Blog Post

3 Small Tenant Friendly Features to Help You Attract and Retain Tenants

Dustin Edwards • Jan 16, 2021

Flexibility Can Help You Retain Great Tenants

Rental Property Keychain with Key
The adage “a little goes a long way” can be said for dealing with rental properties. A small act of kindness, consistent communication, or even a small feature can help tenants understand that you truly care and keep them enjoying your property for years to come. While some features photograph well for a new rental listing there are other small items that we have found that can give you the edge to attract tenants. As you look to continue to maximize your rental portfolio consider these to help you garner the best possible tenants.

An Opportunity to Personalize Your Rental Property
This is a tough one and one that can make even the seasoned landlord cringe a bit. To get tenants to stay in a property long term they need to feel like it is their property and there is no finer way to achieve that than if you provide them the freedom to personalize the property to their taste.  

The most common example of personalizing a property to a tenant would be to allow them to paint a room. For those that are already a bit queasy with this idea consider the following aspects if you decide to allow this feature:
  1. Permission - The tenant would need to get your permission on which room to paint. Our suggestion would be to limit the personalization to a bedroom as that is a common area of desire to personalize and is generally much smaller than common areas.
  2. You likely will repaint anyway - When you have a tenant stay 3+ years chances are you are going to repaint anyway...now imagine if they stayed 5 or 6 because they got to paint their room?  
  3. Paint Colors - You might consider limiting the color choices. Colors that require extensive cover such as black might be on a list of not allowed colors. Most tenants will be happy to have choices even with a few restrictions.
Paint isn’t permanent and it is only one of the visual aspects that provides tenants a sense of ownership (i.e. some people might just want to plant their own plants). If you consider this allowing tenants to personalize the property a bit there is a good chance you will enjoy great long term tenants.

Small Storage Area
Storage continues to be in high demand throughout the Southern California market. When you evaluate a rental application while you might be looking at only their ability to afford your rental, remember people have other bills that might not show up on the application and one of those could be storage. Many of the 1940’s homes throughout Long Beach don’t have a ton of storage and if your tenant is parking their vehicle in the garage there isn’t much room left to store odds and ends.

To help tenants stay for the long haul consider updating your Long Beach rental with smart storage solutions both internally and even as part of your property. For example, you can even get a cost effective storage container (20’ or 40’) for as little as a few thousand dollars. If this can work with your lot configuration this can be a great addition to help someone store those items that otherwise they might be paying $150-$250+ a month to store.

Ability to do External Decorations at Christmas
Holidays are often a time for extensive decorations, but if you live in a large apartment complex your options can be very limiting. When you own a single family home as a rental or even a smaller residential income property (i.e. 2-4 units) you can create a sense of community by empowering tenants with the ability to do external decorations. This can include notifying your tenant that they can do window decorations or even hanging of Christmas lights. Many will feel truly part of the neighborhood (thereby staying longer) if they can decorate the home along with the rest of the neighborhood.

When it comes to retaining tenants it often comes down to how are you making it truly feel like their home vs. a traditional rental. To help you determine what could be best for your property to empower tenants to rent for longer periods we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247. Or if you prefer a complete evaluation of your property we invite you to fill out our Free Rental Analysis.

Share this post

By Dustin Edwards 01 May, 2024
Everyone wants to feel safe in their homes. As an investment property owner, it's up to you to decide whether or not to include security measures in your property. Many of the costs associated with the security measures can be included in the rent, meaning not only can you keep your property safe, but you can earn more income in the long run. However, you would still want your tenants to have renters insurance to protect their assets. Today, we’ll discuss the top five security measures you can add to your property and why they're beneficial to you and your tenant. Security Cameras Cameras are probably one of the first security measures people think about when asked about security. Cameras provide more benefits than just surveillance. They provide an extra level of security for the safety of the tenants and their belongings. Additionally, security cameras can be useful when repairs are required. Cameras can aid in supervising repairs and maintenance to ensure you’re receiving the agreed-upon work. During vacancies when the property is empty, security cameras can help keep the property safe from potential intruders. Doorbell cameras are incredibly popular now. They provide the aforementioned safety of a camera that can be accessed remotely, as well as the ability to communicate with visitors. Although one must be careful never to say you're not home, just say you're unavailable to strangers. Security Lights Security lights with motion detectors are another effective tool when adding security measures to your property. These lights brightly if a potential intruder attempts to get near your home. They can provide enough illumination to see the intruder or, at the very least, scare them off. Nowadays, you can find a combination of security cameras and motion-activated security lights, such as the floodlight cam wired plus from Ring . Additionally, because these lights only turn on when motion is detected, they’re more cost-effective than traditional lights with a switch. Illuminate the Property Light generally deters intruders as it's more difficult to hide. Adding lighting to the landscaping can increase the security of the property while creating a relaxing atmosphere. Lights can also be used in other areas of the property to accent features such as trees, benches, or artwork. This can help your property stand out while giving your tenants an additional feeling of safety. Keyless Entry Keyless entry is seen as both a convenience feature and a security feature. They usually use an electronic passcode, biometric data, or grant access through a smartphone app. Physical keys can be lost, stolen, or duplicated. You reduce the risk of unauthorized entry by eliminating the need for a physical key to enter the property. Many keyless entry systems include several features, such as remote locking and monitoring. Although keyless entry is a great new technology for keeping your tenants and properties safe, they’re best used with other security systems. Security Company Nothing beats having an extra pair of eyes on your property for security. This is where security companies like ADT and SimpliSafe come in. While companies may deal with security in varying ways, they aim to protect your investment. While safety is the primary role of a security company, remember that many tenants may be willing to pay more for a premium amenity like a home security company. Keeping your property and tenants safe is incredibly important to the longevity of an investment property. If you’re looking to improve the security of your Long Beach rental property or need help managing your beach city rental property, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or fill out our Owner Application online .
By Dustin Edwards 19 Apr, 2024
Communication is key to maintaining good relationships with clients. However, there are several ways to communicate, so we intend to give you the best methods we've explored.
By Dustin Edwards 10 Apr, 2024
If you're thinking about how much different managing condos are from single-family homes, look at these top 5 reasons.
Show More
Share by: