How to prepare your property for rental

Allan from the Camberley team talks to us about the top tips or the best rental price and how first impressions count!

“Hi, I’m Allan and I’m the lettings manager here at Orchard in Camberley. I’ve been in the lettings industry for just over five years now and I’ve lived locally to Camberley and Frimley for the last 25 years. Today I’m here to talk to you about some simple quick tips to consider if you’re wondering how to prepare your property for rental!

Tip 1 – Communication

At the moment we have quite a few properties that have a tenant in situ. What this means is that there is a tenant living in the property already – it is not a vacant property. When the rental property has a tenant already and we are looking for a new tenant the most important thing to consider is communication. Communication is always going to be key when marketing the property as the current tenant needs to understand the landlord’s expectation of how the property should be presented during the process of finding the next occupant.

For example – are they keeping the property clean, keeping it fresh and presentable? We understand that there will be a period where they are packing and that also it is still their home while we are marketing the property. But we would be asking for them to present the property neatly for media purposes, for photography and for physical viewings. The presentability of the property and the first impression from a new perspective tenant is going to be everything – so communicating your expectations to the current tenant is vital when preparing your house for rental.

Tip 2 – Kerb Appeal

As well as the inside being presentable you need to ensure that the front/outside of the property has kerb appeal, so we suggest if you’re wondering how to prepare your property for rental that the frontage is kept clean, the fascia and gutters are looked after and, if you have a lawn outside, keep it fresh and cut. Keeping on top of the maintenance and presenting the property in its best light. If we were representing your property, we would be working with the current tenants or you the landlord if the property was vacant and advise you on how the potential tenants would want to see the property.

Tip 3 – The right marketing

A lot of prospective tenants currently, especially in the current climate, are handpicking the properties they wish to see, or more specifically, the area where they want to be.

Because of this, when preparing your property for rental, we advise the erection of a TO LET board as early as possible, showing the property is available. We receive a lot of enquiries from prospective tenants who have seen the property whilst driving or walking through the area that they want to live in or are living in and looking for a new home. By highlighting your property as available, even before we have launched the property online, you are maximising the exposure and bringing in a potential waiting list for your property. This means when it is fully available you have potential tenants waiting to view or see the photos – ensuring less downtime for your investment even before you are ready for viewings or photos.

You wouldn’t believe the mass of enquiries that we do receive off the back of having an available TO LET board outside a property, so we firmly believe this is one of the key stages in preparing property for rental.

Tip 4 – Clean and neutral is best – set the standard from day 1!

I mentioned previously how important kerb appeal is to a prospective tenant, the interior is just as important, if not more important. Prospective tenants must be able to see themselves living at the property so we would advise nice neutral colours. Fresh paint, clean carpets and as much natural light as possible is always appealing to the type of tenants most landlords want for their property – someone who will look after their investment. We recommend that our landlords redecorate the property once every five years – to keep it fresh and achieve the best rental price as well as upkeeping the condition of the property throughout your ownership.

We also always recommend a professional clean prior to any tenancy starting, this is hugely important when preparing your property for rental. This will make the moving experience for the new tenant as comfortable as possible, but It also sets the standard for how the property should be kept throughout the entire time of the tenancy. It shows how the landlord has been looking after the property prior to a tenant moving in, and it also means that when the tenant is nearing the end of their tenancy, they are encouraged to hand the property back in the same condition they received it – including a professional clean.

Tip 5 – First impressions

All my top tips for preparing a property for rental revolve around the first impressions. The first impression from when the property is photographed, viewed and then right up to the move in date. The first impression will set the bar for the expectation of the landlord and your managing agent. It makes the tenant aware and proud of their new surroundings and how we at Orchard and you the landlord want them to keep and look after your investment!

These are just a few tips that we recommend you consider if you’re wondering how to prepare your property for rental, and are based around how we would normally advise any landlord or potential investor. We’ve got plenty more advice that we are happy to discuss. If you would like any advice in terms of a rental property or potential investment, then feel free to call me anytime – my number is 01276 587457 and I look forward to speaking to you soon.