{"id":6880,"date":"2025-02-19T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/?p=6880"},"modified":"2025-02-19T12:12:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T20:12:58","slug":"best-marketing-tips-filling-rental-vacancies-fast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/best-marketing-tips-filling-rental-vacancies-fast\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Marketing Tips for Filling Rental Vacancies Fast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Whether your local rental market is hot or cooling, there’s no doubt that filling vacancies fast is imparative for your rental business. Since vacancies have a big impact on your (or your owner’s) ROI, using the best marketing tips for rentals is imparative to reduce turnover time and mitigate vacancies. From website updates, to rental listing syndication to general marketing and listing tips, don’t neglect these essential techniques. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vacancies are a cash-flow killer for your owners, and if you want to keep your clients happy, you need to take steps to ensure any vacant units in your management portfolio are getting the maximum exposure so they are rented fast. Regardless of your local rental vacancy rates, property managers should never let marketing their vacant properties take a back seat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking the time to market each rental effectively will reduce your vacancy rates, which will be a top selling point when signing new owners. Additionally, if you base your management fee on collected rent, the faster you get a property rented, the faster your income will grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep Your Website Up-to-Date<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

About 98% of people searching for apartments use online resources when looking for their next home, according to National Apartment Association data<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Property managers and landlords will miss out on accessing a key portion of the renter market if they limit their marketing efforts to newspaper advertisements and posted \u201cFor Rent\u201d signs.  An active online presence needs to become a priority for marketing vacancies and sharing information about your property management business, property amenities and other benefits of renting from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Websites are affordable and easy to maintain with modern tools. Property managers can create their own custom website through platforms designed especially for them. If they use tools in their property management software, they can have a free customizable website<\/a> that publishes rental advertisements in one easy click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increase Exposure with Rental Advertisement Syndication<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best way to get maximum exposure for your rental vacancies involves placing rental ads in key locations online. \u00a0A lot of property management software programs include <\/span>rental listing advertising<\/span><\/a> and syndication<\/a> in the suite of features. Check to see if your software will automatically post your rental vacancies to the top rental listing sites, eliminating the need for you do it yourself. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convenient tools for property managers make it easy to create one rental ad that gets syndicated to the top rental listing sites like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor, Apartments.com, Rent.com and more. <\/span>If your software has partnered with these sites to form an advanced rental listing syndication network you will save yourself valuable time.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to National Apartment Association<\/a>, 89% of prospects use at least one internet listing service for their rental search<\/span>, and 82% of renters utilizing multiple channels during their property search when looking for a new apartment, (using at least three or more internet listing services). This means making sure your property is included on every rental listing site will guarantee maximum exposure.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pay Attention to Word of Mouth Recommendations<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tap into your network to find quality renters for your vacancies. Let your friends, family, and acquaintances know that you own or manage rentals. When they need a place to rent or know someone looking for a rental, they will reach out to you first. Imagine having a go-to list of renters ready to rent from you when a property becomes available. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just remember to always screen all rental applicants equally even if you know them. Your friend\u2019s friend might be a nice guy, but if he doesn\u2019t pass a background check he shouldn\u2019t be your tenant. Word of mouth recommendations are a good starting point for a rental applicant pool, but they do not qualify as tenant screening.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online Rental Applications<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Using online rental applications makes it easy to process tenant screening reports and keep your records organized. Online rental applications are quick and convenient for you and your future renters.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your rental applicants can complete a rental application online when browsing your website. Or if you are showing a property in person, consider bringing a laptop or tablet for your renters to apply directly from the property. Online applications eliminate the potential for misplaced paperwork and reduce the need for you to manually enter any applicant information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, you can pre-screen a tenant before scheduling a showing, saving you time. Pre-screening a rental applicant via their online application allows you to see if an applicant meets income and employment requirements – if they don\u2019t, no need to meet in person to show off the property. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instant Tenant Screening<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Online tenant screening companies offer property managers the fastest options for reviewing rental applicant qualifications and backgrounds. As part of the tenant screening process, property managers need to find out an applicant\u2019s creditworthiness, eviction history, and criminal background. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn more: Tenant Screening: How to Use Criminal Background Reports Effectively \u2013 Video<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The best tenant screening solutions will give property managers instant reports to review by allowing them to type in a rental applicant’s name, birth date, and social security number<\/span>. \u00a0Other solutions require a tenant to initiate the credit check process, which can take a couple of days if your applicant is dragging their feet (a couple of days that will be added to the vacancy time). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you use online rental applications, processing tenant screening reports can be even faster. \u00a0Rental software will link a rental application directly to the tenant screening features, and all the applicant\u2019s data will populate the screening reports for quick ordering. When you are processing dozens or hundreds of applications, all these extra steps can really add up and save you time. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Efficient Property Showings<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Conduct property showings efficiently to make the most of your and your tenant\u2019s time. This starts with showcasing excellent photos of the property<\/a> for your online listings and writing descriptive features. This will give rental seekers the best idea of what to expect when they come to an in-person showing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While online showings<\/a> are increasing in popularity, for any tenant prospects who want to view the property in-person, pick a day to have an open house. This will create the least amount of inconvenience for your current tenant and allow you to schedule a time to show the property to a lot of people.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Property managers can use modern tools and technology to maximize their marketing efforts. Online tools designed specifically for property management make it easy to create a website, publish rental ads online, collect online rental applications, and instantly screen tenants. Additionally, property managers should consider word-of-mouth recommendations and plan property showings appropriately to save time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These marketing steps will provide the best solution to make sure a property is rented quickly by great tenants, giving your owners valuable reasons to keep working with you and adding to your management income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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