You have a property to rent, but how do you go about finding people to live in it? If you don’t know where to begin with your search, take a look at these top 5 ways to find tenants for your rental.
1. Letting agents
Probably the simplest way to go about filling your property is to hire a letting agent, because they will do all the work for you. Not only are agencies well connected in the property world, they can also take on other parts of the letting process too, from carrying out reference checks and drawing up contracts, to sorting out the deposit and inventory, and even, if you want, fully managing the property for you once it has been let. Gough Quarters offers both a Tenant Find service and a Managed option, so you can be as involved in the letting process as you wish.
2. Property websites
Most property searches in the UK start on the web, so if you’re in the rental business you’re going to need to get your property online. Landlords cannot advertise directly on many of the big websites, however, so in order to get on sites such as Rightmove, Zoopla or PrimeLocation you will need to go through a high street or online letting agent. Alternatively, if you really want to do it yourself you could try other sites such as Gumtree, which will put you in control of your advert and let you advertise for free.
3. Social media
Another great way to make use of online advertising is to use social media. Word of mouth is a valuable resource for any landlord, and where better to get people talking about and sharing your property than on sites like Facebook and Twitter? Once again, this form of advertising is free and you can control how you show off your property, but it will require some time and effort to promote your property widely.
4. Print advertising
Of course, finding tenants isn’t all about being online. You can also use traditional print advertising, especially if you want to target a specific area through a local newspaper or magazine. If you do choose to print an advert, try to have it appear in a Sunday edition, as that’s when most newspapers get their highest readership. You can also print your own adverts and put them up on noticeboards in libraries, cafés, bus stations, laundrettes and so on; just make sure to include tear-off strips with your contact details along the bottom.
5. The neighbourhood
Last but not least, your rental property can be its own advert. Put up a To Let sign with your contact details and you could attract passers-by who are interested in living in the area. Another great local approach is to talk to people who live near your property and ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in renting it; you never know whose friends or family might be wanting to move closer to them.
These techniques are great for drumming up interest in your property, so you should fill it with tenants in no time!
Interested in using a letting agent to rent out a property in Bristol? Contact Gough Quarters today to find out more.
Image sources:
Moving Day by Nicolas Huk on Flickr, under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
Surfing Internet courtesy of Pixabay under CC0 Public Domain License
Reading Newspaper courtesy of Pixabay under CC0 Public Domain License
