For landlords, the time of year that you choose to let your property can determine the amount of interest you get.
Luckily, we’re now entering one of the most fruitful seasons for lettings. Spring presents warmer weather, school holidays, outdoor activities, and longer lasting days.
This comes at a time when the rental market is thriving, with rental demand in the UK up 76% in January 2022 compared to similar periods between 2018-2021, according to Zoopla.
With more tenants on the market and spring now here with us, landlords will want to prepare their rental property to attract a wide pool of renters and yield some healthy returns.
Here, we list the most useful ways to do this.
Declutter and spring clean
Prospective tenants will have a keen eye for the smallest of things, and studies show that people are less likely to arrange viewings for properties that look unclean inside and out.
Therefore, ensuring that your home is neat and tidy with a spring clean is a must during the season. Consider wiping down the walls and windows, dusting ceiling fans and light fixtures, and disinfecting doorknobs, cabinet handles and light switches. The more thorough, the better the results.
Equally important is decluttering your rental property. Tenants want to be able to envision themselves living in the space, and this can be hard to do with clutter and personal trinkets in the way.
Fortunately, there is no better time to declutter your home than spring. Looking around the property and deciding whether items are needed and experimenting with the location of furniture could improve the overall appeal.
Let the light in
With spring now here, landlords can expect the sun to make an appearance on a more regular basis. Sun rays have a positive impact on people’s moods, with experts claiming that people become exposed to serotonin through sunlight rays – helping to boost their spirits.
For this reason, making changes to the home can help to let in more light to make the home brighter and put prospective tenants in a better mood during the viewing.
The colours of walls in the house impact the amount of light that enters the home. A rule of thumb to consider during spring is neutral paint colours such as white reflect the most light, while dark colours absorb light and make the room appear darker and drab.
Dark curtains or windows could also be replaced with lighter and brighter ones to improve the brightness of the home.
Bring the season indoors
When preparing your property for spring, think about what things associated with this season can be incorporated into your home.
Spring is the period where flowers come into bloom, the grass becomes greener, and natural light floods the home in warm tones.
Flowers are mostly associated with springtime and experts claim that they have a positive impact on people’s mood and wellbeing, too.
Filling your rental property with potted plants will not only make the space more aesthetically pleasing, but it will also smell inviting to prospective renters when they come to view. Landlords, however, should remember that some tenants may have allergies such as hayfever.
In any case, placing flowers and plants around the space that aren’t too overbearing can give the home a new lease of life and present a calming atmosphere during viewings.
Garden spotlight
During spring, people shift focus from staying indoors to spending more time in their gardens. A new report published by Rightmove claims that property searches for ‘gardens’ have already increased by 70%.
To this end, if your rental property is fortunate enough to have an outdoor space, you will need to give your garden (front and back) a refresh.
Start by clearing away any debris (including dead sticks, leaves and clutter) and ridding of any weeds. This will clear any remnants of winter and give you a fresh canvas to start with.
Consider dotting flowers around the space in pots or create flowerbeds to keep your garden looking vibrant and colourful. Yellow and green plants work really well and are said to be a top pick among renters.
Above all, though, landlords should guarantee tenant satisfaction by ensuring the rental property is safe, and seasonal maintenance is carried out to alleviate the chances of issues cropping up often.
Here at Kings Group, we are an experienced, reputable letting agent who can help you to attract tenants this spring and get the most from your tenancies.
For more information on how we can assist you on your lettings journey, please contact one of our branches in Essex, London or Hertfordshire today.
We also offer a free and instant online valuation to give you an idea of how much you could be charging in rent each month.
