
1. Exterior Maintenance and Cleanup
Now with the snow melting in London, Ontario, Landlords need to start cleaning up the exterior of the property. This includes shoveling driveways, patios, walkways, cleaning any garbage on the perimeter of the property, replacing light bulbs on the exterior of the structure, clean up eaves troughs, removing the garbage and recycling from the property etc. When students and parents are coming to check out the house, they need to see it in the best light possible.
2. Interior Maintenance and Scheduled Cleaning
The most difficult part of a property rental services company is to show houses that students are currently living in. Sometimes students can be clean, and organize the property for showings. However, this usually is not the case. The Landlords of these properties (at Fanshawe College and Western University in London, Ontario, especially) need to hire cleaning people to clean their student houses top to bottom. Also, Landlords need to inspect their properties and make a list of things that need to be accomplished to make sure the house sparkles for the next group of showing. This list may include changing light bulbs, attaching smoke alarms, cleaning, fixing toilets/small repairs, replacing broken roof tiles, making sure all door locks can be opened/closed, etc. etc. There is no model unit for your property. Therefore, it needs to sparkle even though the tenants are living inside for prospective showings to parents and their son or daughter that attends Western University or Fanshawe College. If you do not take this advice, you run the risk of not being rented out starting on May 1.
3. Hiring a Professional Real Estate Photographer
This one is fairly straight forward. When posting ads on the internet trying to market your student rental property, you need professional photos of the property either professionally staged, or clean and empty. This will increase the number of potential prospective student tenants who will be clicking on your ads online and set up showings to view the property. Pictures of properties that are not maintained, dirty and with students living inside are not conducive to a lot of demand from students to come and check out your rental property.
4. Listen To Your Property Rental Agent and Company in London, Ontario
If your house is going to be up for rent, and a rental property agency, as a student property Landlord you need to listen to your agent with your listing. If the agent has showed your property a dozen times, and it’s not renting out, there are several problems that must be addressed prior to a successful showing leading to a lease signing. Listen to your rental property agent, as they have been into most of the student rental properties in the area, and they know exactly why your rental property has not rented yet (price, location, condition, etc.). If you are willing to listen and be flexible with your new lease and tenants, which may require spending some money to make your own house look good and show beautifully, then your property rental agent will be able to rent out your property.