You have bought your second home or probably the first home in a different city. What’s next? If you have bought the house for investment purposes, your immediate choice would be to rent or lease it and make money through the rental earnings.
However, renting your house is not a cake walk. There are a lot of points that one needs to consider when deciding to rent out his/her home. We all know that finding the right tenant is a herculean task for property owners. Likewise, even for tenants, finding the perfect house for rent in their preferred location is difficult.
To make the renting process simple and beneficial to homeowners as well as tenants, both sides must put in some effort. As a homeowner, the best thing you can do before renting out your house is to make it tenant-friendly.
Clean your home
When you are going to show it to other potential tenants, no matter whether it is a new home or a previously-occupied house, it is advisable to clean the home completely. Hire a professional help from home care service providers like Casagrand Prop Care to do a deep cleaning and perform pest control, if required, in your home.
Paint your home
Once in a few years, it is advisable to repaint your whole house. If your home is a part of an apartment complex, the exterior painting process is something that is jointly done with other homeowners in the same complex. However, when it comes to interior painting, you need to do it as and when there is a significant wear-and-tear. A freshly painted house always attracts your potential tenants and spreads a positive vibe about the place.
Leave room for customization
One awesome way to make your home tenant friendly is to allow room for customization. Even if a tenant is renting your home, he will still be calling it his home. Your home is the place where he will be living with his family or friends. This is the place where he will spend most of his time. Therefore, to make tenants feel comfortable about their home, you need to leave room for customization according to their choice.
This doesn’t mean that every single fitting should be of their own choosing. Trivial things like kitchen fixtures, curtains, wallpapers, etc. can be left undone so that your tenants can do these small interior decorations according to their preferences.
Competitive pricing
Tenants are spoilt for choices when it comes to finding houses for rent. If you want good tenants, then it is advisable to set a competitive pricing for the rent for your house. Analyse the house rents that people in similar homes in your property’s vicinity pay, and set your rent accordingly.
Enlist all essential numbers
Another way to make your tenants feel comfortable in your home, i.e. their rental home, is to list all the important numbers, like that of an electrician, a plumber, local police station, etc. You can forward this as an e-mail to all your tenants. Alternatively, you can print this out and leave it in your home in a convenient place.
Discuss Dos & Don’ts
One of the most important things that define the relationship between a homeowner and his tenant is how well they communicate about terms and conditions. Even before scouting for potential tenants, list down the do’s and don’ts that you are going to share with your tenants. This can be anything and everything – from is the home pet-friendly or not to if your tenants can smoke inside the house – list down everything, reconsider it, and share it with your potential tenants. After all, it is your house.
Install necessary fixtures
While we said that you need to leave room for customisation, that doesn’t mean that you can just rent the house out without proper bathroom fixtures, doors, windows, etc. You must also make sure that the electricity and water supply are working fine. It is also advisable to ensure that if the locks are functioning well and if all the keys are available.
Apply for a change of address
Last but not the least – if you were living in the house before renting it, apply for a change of address in relevant departments. From post office to your official records, everywhere you must ensure that your temporary address is changed to the home you are currently living in.
Alternatively, if you have rented your house before, ask your previous tenants also to do the same. This process will ensure that your new tenants will not be disturbed by the arrival of unwanted bills, deliveries, etc. at their doorstep.
We hope this list will help you in making your home more amicable to your prospective tenants.
