Rentals.com Company Blog

When you are trying to rent out your rental home to potential residents, the more information you can give them about the rental property, the better.
Here are a few ways you can monitor your rental property’s utility costs to use as a potential selling point to potential renters.
Why track your utilities?
It’s a tough rental market [...]

It’s not always easy to feel sure whether a particular rental property is the right one for you. The distractions of a new place — especially if it has cosmetic appeal — may cloud other questions that need to be asked.
To help you hone in on the aspects of a rental home that you should [...]

Adding value for your prospective renters is a great way to entice them to become long-term residents. One powerful way to target your customer service is to provide free, helpful services up front, like moving tips.
Why not become the friendly expert who generously provides this information? We’ll show you how!
Make your website an information portal
The [...]

Make the most of your corner of the great outdoors with these tips to personalize your patio.
You may like spending time on your patio space so well you don’t want to go back inside!
How’s the weather?
Before you create a plan for your patio, take its temperature. Is it super-hot or shady? Will you be looking [...]

Renting a property requires a broad skill set to match an ever-changing set of challenges. What you might have been able to handle at one point in your career as a landlord may alter over time.
Read on for the aspects of property management that might inspire you to call in reinforcements to help you out.
Maintenance
If [...]

Are you proud of the home you’ve made? Why not host a party to show off your rental home?
Don’t let party planning stress you out and keep you from sending those invites. Check out these party planning ideas, and get the good times rolling!
Set up a spread
The best way to plan a party in your [...]

A sense of community offers a variety of benefits that can improve your renting bottom line. Making sure that services are provided and promoted can make community members more willing to stick around, living in harmony with you and their fellow residents.
Check out these ideas.
Easy payment
Making it easy for residents to pay their rent is [...]

Take a moment to focus on what you love about your rental home. Do you enjoy these advantages?
Awesome location
Your rental home might be located in an historic neighborhood or amid brand-new lofts and exciting urban growth. Are you living in the center of town with an easy walk to virtually any convenience you might want? [...]

Families with children are often excellent candidates for renting a home. Check out these tips to place your best foot forward and make your property properly desirable for a renting family.
Highlight new features
Have you made updates or renovations to your rental home? If you have added new appliances, recently fixed the HVAC or replaced the [...]

To the single man, a place of his own represents a mythic adventure and a rite of passage. Whether you are about to rent your first man cave or have decided to decorate your rental home just the way you’ve always wanted, we’ve got some ideas to get you going.
Enter the modern age
Whether or not [...]

Sooner or later, you’ll have to replace an appliance in your rental property. But what’s the best way to do it cost effectively? You’ll need to balance quality, longevity and price to provide your current residents and future renters the equipment they need to keep their lives running smoothly.
Do you need bells and whistles?
When it [...]

You may know exactly what you’re looking for inside a rental home, but have you thought about what makes an ideal neighborhood for you? Before you decide to sign a lease, audition the neighborhood, as well, with these tried-and-true testing tips.
Try the route
Getting to and from where you live is a big part of the [...]

Once you find a great property manager, you’ll want to do what you can to hold on to him or her. A combination of factors can keep your manager happy. Be sure to do your part to provide elements that make the job rewarding and show how much you value the work your property manager [...]

If you’re in the process of deciding whether to rent or buy a house, you might be interested to learn that deferring home ownership could be advantageous for your budget. Read on for the benefits of being a renting resident.
Instantly improve your standard of living
In many cities, you can rent a home for a lot [...]

When the budget to refurbish your rental property is modest, look for small, reasonable projects to improve your property’s appeal. We’ve collected some easy, lower-price ways to make it look like you’ve spent a lot of money to keep your property looking good.
Look at it with strangers’ eyes
It’s easy to become blind to the drawbacks [...]

Parking is often a problem for homes located in congested areas. Problematic parking can be seriously frustrating, especially when you’re in a hurry or it’s late at night. When parking is a repeated difficulty, it can feel like you spend so much time looking for it that you might as well walk!
Read on for some [...]

As a real estate professional, you know there isn’t a better selling point for a rental property than a great location. But can you leverage your property’s prime location to potential renters? We’ve got tips to help you play up what may be your property’s most marketable advantage.
For urbanites
Young and/or single renters tend to look [...]

If the time comes for you to vacate a rental home, prepare to do it the right way. Consult your lease agreement first to see what your landlord expects. Then follow the steps below to make sure you return your rental to the condition as close as possible to the way you found it originally.
Giving [...]

Tech-savvy residents — especially those who are younger — expect to be fully connected just about everywhere they go. Are you ready to accommodate their needs with the latest innovations in your rental properties?
Read on for some of the mod cons that your next crop of renters will likely expect.
More bandwidth
Many young renters may be [...]

Now that you’re settled in a new rental home, it’s a great time to get your financial house in order. You may now have a larger or smaller rent payment than you did before, and establishing a fiscal system will help you better cover the costs or else bank the savings.
Read on for some basics [...]

Having a property manager can be the difference between loving your rental properties — or wanting to get rid of them! But filling the position isn’t enough; you need to have a good fit for your work style, budget and personality.
Read on for ways to choose the right property manager for your rental business.
What do [...]

What amenities do you look for to make a rental property feel like luxury accommodations?
With an over-build of vacation properties, and unsold homes and condos also being used as rentals, landlords are eager to compete in a renter’s market. In some cases, property owners are even trying to compete for hotel business by offering five-star [...]

Modern renters, especially younger ones, expect certain high-tech options in a rental property. Depending on the demographic and rental price you’re shooting for, you could include many of these amenities and build their cost into your rental fee structure. Read on for some of the high-tech possibilities that could bring you the renters you want [...]

When guests come to stay at your home, make them feel welcome with a space that’s meant just for them. We’ll share a few tips to help ensure your visitors enjoy their time with you — and rave about your talents as a host or hostess!
Private sleeping area
One of the greatest courtesies you can show [...]

Take a walk through your rental properties as if you were a prospective renter. Consider what the competition might be doing, and ask yourself: are the amenities your property offers modern enough to attract the renters you want?
What you invest in money, effort and time will likely come back to you in the form of [...]

Creating the right lighting in your rental home can make all the difference in how comfortable you feel there. Here are some illuminating tips to help you achieve the atmosphere you want at home.
Tone down the overheads
Make a habit of turning off the overhead lights in your rooms if they’re just too bright or harsh. [...]

As a landlord, it’s inevitable that you will encounter challenging residents sooner or later. They may be problem renters who don’t pay their rent or violate the terms of your lease agreement in other ways. Or they may simply be irritating, making unreasonable demands on your time or asking for unrealistic improvements. It is preferable, [...]

Sharing rental space with a roommate may mean more space for less money, or perhaps the chance to live in a great location that you couldn’t afford on your own.
Sharing, however, has its own rules and regulations. To keep your household running smoothly, read on for a few tips on cohabitation with a roommate.

Be clear [...]

Roommate situations are common among renting households. When renting needs change for one roommate and not the other, an unclear and uncomfortable situation can come up, however. There are things you can do as a rental professional to maintain your investment while helping renters.
Make the lease agreement clear to begin with
When renting to roommates, make [...]