Admittedly, self-managed property rental can be a challenge. But with careful preparation, planning, and ongoing management, it is very much within the reach of just about anyone. Online management platforms such as ours at Monkey vs Owl, help to automate and manage much of the process and generally make life easier for you. The payback is that you get to keep more of the income generated from your rental by avoiding heavy commissions charged by a letting agency.
In this guide, we will focus on property rental advertising techniques to attract the ideal tenant and discuss how preparing and presenting your property is pivotal to a successful advertising campaign.
Preparing and staging your rental property
Showing off your property in the best light possible is the number one tip for successful property rental advertising. Not only does it help to secure a good tenant in a competitive market, but it can also help you to attract one.
When you advertise your property it is important to create the impact that is achieved when a well constructed property advertisement is accompanied by a set of clear images. So let's take a look at some key points to consider.
Unfurnished Property
• Decorating bright neutral colours using hard-wearing washable finishes
• Flooring hard wearing laminate, tile or wood floors in communal areas plus kitchen and bathroom/toilet and either carpets or soft rugs in bedrooms
Furnished Property
Providing a furnished and equipped property opens up a bigger potential renter market to include people that might not be in a position to furnish a rented property themselves
• Decoration and flooring as above for unfurnished properties
• Furnishing Basic but adequate furnishings in all rooms. Comfortable lounge furniture, dining table and chairs, decent beds plus bedside tables and adequate storage. Furniture should be of the best quality you can afford without over-stretching the budget. Less durable cheaper furniture is not necessarily the most cost-effective route
• Equipment If you decide to equip your rental, supply a fridge/freezer, washing machine and cooker as a minimum but you might want to consider some extras such as a microwave and an iron.
• Outside Space Remember also that any outside space that is available to your tenant is a big selling point. You should take care to include it as part of your staging strategy. Get it into the best and safest condition that you can.
Advertising your property for rent
Your property is looking great and you are ready to focus on securing that ideal tenant.
Here we take a look at the important aspects of advertising your property.
1. Preparing a rock-solid property rental marketing package
The ideal marketing package can be broken down into three sections:
✔ The headline
✔ The description
✔ The pictures
a) The headline you write is likely to be the most important part of your advertising package and the first impression you create. Most people will scan quite rapidly through property rental headlines. If yours grabs their attention they are more inclined to stop and examine what else you have written in more detail. So put some detail in your headline.
• Example of an effective headline:Newly refurbished warm and comfortable 2 bedroom house with safe, enclosed garden available for long-term rent
• Example of a less effective headline:2 bedroom house with garden available to rent
The main difference between these two descriptions is the level of detail. The first example is much more likely to stop prospective tenants from scrolling past.
b) The description you write should read like a lifestyle statement. First describe the property with room dimensions, furniture and equipment levels. Use positive language and highlight anything that stands out as a desirable feature. Go on to talk about the neighbourhood, local facilities, road and rail access and any nearby parks, gardens and leisure facilities.
Pets or no pets. This is a decision you should have made at this stage. Statistically it is estimated that over 40% of UK households include a pet. By allowing pets you open yourself up to a larger market. You can build in some sort of pet clause into the rental agreement and even take a financial deposit to cover any pet originated damage. If you are prepared to accept pets, make sure this is clear in your description.
c) The pictures You should be aiming to take the best quality images that you can. Choose a bright and preferably sunny day and make sure your property is immaculately clean and tidy. Open all curtains and illuminate darker areas with as much natural light as you can. Take honest pictures from realistic angles that show off your property in the best possible way but without giving false impressions.
Bear in mind that a picture paints a thousand words. Alongside any descriptive words you may write, this set of images is a magnet to attract potential tenants when you advertise property to let.
Where can I advertise my rental?
Marketing your own property or room for rent is now easier than ever. Landlords advertising property have an array of routes to take most of which involve little or no outlay. Let's take a look at the options:
1. At the Property
You never know when a passer-by might be looking for a suitable property to rent. A simple To Let sign in one of the windows may just produce results. You should be confident that your property is secure when considering this route because you are effectively announcing that the property is empty.
2. Shop display boards
Many local newsagents and supermarkets still provide boards where customers can write and display an advertising card for just about anything. An older and more traditional method but one that can definitely bring results. Additionally, you can be confident that your advert is reaching a local market.
3. Online
Research indicates that over 90% of potential renters carry out searches online. There are several ways that you can utilise the internet to get your property details out there for free.
a) Free-Ads
An online freead portal is a quick and easy method to get your property description and some pictures out there onto the internet. The interface is very easy to use and you have location options to target your freead to local audiences. We have linked one of the well-established portals that has over 3.5 million visits per month.
b) Social Media – Facebook Timeline
Many people have a large friends list on Facebook. This is an opportunity to get your property description out there regardless of the size of your friends list. Ask your friends to share your post. Views can quickly multiply when friends and friends of friends share it. The chances are it will end up in front of someone looking for a property to rent. Make sure you upload your freshly staged pictures to include in the post.
c) Facebook Marketplace
Facebook have a useful tool to help you manage the placement of your property details on your timeline, on group pages and more. You can include details such as rental type, price per month, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, location, pet friendliness and more. These filters can help people on Marketplace to find your listing.
To list your property on Marketplace:
•On Facebook, go to Marketplace.
•Choose Sell and click Properties for rent.
•Upload photos of your property and fill in the details for your listing. Provide a description for anything else you want people to know.
•Choose where you want to post your listing, such as your profile or other groups on Facebook. Tap Post when you've finished.
•Once your listing is posted to Marketplace, people can message you to learn more about it.
d) The Monkey vs Owl Platform
It would be remiss of us not to take this opportunity to introduce the marketing capability of our online platform. Landlords that use it to manage all aspects of their rental are also able to upload their property details and pictures in the rental section. You can use it to allow people to book viewings, provide quick confirmation as well as access statistics on the marketing performance of your listing.
The beauty of using our system lies in the fact that there are mobile apps for Android and Apple available to both the landlord and the tenant. Communication is efficient and effective. You can be extremely responsive to viewing requests, bookings and subsequent developments.
We hope you have found this guide useful and we wish you every success with your first steps out into the world of private property rental. To find more information about our services click here or telephone +44 (0) 1332 408 030 to speak to a real person.
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