I am delighted to be able to bring you this guest post from James Davis, of the well know letting portal Upad. Note that all opinions expressed are those of the author.
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I was talking to one of our newest landlords recently; he’d just got his first buy-to-let property and he was excited to get it listed with us – but there was one problem. “Well,” he told me, “all that estate agent lingo, I don’t know how to write it.” I’m sure he’s not the only landlord who’s had that thought, but actually, he didn’t need to worry.
If you want to get your property let quickly, writing a good advert is essential. But while sounding professional is important, that doesn’t mean you have to write in jargon or a bunch of obscure abbreviations. A clear and complete description of just what you’re offering is all you need:
1) Location, location, etc. This is probably the most important criterion, but you’d be amazed how many people get it, well, inaccurate. Don’t say “central London” if you mean Camden, or Barnet. Don’t say Brighton if you mean Hove. Don’t say Manchester if you mean Salford – because you’re not only putting off the people who want to live in Manchester, but anyone who wanted a Salford property would be ignoring your ad too. Pitching your property as being in a more desirable location than it really is doesn’t help anyone.
Most property portals these days use Google Maps or something similar to pinpoint exact locations; give them an accurate address and postcode so that your property can be included in this. Vagueness about location just puts tenants off.
2) Furnished, or not? Because different people’s interpretations of just what “furnished” means can differ so wildly, it can be worth being more specific here. If kitchen white goods are provided, say so: “unfurnished; has washer/dryer, fridge, microwave” is better information than just “unfurnished”, or even “part-furnished”.
3) Property style Here’s your chance to be a little bit creative. You don’t need to go over the top – a couple of words can be enough, particularly when you’ve included some great photos with your ad. “Light, airy, modern”, “traditional classic style”, instantly conjure up an image of what your property might be like. And if it’s tiny, you can always call it “cosy”. ;-)
4) Indoor space Now we get to the meat of your ad: what exactly are you offering? Mention the number of bedrooms and their size, but also reception rooms, kitchen and so on. If it’s newly decorated, or recently re-carpeted, then say so. Adverts for studio properties in particular often need more clarification than they get: if the kitchen is separate, say so. If you can include a floor plan in your advert, so much the better.
5) Outdoor space If your property has a garden, it’s crucial to mention that. Likewise if you have an ultra-desirable garage. Even if it’s a tiny terrace just big enough for a chair or two, the promise of a chilled glass of wine outdoors on a summer’s evening will certainly attract more prospective tenants.
6) Entrance If your property has its own entrance, it’s worth mentioning that specifically. Shared hallways can be a source of friction, and the thought that they won’t have to deal with other people’s cooking smells, junk mail and visitors can be an attractive one for your tenants.
7) Transport links Mention the Tube lines, train station or bus routes closest to your property (with distance) and you’ll help your prospective tenants visualise living there. You’ll also make it more likely they’ll turn up to view in the first place.
8 ) Other amenities Do you offer broadband, a power shower, off-street parking, a concierge, an alarm system, a cleaner, even if just for shared areas? Say so! Again, every extra feature you can offer should help to pull in potential tenants.
9) The legal stuff Saying “deposit and references required” might seem so obvious you wouldn’t need to say it, but it does demonstrate you mean business and you’re taking a professional attitude to your letting. If that puts anyone off, it’s someone you wanted to put off anyway!
It can also be worth mentioning the length of tenancy you’re offering, particularly if it’s not the standard six months. You also need to mention the rent of course – it’s worth giving the figure as both weekly and monthly, because we’ve all come across the tenant who thinks that a month’s rent should be four times the weekly figure.
10) Listing through Upad makes it easy: when you’ve registered as a landlord, there’s just one simple form to fill out to list your property on more than 100 different sites. And we’ve got LOTS of tick-boxes for you to highlight your property’s unique features, so you won’t have to do too much writing.
Avoid the voids and find your next tenant with Upad.co.uk: list your property on 100+ rental sites and portals for just £59 until let.
When letting your property without an estate agent it is also worth noting the significant benefits from more attractive pricing. Letting your property without an estate agent will typically save a landlord about 12% per annum. While this is a huge saving in itself, one of the other big benefits is being able to price more competitively as a result of this.
Pricing more competitively will result in fewer periods where your property is vacant. A vacant property for even a month can be reduction of 10% of your annual income.
Therefore letting privately will spare you paying estate agent commission fees and should also mean that if you price your property competitively, there will be fewer periods when you are searching for tenants.