Getting Good Tenants

By Sheri Vanderponte


You are looking to rent a property. Some people move, and simply rent out their last home after moving instead of selling it. Or maybe you've purchased a condo, or completed a basement suite in your home, solely for the purpose of getting that extra rental income. How do you go about getting suitable tenants?

The ad that you place must be well written and informative, in order to have the best prospective renters to notice it. Be as descriptive as you can. The language you choose should evoke some emotion from the reader. Include details, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the type of suite, laundry, parking, when the apartment will be available, rental terms, amount of damage deposit, whether pets are allowed or not. This will save you a lot of unnecessary phone calls.

When possible, remember to include photos. Many readers will not even bother with an ad with no photos. Leave an email address for responses, as well at a first name, and in some cases, a phone number. You want to make it easy for them to contact you.

Get your ad where it can be seen

It's a good idea to use several avenues for your ad. But also consider your target market. If you're renting out a luxury condo, you likely won't be advertising in the same places as when you're renting out a basement bachelor suite.

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. The simple layout on websites like these helps to make it accessible to virtually everyone, so your future tenants can find you with no troubles. Put around 4 colour photos in your ad; 3 photos if the interior, 1 of the exterior. When a particularly nice view is available from the unit, use a picture of that in the ad. That will get people to really notice the ad.

It makes sense to let friends know about your rental suite on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, as a friend may make a good recommendation.

Sign in the window: It may sound old fashioned and low-tech, but consider placing a sign in the window of the unit you have for rent. Your sign could be seen by a person who is visiting the area and is considering moving, or someone could let their friend know that your suite is available, and you can find a tenant that way. The more information you can include on the sign, the better, such as: number of bedrooms and bathrooms, monthly rent, and the move in date. The more information on the sign, the fewer phone calls you will have to deal with. Be sure to include your phone number in large print, visible from the street.

Finding tenants can sometimes be as simple as telling some friends and family, and word of mouth can do the rest. People you know may have the perfect tenant solution, knowing someone who needs to rent a unit like yours.

Local bulletin boards: Put up a sign, or flyer, at your neighborhood community centre, grocery store, or library. Make your flyer eye-catching by including colour photos, and don't forget to include tear-offs at the bottom of the sign with your contact information and the address of the property.

You may want to get your property rented quickly, but don't jump at the first person who's interested. A landlord would be wise to take their time and find responsible tenants who can easily afford to make rent, and are respectful of your property and treat it well. Find out more with further articles to help you find and evaluate prospective tenants.




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