Thursday 27 June 2013

Finding A Tenant For Your Rental Unit

By Sheri Vanderponte


You find yourself with a property to rent. There are those who move to a new house, and they choose to rent out their last home. Another situation is where you have done a basement renovation and have a suite that is available to rent. How do you find a tenant?

The ad that you place must be well written and informative, in order to have the best prospective renters to notice it. Have a lot of details about the property in the ad. Use language that will create an emotion. You should have a lot of information in your ad, including the number of bathrooms and bedrooms, parking, the date the unit is available, parking, laundry, pets and other terms of the rental. This way, you won't need to answer countless telephone calls.

Having pictures in your ad will make a huge difference. When there are no pictures, most people don't take the ad seriously. Leave an email address for responses, as well at a first name, and in some cases, a phone number. It should be simple for the potential tenant to get a hold of you.

Get your ad where it can be seen

The best way to get the word out is to advertise in a variety of places. Keep in mind the target potential renters you're looking for. Renting out a small bachelor unit is not the same as a large penthouse suite, so advertise appropriately to find your target audience.

Placing a CraigsList ad is one of the best choices since it's free, and has so many people that read the ads daily in virtually every city. Webistes like that do a good job of having a basic layout that everyone understands, so you can reach the prospective tenants easily. It's best to use several colour pictures; 1 exterior photo, and 3 more of the inside of the premises. If the unit has a great view, be sure to include a photo. That will get people to really notice the ad.

Using Facebook or Twitter and social media sites like these can be helpful, as people you know can recommend trustworthy tenants.

Putting a sign in the window can work just fine, and some landlords still use this method to find tenants. People who live in the area will see the sign and recommend it to a friend who is looking for a rental, or someone just visiting the area may see it and inquire about renting. Try and put a lot of details on the sign, like the bedroom and bathroom number, price, the availability date, etc. This will prevent people calling just for information. Your contact phone number should be big enough that people on the street can read it.

Finding tenants can sometimes be as simple as telling some friends and family, and word of mouth can do the rest. They may know somebody who's looking to move to your area.

Local bulletin boards: Put up a sign, or flyer, at your neighborhood community centre, grocery store, or library. Put your contact information at the bottom of your flyer using tear offs, and add colour pictures that make the ad and rental unit more appealing to potential tenants.

It's important to find the right balance between renting your suite fast, and finding a responsible tenant. You want tenants who are responsible, pay their rent on time, and will take care of your property as if it was their own. See evaluating and selecting tenants.




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