Matching interiors with tenants proves worthwhile

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by Gill Montia

The Residential Landlords’ Association (RLA) is advising buy-to-let investors to check out the interiors of their properties, if they want to maximise lettings.

RLA director, Alan Ward, suggests that thought should be given to interiors to ensure that the decor and fittings appeal to the kind of tenant the landlord is seeking to attract.

The local market should also be researched before, for example, deciding whether to let a property fully or partly furnished.

The extra effort is worthwhile because a well presented property is easier to let and more likely to give the landlord a choice of tenants.

It is also important to research the chosen tenant group and review whether the facilities in a property will meet expectations.

For example, young professionals sharing a house may be looking for two bathrooms.

Landlords may need to be increasingly savvy about marketing their properties because according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, instructions for new lettings are on the rise.

With house sales around 50% below this time last year, homeowners and housing developers unable to sell are increasingly becoming so called “forced landlords”.