Tips on How to Advertise Rental Property Online for Landlords

1. Write an Effective Online Rental Property Ad

Before you can post your rental property online, you’ll want to do some prep work. According to Apartments.com, you can start by writing a detailed rental ad. Creating a good rental advertisment consists of a few different tasks:

Include Your Property’s Selling Points

With prospective tenants running through multiple sites and listings, it can be critical to include the property details they’re looking for in your online rental property ads. If you don’t, they might skip right over you.

Apartments.com explains it’s imperative to include the following information inside the body of the ad:

1. Type of property (e.g. whole house, unit in a shared building, single bedroom, etc.)
2. How many bedrooms and bathrooms there are
3. The size/square footage
4. Important amenities and appliances (e.g. outdoor space, air conditioning, washing machine)
5. Anything that’s recently been updated or renovated
6. Neighborhood information (e.g. what’s nearby, stores, restaurants, public transit, etc)

On top of these, you may also want to add other details tenants want to know about, such as lease length, parking, any included utilities, pet policies, smoking policies, and other important terms that may be in your lease or rental agreement.

Other Tips for Writing a Rental Ad

Apartments.com also provides some additional advice when it comes to online property ads:

1. Proofread your ad. Make sure it is free of mistakes and looks professional,
2. Be specific, not general. Use descriptive language like “stainless steel appliances” instead of vague adjectives like “nice kitchen.”
3. Review for each place you post. Some places to post online rental ads have special guidelines, so you’ll want to make sure your ad complies with each.
4. Write a snappy headline. The article recommends including the basic size and one or two key selling points, for example: “Sunny 2BR/1BA Loft with AC and Terrace,”

Having all of the information tenants are looking for readily available and error-free could help you make a better first impression and keep potential residents interested.

Set Your Rental Rate

Next up, people need to know what to expect for their budget. According to Realtor.com., your online property ad should include your rental price––and it should be carefully calculated.

How to Calculate a Fair Market Rent

Here are a few tips on how to figure out how much to charge for rent before listing your property online.

1. Research comparable properties in your area. Honestly compare your unit’s size, location, and amenities to see if you might fetch a higher or lower price than what’s available.
2. Be aware of the season. The time of year matters for renting. Often, prices may rise in the warmer months when demand is higher and drop with the temperature in the winter when demand is lower.
3. Use common calculations, but don’t rely fully on them. For example, one commonly heard calculation is the “2% Rule”, which says rent should be 2% of the property’s purchase price. That might be a good starting point, but not a fixed standard.

Once you’ve determined your rental rate, put it in your online property ad. You should also include amounts for security deposits, pet fees, and similar costs, according to Realtor.com

Set Tenant Criteria

Before you post your online rental property ad, you likely want to prepare for future residents. Of course, many landlords don’t want to let totally untested strangers onto the property. That’s why they conduct several types of rental background checks. It may be important to drill down into tenant aspects like:

1. Financial Stability: You can get a tenant credit check, verify employment, ask for supporting documentation, and help confirm they actually make what they claim with Income Insights.
2. Potential Risk of Danger or Eviction. It can help to check for past evictions and get better peace of mind with a criminal background check. You can even get a proprietary ResidentScore®, which is designed to help predict potential eviction risk.

However, before getting to that point, you can try to filter unqualified applicants from the start by establishing tenant criteria, such as:

• Minimum income or rent-to-income ratio
• Minimum credit score
• If pets will be allowed or not
• If previous landlord references are required

You may want to call out some of these tenant screening criteria in your rental ad. After all, if you require a certain rent-to-income ratio, you probably want potential residents to know about it before they waste both of your time submitting an application if they don’t make enough money.

However, as you set your criteria remember to comply with the Fair Housing Act and any other applicable tenant laws. Contact qualified legal counsel if you have any questions.

2. Take High-Quality Photos

Now that you have the content of your ad covered, it’s time to move on to the visual aspects. The Realtor.com article explains that visuals are the most important part of an online property rental ad.

In fact, the Zillow survey showed that 79% of respondents said having digital media (photos, floorplans, 3D tours, etc) was “essential” when deciding which listings to pursue.

The Realtor.com article provides the following advice when taking photos for online rentals:

• Take high quality, high-resolution photos or have a professional photographer do it. Nice photos can make you look more professional as a landlord.
• Take photos during the day when the place is full of natural light.
• Make sure the space is tidy, clean, and organized. Clutter could turn people away.
• Showcase a variety. Get photos of both wide-shot room layouts and details like cabinets and appliances.

The article also explains that if you do end up hiring a professional, the good news is you can continue to use your photos whenever you need to advertise the unit again.

• Reach and audience: Is the site local, national, or international? What’s the reach? How many people will see your ad? Does the ad get syndicated to other services, too? Is it just for residential real estate? Students? All kinds of property?
• One-time and ongoing costs: Some sites offer completely free services. Others require a posting fee or a subscription. Still others are free to post a basic ad, but you can pay to boost or feature your listing prominently.
• Scam prevention and security: Some sites let anyone post anything, while others have a verification process. You can compare features that might make you or your potential tenants feel safer.
• Additional features: Some sites are stand-alone housing boards. Others offer an online rental ad posting platform as one feature of a larger property management software suite. Others have extra, helpful tools like rent calculators.
• Search power and customization: Are there filters to help tenants find exactly what they’re looking for without sifting through too many listings? Is searching convenient for both you and your prospective residents?

These are just some of the factors to compare and contrast when selecting online rental posting platforms. And remember, you can advertise rental property on multiple platforms to help get your online ad seen by even more people.

Sites for Landlords Renting Property Online

Below is a chart with several different platforms and sites where landlords could advertise rental property online. These examples are provided for general reference only and are based on SmartMove research. Be sure to validate the accuracy of this information before choosing a platform.

4. Promote Your Online Rental Property Listing

Once you’ve selected your online rental ad sites and posted your property, that’s not quite the end. Realtor.com explains that it’s time to get the word out by actively promoting your listing. Some promotion techniques they suggest include:

• Posting the ad on your personal or professional social media accounts and groups
• Reach out to people who applied for your property in the past
• Pay for targeted ads on Google, Facebook, or Instagram

You may also want to tell any other current tenants you have about it. After all, if you have a nice building and a good reputation, your current tenants may be likely to share the information with their friends.

5.Boost Your Online Rental Efforts with SmartMove Tenant Screening

The final step when renting property online is carefully screening and selecting tenants. After all, you don’t want all your time and hard work wasted by someone who uses your walls for boxing practice.

You took the time to select the perfect rental rate, but can your prospective tenants afford it? Find out with financial screening. A tenant credit check helps you know more about someone’s payment patterns, debt load, and tendency to pay bills on time or not.

Then, Income Insights help confirm your prospective tenant actually makes what they claim on the rental application. Included in every screening package, an exclusive ResidentScore is designed to assess the level of potential eviction risk a tenant may bring.

Speaking of eviction, does your hopeful tenant have any worrying past patterns that could potentially cause problems for you? A previous eviction report and criminal background check may help you find out. You can even get an identity check to help confirm your rental applicant is really who they say they are.

Designed for independent landlords who only need to screen occasionally, the entire online process is fast and convenient. There are no sign-up costs, subscriptions, minimums or hidden fees. Simply sign up and start screening immediately.

Rental ads are moving online and your tenant screening should be, too. Get data the faster way with flexible tenant screening through SmartMove.