Despite another national lockdown seemingly on the horizon, the property market remains resilient, with the stamp duty holiday and other initiatives encouraging people to move before the Christmas period.
Landlords are seeing strong demand from tenants, with the number of new prospective renters reaching a record high in July, according to ARLA Propertymark’s July Private Rented Sector (PRS) report.
With this in mind, landlords can meet this increased demand by listing their property now. Below, we’ve compiled some top tips to boost your marketing campaign and, hopefully, attract tenants for the long-term.
Instruct the right letting agent
The first step is to appoint an established, credible letting agent that will assist you with finding long-term tenants and foster a good relationship with them.
A good agent will be on hand to help you deal with maintenance and repairs, respond quickly when issues arise, and ensure that tenants know what their obligations are.
This is crucial to your investment, as a knowledgeable agent can help to keep your renters satisfied and allow your tenancy to run smoothly.
Make your home safe and rent-ready
Before you can begin your search for tenants, you will need to ensure that your property is well-maintained and safe for people to live in.
This has become even more important since the start of the pandemic, and the introduction of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 in March 2019, which was extended to all tenancies in March 2020.
Give your home a thorough clean, making sure all quick fixes have been made and declutter where necessary. Also, decide on whether you want to let your rental property as furnished, unfurnished or part-furnished.
Use high-quality photos
Many tenants typically begin their property search online – even more so with the ongoing pandemic keeping everyone indoors for long periods of time – so your property listing will need to have compelling photos.
When it comes to images, there will always be one or two which attract the most attention and show your home in its best light – these should always be displayed first on your listing.
While it’s hard to be objective about your own home, your agent can help to ensure that it looks as appealing as possible.
Consider premium listings
Property portals like Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket offer paid-for added extras to help a property listing stand out from the rest. This means your property is more likely to attract a tenant’s eye, giving you a better chance of receiving enquiries and viewings.
A premium listing is usually identified by a symbol or different coloured background, more photos and added information. Meanwhile, a featured listing takes the form of an advert and will appear at the top of a search results page.
As these can increase interest in your property, you may want to consider going down this route, if possible.
Here at Angels Sales & Lettings, we can guide you through your lettings journey while adhering to the government guidelines. For more information on our services in Enfield and Newham, please get in touch with us on 0800 043 6778.
To find out how much you could be charging in rent each month, you can request a free and instant online valuation here.