As the old saying goes – “time is money.” So, when you’re ready to market your rental property & find a tenant – you have to ask yourself: “How much time do you spend finding your tenants?”
To maximize efficiency – i.e. eliminating unnecessary exchanges and questions by providing answers up front – here are 17 key pieces of info that you should list to minimize wasted time – making your tenant search faster and simpler!
1. How many bedrooms / what rooms are present?
2. Is this a basement, 1st Floor, 2nd Floor apartment, part of a duplex, or a whole house?
3. Where is the property? (If you don’t want to give away the address, list the intersection – or at least list the town, at minimum.)
4. Is off-street parking permitted? If not, how many spots are included? (Why? In some towns – like Valley Stream, Lynbrook – that don’t allow overnight parking, this should be fully disclosed to save yourself the hassle of wasting time on a tenant that may have too many cars!)
5. Which school district is this in? (Big for some Long Islanders, you’ll save yourself alot of unnecessary Q&A by listing the school district up front.)
6. Do you have photos? (If not – use your smartphone and start taking pictures! If you want to get more tenant responses, you’ll need pictures!)
7. Are utilities included? (If so, what’s included?)
8. Are pets allowed? (If so, what pets are permitted?)
9. Are smokers allowed?
10. How much is the rent & security deposit?
11. Is there a lease required? (If so, for how long?)
12. Will you require a credit check? If so, what are your credit requirements? (Stating this upfront will eliminate alot of unnecessary appointments from unqualified tenants!)
13. Do you accept programs / Section 8? (It’s ok not to accept – better to state so up front, so there’s no surprises when someone’s inquiring.)
14. Is there an application fee to be considered as a tenant?
15. When will the apartment be available? (Some tenants like to start looking early and be moving 2-3 months from now, while others are looking to move ASAP. Eliminate yet another unnecessary question up front!)
16a. Are you the owner? (If so, state so, since it’ll be assumed that there’s no fee involved.)
16b. …or, are you the agent? Or, are there any fees involved? (If so, state the fee structure; e.g. 1 month’s rent.)
17. Lastly, leave a phone number or email address for contact!
Hint: If you don’t want to leave your real phone number, get a GoogleVoice number and have it forward to your cell phone!
After making your listing, save it! It’ll come in handy in the future when the property is vacant again – so you can easily repost it!
Best of luck!