Trouble Finding Renters for your Apartments?

By Jeannine Richardson – Landlord Connection, Inc.

Don’t limit your ads to Craigslist. There are many other avenues to explore. Here are some ideas to increase the number of people seeing your ads.

Location, location, location!

·Post a sign on your property in a visible location. Try to include as much information as possible so you only get calls from people who are serious and already know basic information (i.e. price, number of bedrooms, utilities included? are pets allowed?)

·Is your rental within walking distance to shopping or restaurants? Speak with the employees and see if they know anyone looking to move closer to work.

·Near public transportation? Add this convenience to your ad.

· Are your apartments located near a college campus, hospital or large business? Contact their Human Resource Depts. and see if they have a bulletin board system where you can post your rentals.

Get the Word Out
Send out an email to co-workers, neighbors, friends and relatives letting them know you have a rental available. Also post on Facebook or Twitter.

Offer something that no one else is offering
· Free High-Speed Internet (cable/DSL)
· First month of rent for free
· Washer/Dryer Unit in the unit
· Paying moving expenses or moving truck fees
· Discounting first month’s rent
· Paying utilities, etc.
· Free renters insurance.
· Free Wi-Fi

While others may believe that “keep‘em happy” gifts are a waste, I think it's always a nice gesture of goodwill. If a great tenant is considering leaving, perhaps offering one of these incentives will work to keep them. One of the most important things to remember is that landlords are in business, and must treat it as so. What tenants basically want is a landlord who takes care of things and leaves them alone.

The main reason to use these incentives is to get people in the door and to occupy your vacant units. If you’re unable to attract tenants because of a slow rental market, maybe these ideas can help you to either bring in people who weren’t considering the unit in the first place or attract people deciding between someone else’s apartment and yours.

Widen Your Audience AreaWeekly papers are a good way to increase the number of people seeing your ads. Their advertising rates are typically much lower than the daily newspapers. Here are several other avenues to explore.

Local Weekly NH Newspapers
More people read the weeklies than you realize. Here’s a link to NH weekly newspapers:
http://www.nhliving.com/newspapers/weeklies.shtml

NH Daily Newspapers
Newspapers are still read although usually online.
http://www.nhliving.com/newspapers/index.shtml

Property Management Companies

http://www.allpropertymanagement.com

http://www.peloquinrealty.com/

http://www.realpropertynh.com/

http://www.metropolispmg.com

More Websites
The following websites also offer free posting of your ads:

http://craigslist.com

http://rent.com

http://rentalads.com

http://findmyroof.com

http://rentals.com

http://forrentbyowner.com

http://rentalhousehunter.com

Finding someone to rent your property is only the beginning. When you finally locate renters interested in your property, don’t forget to screen your potential tenants. If you think you can screen them on your own – think again. The only information you have about them is what they have chosen to tell you. Landlord Connection’s Decision Report can fill in the gaps. Visit our website at http://landlordconnection.com for information.

Attracting Tenants with Incentives or Gifts

Attracting Tenants with Incentives or Gifts
Author: Joshua Dorkin • URL: http://www.biggerpockets.com/

Sometimes landlords need to use incentives to keep their tenants happy, or in the case of a bad rental market, to attract new tenants. A few of the ideas I’ve read about in our forums are:

Keep ‘em happy ideas:

- New A/C Units
- New Fans
- Upgraded hardware like towel bars and knobs
- Starbucks/Blockbuster gift cards
- Small gifts on the holidays

Ideas for attracting new tenants:

- Free High-Speed Internet (cable/dsl)
- First month of rent for free
- Washer/Dryer Unit in the unit
- Paying moving expenses or moving truck fees
- Discounting first month’s rent
- Paying utilities, etc.
- Free renters insurance.
- Free Wi-Fi

While others may believe that “keep ‘em happy” gifts are a waste, I think it's always a nice gesture of goodwill. If a great tenant is considering leaving, perhaps offering one of these incentives will work to keep them. One of the most important things to remember is that landlords are in business, and must treat it as so. What tenants basically want is a landlord who takes care of things and leaves them alone.

The main reason to use these incentives is to get people in the door and to occupy your vacant units. If you’re unable to attract tenants because of a slow rental market, maybe these ideas can help you to either bring in people who weren’t considering the unit in the first place or attract people deciding between someone else’s apartment and yours.

The EPA recently fined a painting contractor in Maine $150,000.

The EPA recently fined a painting contractor in Maine $150,000.
Are you next?
Not if you Get EPA/HUD Lead Certified NOW!

Contractors, Renovators, Painters, Landlords . .If you are working for compensation on a residential or child occupied facility that was built before 1978 you are required by the EPA to have this certification

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
8:30-5:30
HBRANH
119 Airport Road
Concord, NH
Members $200
Non-Members $250
Registration and payment required
Call to register 603-228-0351

Solving The Mystery of Building Green Homes
Tuesday June 21, 2011
3:00
HBRANH
Build Green NH Council Members-FREE
$25 for ALL others.

A fast paced, fact filled session on how to get certified, market these homes and make money on them.

Accredited Verifier for Nathional Green Building Standard,Philip LaRocque will be the presenter.
Call for more information and registration.

Appeals Court Upholds OSHA's Fall Protection Directive
All residential construction employers must comply with new Federal Regulations
Are You Prepared?
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently announced a new directive withdrawing a former one that allowed residential builders to bypass fall protection requirements. The directive being replaced, issued in 1995, initially was intended as a temporary policy and was the result of concerns about the feasibility of fall protection in residential building construction. However, there continues to be a high number of fall-related deaths in construction, and industry experts now feel that feasibility is no longer an issue or concern.

OSHA's action rescinds the Interim Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines for Residential Construction, Standard 03-00-001. Prior to the issuance of this new directive, Standard 03-00-001 allowed employers engaged in certain residential construction activities to use specified alternative methods of fall protection rather than the conventional fall protection required by the residential construction fall protection standard. With the issuance of today's new directive, all residential construction employers must comply with 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1926.501(b)(13). Where residential builders find that traditional fall protection is not feasible in residential environments, 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13) still allows for alternative means of providing protection.

Construction and roofing companies will have up to six months to comply with the new directive.

Attend this class to receive the latest training and information on how to comply.

To view the directive and for more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/doc/residential_fall_protection.html.

June 16, 2011
HBRANH
119 Airport Road
Concord, NH
$40 for HBRANH Members-$50 for non-members
Registration by calling 603-228-0351.