Category Archives: Landlord

The biggest difficulty in preparing a residential property to win over a tenant is that every person has different needs and wants.

Tenants who are students will most likely prefer locations which are near to their schools, while tenants who are families with young children will prefer a neighbourhood with playgrounds, parks and other amenities which would provide for a suitable environment for their children to grow up in.

There is also the issue of the term of lease. Some tenants may only be looking for a temporary place to stay as their own homes may be undergoing renovation works, or they might be in the process of moving to a new home that isn’t ready.

Others may be looking for a property to reside in indefinitely. Therefore, since there is such a wide range of tenants to choose from, it is up to you as the landlord to decide what type of tenant you want.

There are five basic guidelines that landlords should keep in mind when furnishing a rental property for prospective tenants.

When you begin preparing an apartment or a house for lease, you have to consider what your tenant will most likely need.

Be prepared to fill it with basic furnishings and fittings such as kitchen cabinets, a washing machine and a gas stove. You should also be prepared to replace things which are no longer in suitable working conditions, such as light bulbs, shower heads and doorknobs, or to install additional fittings – for example, if you think a room is too dimly lit, you should install additional light fixtures.

At the very least, tenants will look for an apartment that is clean and where everything is in a satisfactory working condition.

It is important that your prospective tenants are able to imagine themselves living there.

Remove any personal items from the rental property and be prepared to invest in a paint job. It is advisable to paint the apartment or house in neutral colours, as you never know what your prospective tenant’s colour preferences are like.

Also, in the event that your tenant does not renew his or her term of lease, it saves you the trouble of re-painting the property for the next prospective tenant.

Be prepared to answer lots of questions.

Tenants may ask questions regarding anything from bus services in the area and neighbourhood schools to how the kitchen appliances work.

While it is not recommended that you hover in the background as prospective tenants view your property, you should make sure that you are readily available to answer their questions.

Be flexible with rental home viewings.

Interested tenants may visit at all times of the day, so try to be as accommodating as possible, especially if a prospective tenant visits more than once.

This could be because the tenant is trying to gain a feel of the neighbourhood at different times of the day, or that the tenant has become confused after viewing several rental home options in a short period of time.

Do not object if prospective tenants take pictures of your rental property.

This is to help them remember how your property looks like, more than anything else. Most tenants and buyers view plenty of homes before choosing one and it may get difficult for them to remember how a property looks like after viewing several options in one day.

Go to : Understanding your tenant’s needs

Go to : Working out the right rental price

With a surplus of people looking for homes to rent, landlords in Singapore cannot truly afford to be picky if they have intention of making some money.

Regardless of whether you live in the house with the tenant or not, there are certain things you will need to do on your part to ensure that your tenant is comfortable.

Think of your home as a hotel and you as the concierge, maintenance person and security and you might understand just what being a landlord entails.

1. Equality: In Singapore, some landlords tend to adopt a racial stance by insisting that only if the potential tenant is of a specific race, should he then apply. For a multi-racial society, not only is this sad but unethical and racially insensitive.

All applicants must be considered and reviewed based on merits and characteristics and not on something as superficial as race, profession or age.

2. Fix her up: Some places that are being rented out look worthy of a demolition ball. Even if it is an old building, you as the landlord need to ensure that the unit you are renting out is liveable. This means it has to be clean, has proper sanitation, electricity, light, space, free of dust, pests and possibly more.

If you cannot see yourself living there, then you should not impose such poor conditions on someone else.

3. Improvements: Just because you’re not living in the house does not mean you should not improve it. Your unit is an investment and investments grow when its value is enhanced. Besides, if you intend to increase the monthly rent, justify it by adding new features your tenant would benefit from. Of course, before you do this you will need to alert or discuss with your tenant first.

As the person who is paying and living there, your tenant has a right to know of your plans for the home as it will directly affect him.

4. Expectations: If you expect your tenant to take care of your unit and be of a certain standard, then you will need to set that standard by treating your tenant as a customer and as a fellow human being instead of just a monthly pay check.

5. Listening ear: Check up on your tenant from time to time. Find out if he is comfortable, if everything is working and if he has any problems.

If you can assist with things pertaining to the home, do it. The importance of listening to your tenant cannot be adequately explained.

Just remember the hotel metaphor and provide your tenant with good customer service. After all, if he is happy, so are you.

6. Deposits: Unless it was explicitly stated in the contract and made known verbally to the tenant at the point of signing that all deposits will be used for any upkeep or maintenance that is directly the fault of the tenant, you must never hold onto the deposits and create new rules to keep it during the tenancy. Give it back when the time is up.

Being a good landlord is easy. All the above guidelines are basic human courtesies we would extend to relatives and friends so remember to do the same with someone who is your customer.

Go to : Winning over tenants

Go to : Working out the right rental price