Finding Great Quality Tenants for Your King County Rental Property

Your entire rental experience will largely depend on the type of tenant you place in your King County rental property. With a great tenant, you can expect to receive timely rental payments. Your property will be clean and well-maintained, and you’ll have no problem communicating your expectations and requirements. With a terrible tenant, you run the risk of having rent arrive late or not at all. You also might find property damage, lease violations, and a long list of excuses for why a dog chewed through a wall or a kitchen was set on fire.

Finding good tenants isn’t difficult, but it does require a bit of work. Today, we’re sharing some tips on how to identify which tenants would be ideal for your rental property, and what you need to do to find them.

Price Your Property Competitively

When you want to attract high quality tenants to your property, you need to provide a high quality home. This means making sure everything is clean, well-maintained, and function. Good tenants will insist upon it.

Good tenants also know the market. They know what they’re willing to pay, and if you overprice your home, you’re not going to get the best possible renters in your property. Instead, you’ll attract unqualified tenants who are being denied housing elsewhere. They’ll be willing to pay your higher price because they can’t get approved at a property that’s competitively priced. So, pay attention to the market, and attract good tenants with good prices.

Market your Home Online

Most of your highly qualified tenants are looking for homes online. They’re savvy and internet-friendly. They won’t waste time and they’ll want fast action. Be ready for that. Create an online ad that’s engaging and includes terrific pictures (and even videos) of your property. Make sure your listing is on all the popular rental sites that prospective tenants are using. This might include Zillow or Rentals.com or HotPads or Zumper.

When people begin responding to your ad, make sure you pick up the phone and follow up on emails. Don’t ignore those messages because good tenants will simply move onto the next home. They won’t wait around. Schedule showings at times that work for them, and be responsive.

Use Outstanding Screening Tools

A big part of finding a great tenant is a good screening process. You need to know what you’re looking for and how to find it. Conduct background checks that include national criminal records and a search of past evictions. Talk to former landlords and verify employment and income. This can seem like a lot of work, but it has to be done. Otherwise, you don’t really know who is moving into your home.

Work with Professional Property Management

One of the easiest ways to guarantee a good tenant experience is by handing over the leasing process to a professional King County property management company. A property manager has years of experience screening tenants and knows what to look for in a good, responsible renter. King County property managers also have the resources to screen swiftly and completely.

If you’d like to learn more about finding a great tenant for your rental property, contact us at People’s Real Estate. We’d be happy to provide additional information.