Currently, the UK rental market is booming, with landlords finding tenants quicker than ever according to Rightmove, and demand for rentals up 3% from last year. As a landlord, this is great news, so why not maximise the opportunity by finding the perfect tenant for your Chelmsford property.
Families
As the most common type of tenant in the UK market, is your rental family friendly?
Pros: Families tend to rent for the long term and once they’re settled, they often stay put. This is a massive plus, as a long lease requires minimal input. A typical family tenant will also be keen to furnish the property themselves, saving you costs and hassle.
Proximity to a school – especially one rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted – can boost demand for your property and command a higher yield. Similarly, if your rental offers outside space and is close to shops, you’ll see a surge in interest from the family sector.
Cons: With families comes the potential for more wear and tear. This means you’ll want to make sure your property is finished to the highest quality to protect against damage. You’ll also want to ensure that any repairs are dealt with quickly.
If a family is on a long lease, they will make the home their own by hanging pictures, decorating children’s rooms and so on. So, at the end of a tenancy, you can be pretty sure your rental property will need a spruce up.
Professionals
Often regarded as the dream tenant, working professionals want proximity to transport links or their place of work.
Pros: With professionals comes the stability of a secure rental income and less chance of arrears – a huge bonus for private landlords. Less wear and tear and reduced potential for noise makes working professionals the crème de la crème of the rental market.
Cons: Just because they’ve got a good job when they move in, you can’t guarantee your monthly rent without some sort of rent protection. As the last 18 months have taught us, jobs can easily be lost, and financial situations can change quickly.
Students
Typically, students have a bad rental reputation, but is this a fair conclusion?
Pros: If a rental property is located near a university, you have the option of renting a property room by room – maximising your rental yield.
With most students receiving some sort of finance to support their studies, your rental income is safe with a reduced risk of arrears. You may also have the backup of the ‘bank of mum and dad’ just in case funds run low.
Cons: Unfortunately, lots of students means lots of partying and could lead to a higher risk of damage. There’s also a chance that maintenance issues may not be reported promptly. You can also expect a high turnover of tenants as the academic year is only around 10 months. This means more admin, advertising, and a need for end-of-tenancy problems to be resolved quickly.
For more advice about what type of tenants are attracted to rental properties in Chelmsford, contact us at Martin & Co.
