if the property comes with a garden give the grass a mow and tidying up any beds before viewings. Why not give the front door a new lick of paint and make sure the house/ flat number is clearly visable – they need to be able to find you!

Clean

Getting a professional cleaner in before photographs and viewings is well worth the money. They’ll give the property a thorough clean and eliminate any bad smells which may be lingering, whether it be from previous tenants or from the property being empty for a while. Lighting a scented candle, having some fresh flowers on display or even just opening windows before viewings can help create a fresh space to walk into.

Clutter

People like to be able to picture their own possessions in a home and so keep your stuff to a minimum. Pack it all up and put it in storage because if you don’t they most certainly will and you may not see some of it again if it’s put to the back of a cupboard and forgotten about. A clutter free environment will also make the space look bigger and cleaner.

Furniture

Whilst you might not want to spend a lot on furniture to furnish your rental property, it’s sometimes worth spending a little more to get quality otherwise you might end up replacing it after the first tenancy anyway. Often tenants will treat better quality furniture with more care than some, which looks like it’s come from the pound shop. House clearances, auctions and Gumtree can be great places to pick up bargains.

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