To answer this question, you need to know what most tenants in the UK are looking for in a rental property. Luckily for you, we have the top seven tenant must-have features right here.
The property must be clean and well maintained
We’ve all heard horror stories from parents and grandparents about sharing their student houses with rats, but thankfully, landlords can’t get away with renting out squalid flats and houses to anyone anymore.
If you keep your rental property clean and make sure all the fixtures and fittings are up to date and safe then you should attract decent, long-term tenants who’ll pay the optimum amount of rent for the optimum amount of fuss (which is very little).
The property is safe and secure
Tenants want to feel secure in their home and so having an alarm system, sturdy locks, working lights over the front and back doors and a secure back gate will go a long way to reassuring them.
The location has to be good for them
There’s not a lot you can do to change the location of your rental property, but you can change the people you aim it at. If your property is small-but-central, then students, postgraduates and young professionals might be your ideal candidates. If it’s a bit further out from the centre but bigger, then young families might suit you better.
It must have enough storage
More and more renters are looking for long-term tenancies nowadays, which means they will accumulate…stuff as they go along (including children, sometimes).
Your property might already be blessed with lots of walk-in cupboards and a box room or extra bathroom. If it’s not, however, then it’s time to think about what you can do to bring a few more square metres of storage space into the place. Think about:
- Creating storage nooks in the attic or loft
- Bringing in bespoke shelves and cupboards into otherwise-unused alcoves and crannies
- Custom-built whole-wall shelving
- A secure lockable shed or small garden room
- Modern (which usually means much better) storage solutions in bathrooms and kitchens.
Equally-sized bedrooms
Unless you’re looking specifically at families, properties with one master bedroom and two or three smaller bedrooms will put a lot of people off, especially sharers. It might benefit you, depending on where your rental is, to knock two smaller bedrooms into one to attract two couples or two independent professionals.
Your property is pet friendly
As well as lots of storage space, longer tenancies also call for a relaxed attitude towards pets. Of course, you may already be a pet-friendly landlord, but if it’s not something you’ve considered in the past, it may be time to now, as not being able to bring a cat or dog along will be an instant dealbreaker for many good tenants.
You should be a decent landlord
Pick up the phone when your tenants call, don’t put the rent up by 50% each year, make sure your gas and electricity certificates are always up to date and don’t turn up at the property without 24 hours’ notice. Bad landlords just can’t get away with it anymore and some areas even have name and shame initiatives for neglectful or exploitative landlords – don’t end up on it!