If you’ve just put your property up to let, there’s no doubt about the fact that the sooner you fill the property with applicable tenants, the better. Of course, a major factor to letting your property out is picking the right agent for the job, however something just as important is ensuring you have a successful viewing and that your property grabs the attention of prospective tenants as soon as they enter.
We’ve put together this handy 5 step guide to help you ensure your property has a bout of successful viewings which will hopefully lead to a happy landlord and happy tenants.
1. Prepare
Preparation may be one of the more daunting parts of putting your property on the rental market. Before taking a viewing it’s always best practice to give the property a little TLC and carry out some basic DIY tasks. A tenant will scrutinise a property on a viewing and rightly so, they are going to be living there so it has to meet their expectations. That crack above the door in the kitchen isn’t going to impress, however the 5 minute job of filling it in, sanding it down and giving it a lick of paint is going to work wonders towards erasing minor defects and drumming up potential interest.
2. Clean it up
A spring clean isn’t just for spring, grab a duster and pull the vacuum cleaner out of hiding and give every room a thorough once-over, getting right in to the corners. Expect a prospective tenant to look everywhere, the likes of crumbs in kitchen cupboards and blocked up bathroom plug holes are an easy problem to solve that could act as a major deterrent if left. To put it simply, how is someone meant to fall in love with your property if it looks like you don’t?
3. Keep it simple
When someone views a rental property, they don’t necessarily expect to see pictures up of your family holiday to the Bahamas in 2009 – the best solution is to play it safe with soft, clean décor, non-personal items and certainly no clutter. It’s good to make it feel like home but rows and rows of excessive knick-knacks will steal the focus away from the rest of the room.
4. Set the scene
This one is a tricky point, some people would prefer to see a property completely unfurnished so they can see it presented as a blank canvas that they can work with, however, some would prefer to see a room fully furnished to give a better idea of space utilisation and room layouts. Obviously if you’re renting out your property fully or partly furnished, ensure the furniture that is in the property for the viewing is the same furniture you intend on supplying in the property to avoid any element of doubt.
5. Be ready for change
If a tenant signs a year’s lease on your property, as a landlord you want them to be able to feel comfortable and feel at home. Try not to enforce your view on layout of a property, they may not want to use the dining room for that purpose when they live there. As long as a tenancy agreement is being followed and the property is being cared for, you have to allow for quiet enjoyment which legally lets a tenant live in their home in peace.
Your local Belvoir agent will be able to assist you through the process of a viewing, ensuring you know the best practices to help your property appeal to potential tenants.
