The sizzling hot summer rental market is kicking in. How can rental property owners be ready for it?

Summer is traditionally the busiest time of the year in the real estate industry. The rental market can be flooded with renters who are motivated to secure new places before school starts again. This makes it a busy time for landlords, with a lot of additional competition. How can rental property owners get prepared and make the most of it?

Market Research

The first step is to do some fresh market research. Do your homework on the market. What is your competition offering? What deals are being offered to potential renters out there? What are market trends? Is it a landlord or tenants’ market?

Visibility

You can’t expect to capture your share of renter leads unless they can see you. Be ramping up advertising, and reaching out to your connections and referral network to be sure they know you have units available.

Provide the Right Info

In your ads and rental listings make sure you provide enough detail for prospective tenants to make the decision to take action. This can include photos, video, property information, leasing details, and more. At this time of the year, many are specifically concerned with school districts, and the ability to move in fast.

Offer Attractive Deals

Know what your competition is offering, so you can make sure you are offering competitive deals. Make sure the value is there. Know what is going to connect with tenants in terms of deposit, monthly rent, application process, and move-in money requirements.

Infrastructure

By this point, you should already have scaled up your infrastructure to handle the surge in business and communications. You’ve got to be able to respond to inquiries instantly and deliver consistently good service. Be sure to have a good team and systems in place to make this happen.

Don’t Neglect Current Tenants

All of the above is in addition to keeping your current tenants happy. With all the moving activity and the potential for attractive incentives being offered by other landlords and apartment owners, you want to take stock of your own inventory. Approach tenants early and find out if they plan to renew. Get those leases signed. Find out what you can do to keep good tenants. Or at least be aware of upcoming vacancies so that you can get marketing units early.