Tips for Renting Your Place Out

A friend of mine recently asked for some tips on renting out her father's house.

I provided her some tips which I thought would be useful for anyone else looking to rent out their place.

_____________

Hey Angela,

Here are my suggestions for renting out your dad's place:

Kijiji is my preferred platform for renting, but it doesn't hurt to use viewit.ca in conjunction with it.

I would suggest making the ad a "Top Ad".  Its $50 for 7 days but well worth it.  I would also bump up the ad ($5) once or twice a day for maximum exposure.

Take lots of pics during the day, preferably a sunny one.  Try to get as much of the room in the pic as possible.  When you only get part of the room it makes the space seem smaller and less desirable.

Before taking pics tidy up and get rid of any clutter.

The ad itself should be catchy and have highlights as bullet points.  Talk about both the property itself and the area (eg. East York, Greektown) Below I included a sample of one I am running right now in Kitchener:

OPEN HOUSE THURS., APRIL 14th from 6:30PM to 7:00PM - Please email to RSVP

Asking $925 (ALL INCLUSIVE – utilities and parking included)

• Unit is BRIGHT & very spacious
• Unit is freshly painted and renovated (very clean!)
• Clean and quiet building
• Close to all amenities: Fairview mall, restaurants, parks, biking and jogging trails
• Easy access to Highway 401
• Secured entrance
• Laundry facilities on site
• Mature adults only please
• First and last month required
• Available May 1st
• 39 Balfour Crescent
.
Please email to RSVP for Open House 

Instead of showing the house through multiple appointments, run an open house every 4 days until you get it rented out.  This minimizes the number of times you have to show it and by having everyone come together it shows interest/competition for the property.

If you find a tenant you like:

-Run a credit check (look for a score of 680 or more)

-Check photo ID to confirm identity (keep a copy)

-Get Letter of employment or paystub

-Signed Lease

-Call previous landlords for reference

-Bank draft to cover first/last

If you have any question let me know.

Good luck!