Attracting the right sort of tenant is key to having a good experience as a landlord. It doesn’t matter if you are looking to house students, a young family, or digital nomads, making sure your listing is in order is the first step towards getting a good revenue going. Here are some key pieces of information you absolutely need to include in your accommodation listing.
Target audience
As mentioned above, knowing who you want to attract to your rental is key. For example, if you want to have students in your apartment, highlighting the proximity of your rental to universities and libraries is a great way to do that. Show that your apartment is in a fun neighborhood and that there are quick and easy connections to other parts of the town by public transport.
If you want to attract digital nomads, showing the speed of your internet, dedicated workspace at home, and even things like international socket extensions can go a long way towards getting people interested.
USP - Unique selling points
Take a good hard look at your apartment and find things about it that are special. It might be in a good neighborhood, close to the center, or it’s near a forest. It can be spacious or cozy. It can be well equipped, have enough dimensions for a group of friends, or have all the things needed for a small child. Focusing your descriptions on the USPs helps people see why your apartment stands out above the others. And don’t despair if you feel like you have nothing to offer—there’s always something your apartment has that can be seen as a plus.
Answer questions before they are asked
A good listing description answers a lot of questions before they even need to be asked. Imagine your target audience and try and think what it would be like if you were a student or a young family. What would you need to know? If, for example, you would only want to rent a room, you might want to know how easy it is to access without bothering others in the apartment or how quiet it is.
You also want to be upfront about the drawbacks of your apartment. Is it only partially equipped? Is it noisy outside? Does it take a long time to get to the city? Being forward about these things helps your tenants make an informed decision. Remember, it’s not just about having a few tenants—you are building a name and a rating for your rental so you want to make sure that people are happy with what they’ve got.
Headline
The last thing to think about is a catchy headline. It’s good to do it last because that way you will have all the previous problems figured out and you’ll have a better idea of what it is you’re selling. It’s good to include a rough size of your rental (something like studio, house, apartment with a terrace), and an adjective that captures the feel of your rental in one word (roomy, cozy, airy, quiet, etc…).
You can also add the location of your rental to the title. This is usually a district of a city or the name of a nearby point of reference (the city center, a castle, basilica, or square). It’s good to give yourself some time before the headline is truly good. Remember, you can always change things when they don’t work. Don’t overcommit to just one headline.
