Getting the right tenants for your property – or indeed, any tenants at all – is a problem that all landlords face. Manchester is a thriving city for rentals with students, young professionals, and families all regularly looking for rental properties in the area. In theory, it shouldn’t be hard to get interest in your property, find the perfect tenants, and enjoy the rewards of being a landlord.
Competition, however, is high, and it pays to list your property well and in the right places. Here at MMC we have all the experience you need to get it right.
The Quick Lowdown on Advertising Property Rentals
- Making the right advert is key to improving your chances of letting your Manchester property – a good description and great photos are important.
- There are a range of property sites to advertise on, though some of them do require you to be a registered letting agent to do so.
- Using a professional management service such as MMC is often the best way to make sure it all goes smoothly.
Top Five Tips on How to Advertise a Property to Rent
1 - Write a good description
It’s all very well telling people it’s a three-bed terraced house with one bathroom, but while that’s informative, it’s not evocative and isn’t going to help you stand out from the crowd.
Try to add some personality or even a little humour in your listing and it’s going to cause attention – and consider your audience.
If writing for students, for example, describing the smallest bedroom in the house as “a small single room” might be accurate but “it’s going to be a squeeze but you can still fit a bed, a desk, and your collection of Harry Potter memorabilia in this low-cost bedroom – you might even be able to turn around” will make prospective tenants smile as well as making you come across as friendly.
Don’t go over the top though – first and foremost, you need to provide the details of the property so don’t let your creativity obscure this key fact!
2 - Photos, photos, photos
Your prospective tenants want to see as much of the property as possible before putting in the effort for a viewing. No photos means no interest. Make sure to include every bedroom, the bathrooms, living areas, garden (if any) – even the views. It’s important to take pictures that are neutral and clean, so avoid leaving the washing up on the side and replace family photos with neutral prints. Take photos during a sunny day, if possible, as bright natural light is key.
That said, too many photos can be overwhelming. Unless your property is significant, once you are into the mid-teens, you probably have enough.
3 - Be truthful and accurate
Don’t try to hide anything – it just makes you come across as a bad landlord later on and can have a very negative impact on later reviews. Clearly state bedroom sizes, bathroom facilities, local parking, etc.
4 - List your criteria
If you don’t want pets, say so. If it’s not for families, make that clear. Professionals only? Let them know.
The last thing you need is to waste time discussing the property with an enthusiastic prospective tenant only to reject them based on something that was always going to be a deal breaker for you.
By putting this information in the ad, you simply weed out those you wouldn’t have been happy with right away.
5 - Consider the professionals
If you don’t value your writing skills, or you believe your photos need a little touch-up. Even if you aren’t sure how to properly measure and describe the property – then consider professional help.
That could be for just one aspect, like hiring a photographer to really make your property images look incredible, or a full service like that provided by us at MMC. Why not contact us to see how we can make your property listing really stand out?
Where to Advertise Rental Property - The Top Sites
There are many online sites for renting property, from Right Move to AirBNB. You will need to consider your property, the type of rental you are looking for, and who the prospective tenants are.
For long-term entire property rental
If your property is a home that you are looking to rent out to a family or professional couple, then portals such as RightMove and Zoopla are perfect avenues. However, these high-profile sites will only allow registered estate agents and letting agents list new properties on their site. In order to get on them, you will need to go through one of these professional agencies.
As an alternative, OpenRent provides landlords a way to directly offer their properties to a wide online audience as well as offering packages for listing on the other portals.
For mid- to long-term room rental
Students and single professionals will often opt for a room in a shared house over renting an entire property. If you are such a landlord, then you will know that advertising is absolutely essential to fill your property.
One website that has grown hugely in the past two decades is SpareRoom. This website dedicated to providing a service for those looking for flat and house sharing was originally started in Manchester and perfectly represents the needs of students and young professionals in a bustling city.
Posting an advert on SpareRoom is free and easy for anyone to do, however, it’s important to get your pictures and description right if you want to attract attention.
For short property rental
Both AirBNB and VRBO provide services to rent out your property for those looking for a very short term let. With the demand for longer term accommodation in Manchester as high as it is, however, the relatively more stable business of letting for longer terms can prove more lucrative, avoiding the worry associated with potentially long periods of vacancy.
Social media for renting your property
One additional option for advertising your property rental is social media. Facebook Marketplace is one example of a reasonably well-regarded social media platform for letting property, although with no real moderation, it can also prove a little bit of a minefield for landlords. Facebook groups such as “Rooms & Flats/Studios To Rent in Greater Manchester” are an alternative to the direct marketplace and will get your listing out in front of the perfect audience.
Should You Involve Professionals When Advertising Rental Property?
Managing a property is a lot more work than simply making an advert and getting it out on the internet. From fielding those initial enquiries, though credit checks and references, to the actual business of looking after the property (and the tenants), being a landlord has a lot to it.
And sometimes it is just best to let the professionals handle it.
At MMC we handle the full management of property rental, including every aspect of advertising and promotion, so that you can enjoy reaping the rewards of your investment. Of course, as registered agents, we also have access to platforms and tools that you simply might not be lucky enough to have,
Like anything else, knowing how to advertise a property to rent and understanding the best way to advertise rental property is a skill – with the advice and great tips we’ve outlined in this article, you can definitely do it yourself, but we’re here for you if you need us at any step of the process.
Manchester is a fantastic city to be a landlord, contact us to find out more about how you can best maximise your return on your property investment with some top quality advertising.
