While it’s never wise to second-guess what house tenants want, there are certain attributes that most will find attractive. As a landlord, you want your home to appeal to as many people as possible, so it’s good to bear in mind what come of these key attributes are.
Of course, some things will be outside of your control – your home might not have good on-street parking, a garage or a decent-sized garden, for example – but if you can offer at least some of the things that many tenants are looking for it makes sense that your chances of letting your home will go up.
What, though, are some of these deal-breaking attributes?
Location, location, location
This is often the key letting point for buyers, with homes close to good public transport links, good schools, green spaces and local amenities likely to be most in-demand. Naturally, you can’t affect the location of your property, but if you have a home within the catchment area of a high-performing school, nearby to reliable transport links or within walking distance of green space, then this is likely to impress potential tenants.
People will be looking for different things – a family with young children will have different wants and needs to a young professional, for example – but a few things remain the same across the board. A home in a safe, friendly neighbourhood – with good shops, restaurants and leisure facilities nearby – will always have considerable appeal.
Cost
Yes, tenants will be eager to negotiate a reasonable deal and won’t want to pay over the odds, but at the same time most tenants will be willing to pay a little more if the home in question is really special, particularly in a dog-eat-dog marketplace where competition is fierce and those who rest on their laurels tend to miss out.
As things stand, landlords are in a pretty good negotiating position, with demand for homes continuing to outstrip supply. That being said, you still need to be sensible and realistic when it comes to asking prices. It’s a difficult balance to strike – set your asking price too low and you risk under-selling your home, but set it too high and it could serve to put prospective tenants off. This is where we can really aid you, using our experience, knowledge and awareness of market conditions to set a fair and reasonable asking price for your home.
