How landlords can improve chances of letting their property
- April 28, 2016
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- Posted in : Aberdeen
With the current challenges in the Aberdeen letting market, it is more important than ever for landlords to maximise their chances of filling their property, and keep their tenants for the long-term. Mike Duthie of Flexistore Aberdeen has caught up with CDM Lettings to pull together top tips for landlords looking for tenants.
Furnished or unfurnished?
A key decision to be made when putting your property on the market is whether you list it as furnished or unfurnished, and this can be key in a tenant’s decision-making process.
Chris Minchin, managing director of CDM Lettings, comments: “Although furnished accommodation is the most popular, there is still around 10-15% of people that are seeking unfurnished property. You just don’t know what type of enquiries you’re going to get, so landlords need to be on their toes to accommodate potential tenants.
“Even if your property is furnished, we’d recommend putting a statement on your listing that says it can be unfurnished if required. This will maximise the audience viewing your property, and increase your chances of getting it let out.”
If a potential tenant does request the unfurnished options, the turnaround of this may be quite tight if you are to secure this letting. Unless you own a warehouse or a large empty space, then self storage could be the ideal solution for you. Whether you need to store sofas, beds, bookshelves, or anything else, large or small, Flexistore can be your flexible storage solution.
But what if you live abroad, or won’t be in the area when the time comes to put items in storage? That is no problem, says Mike, owner of Flexistore Aberdeen.
He says: “We often get requests from landlords or letting agents to store items before a tenant moves in, and many are actually out of the country. We can manage everything on their behalf, whether its gaining access to the property by liaising with the letting agent, or offering a full pack and loading service.”
Making it ‘home’
If a potential tenant is seeking long-term accommodation, they will likely want to add personal touches to the property to make it feel homely and fit their personal style.
Chris adds: “More and more we see tenants that want to make their new property feel like home, and often this can mean bringing in their own furniture, or getting rid of certain items. Again, landlords should be flexible to increase their chances of securing a tenant.
“An added benefit of this flexibility is that if people are to truly make your property their ‘home’, they will likely be staying for a much longer period of time, which is ideal for a landlord!”
Self storage is perfect for this scenario, as you can store as much or as little as you want, when you want. Mike adds: “People often have the perception that using self storage can be very expensive, but this is not true – we can store individual boxes, right through to a whole house, and you only pay for the space you need. So if a landlord needs to store a few personal items, or a few pieces of furniture, we can help.”
To get an estimate for the items you may need to store, use our storage estimator or get in touch for a free quote. We are here to make your life easier, and hopefully secure that ideal tenant!