Owner's Guide - Writing Rental Listings that Impress

     Congratulations, you’re ready to start marketing your rental property! In addition to quality pictures, one of the simplest but most effective ways to market your property is with a thorough property description. Your description will be seen by agents and prospective renters alike, and will serve as the main source of qualifying information for those who are interested in your property.

     So what is the goal? A solid rental listing description should “sell” your property to a well-qualified tenant as quickly as possible, while weeding out prospects that may not be a good fit. Rental listings typically get a lot of attention, and the last thing you want to do is spend hours fishing through applications from under-qualified applicants, or answering call after call from people who are just trying to find out information from you. A good rental listing description will provide prospective renters with all of the information they need upfront, saving you a lot of time on the back end.

Step 1: First, provide the basics. List the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and total square footage of the living area. Describe any finishes or details that you believe are worth mentioning. Next, highlight other features like a finished basement, garage space, storage area, on-site or included washer/dryer, fenced in yard, etc. Is the property close to any highways, popular local areas or universities? Is the rental located in a complex or community with amenities? Provide any and all information that you feel would make your rental attractive to a prospective tenant.

Step 2: After you finish describing the unit, move on to the important facts that prospective tenants will want to know. What utilities are included or not included? What type of heating/hot water system is in place? Is there assigned/unassigned/off-street parking? Who is responsible for lawn maintenance and snow removal? Are pets allowed, would they be considered, and is there an additional pet rent/deposit being charged?

Step 3: The last thing you’ll want to do is make clear your rental criteria and application fee. Include the minimum credit score that you would consider as well as your income requirements. Are you asking for one month’s deposit? Two months? Make sure to check with local regulations to determine how much of a deposit you are legally allowed to collect. In the state of Connecticut, a landlord is only allowed to charge the equivalent of two months rent in total deposits- this includes any pet deposits and does not apply for individuals over the age of 62, where only one month’s deposit is permitted.

By the time you have completed these three steps, you should have an informative and thorough description for your rental property that can be used over and over again. This, combined with quality photos and timely follow-up of rental leads, will assist you in finding the perfect tenant.