Got a vacant rental property? Knowing how to advertise it will help you get started on the right foot. In today’s fast-paced world, you need a strategy for your rental to stand out from the crowd. But you can skip the marketing degree—we’ve got all the tips you need right here.
Gone are the days of magazines and word-of-mouth, as they’ve become more labor-intensive than necessary. By advertising online, landlords and property managers can list rental properties and find renters faster than ever.
But how do you get your listing to stand out from the rest? We’ll go over some of the most effective marketing methods to help you advertise like a pro. Here are five steps you can take (right now) to fill a vacancy faster:
1. Advertise Your Property on Several Sites
It may seem obvious, but listing your rental property across several different websites can increase traffic and get more eyes on your listing. You can do this by manually listing across a variety of preferred sites, but there’s an even better option: if you use a property management software like TenantCloud, you may be able to syndicate listings from a single management platform onto their partnered listing sites, all at once.
Another advantage to using a property management tool to syndicate your listings is that you can reach your target audience faster without spending extra money on external listing sites.
Not ready for a rental management tool? Try listing services such as Hotpads, Trulia, Craigslist, Rentler, Facebook Marketplace, and more. Keep in mind that your listings must meet the platform's requirements, and you may be required to pay listing fees on a weekly or monthly basis. Not to mention, without a rental management tool, you have to log in to each listing service individually (bleh!).
2. Take Advantage of Your Free Listing Site
If you’re a TenantCloud user, creating your personal listing website won’t take a lot of time but will bring you tons of perks. Setting up a free custom website allows you to show your vacant properties to potential renters at no cost. It’s simple to build a portfolio with all your available properties, add high-quality images to the gallery, and customize rental applications for prospects to apply right from your website.
Plus, with the Leads Tracking Tool, you can view all prospective tenants and premium leads via your TenantCloud account, complete a thorough analysis and tenant screening, and ultimately choose the right candidate for your property.
3. Upload High-Quality Pictures and Add Accurate Descriptions
The better the quality of your property images, the more likely you’ll fill the vacancy. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your rental has to be the nicest one in the neighborhood. It’s about the way you present it to your potential renters. If you have the budget to hire a professional photographer, they can get the right angles and focus on the best parts of your property.
Or, you could take your own photos with these tips:
- Clear away any clutter or wires.
- Close toilet lids, closet doors, cabinets, etc.
- Clean each room thoroughly (and make sure carpets are freshly vacuumed).
- Open blinds and curtains to let in natural light.
- Take shots straight on (avoid fish eye lens and wide angles).
- Pan out and take “whole room” photos instead of close-up photos.
Crafting Catchy Descriptions
As you put together your rental listing, make sure to highlight the best features of your property first. Put yourself in the tenant’s shoes and think about what they’d be most interested in. Make sure to include nearby schools, grocery stores, transportation, and any parks or places within walking distance. If your rental is pet-friendly or includes other accommodations like a pool, park, or barbecue, make sure to include those as well.
This will not only save you time answering questions later on but will also help you create a positive, exciting first impression.
4. Don't Underestimate the Power of Social Media
In addition to the major rental listing websites, social media is an effective way to advertise your rental property to your community and potential tenants. Try posting a virtual tour of your home on YouTube, uploading a well-designed listing to Facebook Marketplace, or posting beautiful photos of your home on Instagram. Instagram, Twitter, and even TikTok provide unique ways to showcase a property.
Another popular way to attract a following is to give "behind the scenes" tours of the day in the life of a property manager. The larger your audience, the easier it is to rent your property out!
5. Provide an Outstanding Tenant Experience
Providing a positive rental experience for your tenants is the best way to have a long-term strategy for marketing your home—and even yourself as a landlord. When your current renter moves out, they can often be a good source of reference for another tenant in their network that could take their place.
As a landlord, you can provide a positive rental experience by doing the following:
- Set clear expectations at the beginning with a lease agreement that clearly outlines your rules and guidelines.
- Give tenants plenty of options to pay their rent, including collecting rent online.
- Providing a simple method for submitting maintenance requests.
- Be prompt in your communications with the tenant and tend to their requests in a timely manner.
- Be respectful of your tenant’s time and property.
6. Charge the Right Rates
Part of marketing to your tenants is setting the right price. You want to pick the right rate that aligns with the market, but you also want to choose a fair price that won’t deter tenants in your target audience.
To charge the right rate, all you need to do is a little bit of market research. You can do this by searching for similar-sized rental properties in the area of your rental to find the average prices. Another way to estimate your rental rate is to generate a rentability report on TenantCloud. A rentability report can show you a detailed rent estimate, data on market trends, and more insights.
Final Takeaways
Knowing how to advertise a rental property is key to finding a trustworthy tenant. While it may take some trial and error, your advertising efforts will pay off in the end, resulting in a well-thought-out listing that engages potential renters and shows off your property in its best light.
We asked our users how they planned to change or improve their rental listing advertising strategies. Here's what we discovered:
To easily list your property, receive applications, and screen tenants all in one place, check out TenantCloud today.
