Every week we try to connect students who are looking for roommates. We have reached out to some of our group members to get feedback on what has worked and what hasn’t worked for them and we would like to share some of that information with you.
Post your listings as early as possible
Most people take the time to look for a suitable place since they plan on staying there for at least the fall and winter term and in some cases a whole year. If you wait until the term is about to start to start looking, the rental landscape may be more competitive and you may struggle to find what you are looking for. Plus, once you get closer to the term you’ll be dealing with other school related matters, so you may not have the time to look.
Try to get take good pictures
If you are the landlord or sub letter make an effort to take good pictures. The old adage, a picture is worth a thousand words holds true in this case, and sometimes-bad pictures or misleading pictures can be a major turn off to some potential tenants, so take the time to do it right.
Rent and budget
A lot of students and tenants in general are very sensitive to rent prices due to their budgets. When deciding how much to charge for rent, take into consideration how much other properties in your neighbourhood are asking for rent. As basic as this may sound, some listers will set rent prices that are too high relative to the other properties in their neighbourhood, and this will naturally turn off people.
Other expenses and utilities
If there are other expenses that are outside of rent, it may be helpful to mention this since most people like surprises, but not surprise expenses. Most students are very sensitive to changes in budget or costs, so it is helpful to outline these expenses as early as possible, so everyone understands and nobody misunderstands what is expected. If certain expenses such as utilities or internet are going to be shared, then maybe outline this so everybody knows.
Amenities
Focus on the key amenities in your property that make it stand out and be sure to include this in your listing. Sometimes having a gym or a swimming pool in the building can encourage people to chose your property, or having a dishwasher or an in suite laundry can make all the difference because this translates to saved time and money. Things such as whether it is furnished, has available parking or whether it has air-conditioned are good to know too.
Talk about the type of roommate/tenant you are looking for
We do not encourage discrimination of any kind, but you can increase the likelihood that you will get a good roommate by talking a bit about yourself or the type of tenant you are looking for. A good way to think about this is from your previous experiences, ask yourself what you liked and disliked about people you lived with and use this as a guide for things you should be asking. We also encourage you to talk about this when you meet your potential roommate for the first time.
Location and surrounding area
One of the most important factors when students are picking a place to stay is how close it is to school or public transport. If your property is walking distance from campus that’s a no brainer, but if your property isn’t walking distance from a campus, but you can get there in 15 minutes by public transport, then maybe you should mention that. If it’s close to a mall or a supermarket, you can mention that too, since this translates to saved time and money.
If you have any other ideas, please comment below,contact us or comment on our social media.
