4 Tips to Showing Your Occupied Property Rental

When a tenant communicates their intent to not renew a lease, the scouting process begins. Finding a qualified tenant early in the game will help avoid losing rental income and also eliminate the need to maintain a vacant unit. Experienced property managers know that prospective tenants will want to physically see the unit before signing the lease. To make the rental property showing process easier, our experts at Oak City Properties outlined a few tips to showing an occupied property.

Communicate With and Involve the Current Tenant

Communicate! Communicate! Communicate! We can’t say it enough! Communication with the current tenant is key to showing an occupied rental property. While your current tenant will be aware that you need to show the property, make sure to ask for convenient times that work for them. By allowing the current tenant to define convenient times, you are helping to avoid any disruptions to their (and your) schedule.

Notify the Current Tenant of Showing Times

In the state of North Carolina, landlords are legally allowed to enter inhabited properties without permission or notice for both emergencies and non-emergencies. While there is no law stopping a landlord from entering the property unannounced, that doesn’t mean it is best practice. Most landlords will notify their tenants 24-48 hours in advance before entering the property.

Offer Incentives to the Tenant

Unless your current tenant is a neat freak, it might be worth your while to offer to pay for a cleaning service or reward your tenant when the unit is cleaned for a showing. While you can request the space be tidied before you enter the property, most tenants will view this as an interruption to their regular schedule. To help foster a positive relationship, reward compliance with a gift card to a local restaurant or store. A little gesture can go a long way when showing an occupied rental unit.

Outline the Process

Once the showing date has been set, outline the showing process with your current tenant so they feel comfortable. The best way to show an occupied rental unit is to schedule individual property showings and keep the interactions short.

When you schedule individual showings of a rental unit, you will only disrupt your current tenant for short periods of time. Most individual showings will last 15-30 minutes.
When you schedule an individual showing, you can also keep watch on the prospective renters to reduce the risk of something being stolen or damaged.

Get Help

If you’re not the kind of person who wants to deal with the prospects of a vacant rental property or showing an occupied rental unit, it may be worth your time to contact a property management service. A full management service will market the property, find tenants, provide 24/7 maintenance, help with accounting/tax services and deal with any court appearances in the event of an eviction.

At Oak City Properties, we have been helping those in the Raleigh area purchase and sell homes for years! Whether you are a family trying to sell your home or a landlord wanting to downsize your rental portfolio, our full-service property management company is here to help.

If you are interested in learning more about our services or want to speak to our listing agents, give us a call at (919)-232-9222 or check out our website: www.oakcityproperties.com

How to Show an Occupied Rental