RENTING IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET
“Tips and Suggestions for the Homeowner - How to get & Keep Repeat Renters”

1. Telephone - Supply a phone with a phone block - its free to you and eliminates security deposits as well as the problems associated with them.
2. TV with Cable. If more than one bedroom, you should have more than one tv. Provide 2nd tier cable service. The cost is low and is something often requested by tenants.
3. VCRs now cost under $200 and more and more owners provide them. Also supply a few movies, particularly ones for children for rainy days.
4. Deck furniture is inexpensive. An inexpensive table and 6-8 chairs will cost less than $200. Having a four bedroom unit with 4 deck chairs is inviting the tenant to bring living room or dining room chairs onto the porch.
5. Provide a BBQ grill with a full tank of gas for their use.
6. Dining and living room chairs - Does your unit sleep 10 and feed 6? Be sure you provide ample places for the tenant to sit and eat. Inexpensive folding chairs are one solution.
7. Dishes, Pots, Pans, Utensils, tableware, etc. Look them over before the summer. Make sure there are enough for the number of persons who will occupy your unit.
8. Small Appliances - Microwave oven, oven toaster, mixers, stereo, etc. The items you would want for yourself.
9. Beach Tags - If you sleep 8-10, provide eight beach tags along with a note to replace ones that are lost.
10. Beach Chairs - Provide 3-4 beach chairs. $9.95 at Kmart.
11. Ceiling fans - Are a must.
12. Trash containers - Have ample large trash containers outside - a couple of extra in case the trash collection is missed. Have a larger size container in the kitchen for convenience. Post the day during the week when trash is picked up along with rules for recycling. Leave plenty of bags.
13. A fold-away cot kept in one of the bedroom closets will keep people from sleeping on the sofa.
14. A supply of Board Games, cards, paperbacks, and magazines will be used and appreciated.
15. Cleaning supplies - If you expect the people to clean, leave them plenty to clean with. Good mops, brooms, buckets, sponges, detergents, windex, etc. A good vacuum with spare bags will save your rugs much wear and tear.
16. Do you have an outside shower? Do you provide a small hose? 
17. Remove all of your personal items - they tend to get in the way, get broken and appear to clutter.
18. Maintenance Items: Professionally clean your carpets every Spring. Have the landscaping regularly attended to - weeded, etc. Ripped screens repaired as needed. Check decks for holes, cracks, etc. and spray on a wood preserver every September. Service your air conditioning system every spring it can save you expensive service calls in the summer months. Always check your unit between rentals.
19. Take a real good look at your unit. Open the front door, walk in, take a look around as if you were a tenant and try to be as critical as possible. Look at the rugs for wear, color, cleanliness. Look at the walls, doors and trim - Do they need paint? Is the color from the 60’s? What about the furniture - does it match? is it appealing? Does it need to be replaced? Are the bedspreads, pillow covers, pillows, throw rugs, etc in good condition? If you were fussy would you rent your unit? You have to be brutally honest with yourself in this area.
20. Do you make it easy for agents to rent your property? Does the agent have to do handstands to confirm the rental with you? Are you hard to reach on the phone? Do you book rentals yourself without confirming it with your agent(s) first? Nothing is more embarrassing and frustrating for an agent than booking a rental and having the owner call him back two days later and telling him that he has already rented it and didn’t call. This can leave a lasting negative impression from everyone’s standpoint.
21. Security Deposits - Want to make your tenant really mad? Take $15-25 out of their security deposit for some minor item after they just paid $2,500 to rent your property for one week. If you are paying a cleaning service to come in and clean after your tenants leave - let them clean. Don’t be so anxious to take a tenant’s security deposit because it wasn’t left as clean as the cleaner would like.
22. Rates - Do you really know what you should be charging based on your competition? If you raise your rent $300 a week or don’t reduce it $300 where needed and lose a $2,000 rental, what have you gained? The lost income from an empty rental week can never be recaptured and can’t be made up by raising the rates. This will only create more empty weeks. We notice far too many open units that are simply overpriced and will most likely sit empty. It makes no sense.
23. Your Rental Agent- If you only hear from your agent at the end of the summer when he asks for next year’s rates then he may be “one cook too many”. Unless your agent is concerned about why your property is un-rented, over or underpriced or in need of any of the aforementioned items, you may not need him. If your property was not rented for a period of time and you checked only to find that your agent’s keys didn’t work, would it surprise you to know that your agent was unaware of it? The last two weeks in July and first two weeks in August rent themselves. Selecting the right agent will assure you a greater chance to rent the other, more difficult to rent weeks. 

Call: (888) SEAISLE
Landis Company Realtors
6000 Landis Avenue Sea Isle City, NJ 08243 
In NJ: (609) 263-3400
Fax: (609) 263-0202
info@landisco.com