Why do I need a rental advert?
The main purpose of the advert for a rental property is to differentiate your investment property from the competition and to encourage prospective tenants to view your property and not some other property.
The property description is probably the biggest challenge to a landlord. Landlords should start with the state of repair of the property. The expression ‘newly refurbished’ will give a good indicator that the investment property will be clean and tidy. Tenants like the word ‘new’, it reassures them that the property is unlikely to be a hovel.
The description should contain the following:
· Location of the property
· Description of the property and its features e.g.: garage, garden, full gas central heating. Is the property furnished? Is there parking? Newly decorated? No. of bedrooms, type of heating etc
· Rental amount and deposit required
· Contact details for the landlord
Why photos are important?
Landlords need to remember the old adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ therefore where landlords have the option of a photograph, they should try to use it to represent the property’s best features. It is surprising the number of landlords who don’t make the effort to take good photographs of their property. Prospective tenants will respond to an advert with photos before they respond to one without pictures.
Where to advertise?
There are a number of places where you can advertise rental property to let. These include:
· The classified sections of both regional and national newspapers.
· The internet however is probably the most common resource used by prospective tenants. It also has the advantage of allowing you to use photographs of the property.
· Word of mouth can also be a useful tool – the tenants leaving your property may know someone that may make a good tenant.
