Just wondering how long it tends to take to find a tenant? Am sure it will vary on area of the country. Have had a house listed for a month, it is priced right - ie lower than most similar ppty. I have had 18 enquiries but when I advise that they will need to pass referencing etc , I don’t tend to hear back. On the plus side I am weeding out unsuitable people. I am keen to try and find tenants myself rather than use a letting agents . Any tips ? Thanks
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Jayne 2 Exactly the same with me. Keep going with Open rent >You are weeding out the chancers. If they are scared of a reference check there is a hidden reason!!
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Jayne2 I totally agree with Colin3. It is imperitive that you weed out the time wasters and don’t be tempted to not reference. I think it is vitally important to do so. Better to wait a little longer for a good tenant than to get an unsuitable one in.
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Hi Jayne, on average, landlords using OpenRent find their tenant within 7 days. Obviously there’s a lot of variance in that! Properties in areas with less demand will let more slowly.
Sam
Wow thats quick. My place has been on for a month! - fingers crossed then
jayne 2 if you are getting a lot of no- hopers then it will take longer. Dont let your anxiety rush you into a bad tenant
I have always used Letting agents before now. Doing it myself is making me realise why sometimes it takes a long time to find suitable tenants. A lot of people are showing an interest but their earnings would barely cover the rent and bills. Yes definitely best to bide my time.
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Jayne 2… I have had on 4 different places recently 18/24/ 34/ 36/ enquiries before I found the right one We have to like our tenants and Gel with them if you see what I mean. I would not want to rent to someone I did not like… I dont care how much money they have, if I dont like them I wont work for them as a builder or have them as a tenant, likewise they will have an opinion about me!
I have often been tempted to use estate agents when I get nowhere myself, but invariably they take their time as well if there is low demand / lots of other properties on the market so in the end I always regret it and think I should have been more patient!
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Hi Jayne2,
I think it helps if you have nice photos - I usually try to take them when there’s natural light in the property.
Agree with all that if tenants don’t reply to your questions or requesr for references, they are probably not that serious.
I also find that July was a very quiet month for viewings in general.
I always do a home visit to where they say they are living , to check they really live there, and so see how they live and look after the property
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Sue2 I agree with that unless they live in another part of the country I had somene come from London to Merseyside
Just go to the previous landlord? Pay for a credit check then don’t waste your time with lots of enquiries - simple really👍
If the prospective tenant is still with the landlord and he wants rid of, I do not believe you will get an honest answer, Some landlords will be glad to foist a bad tenant on another landlord. I hold no sway to what another landlord says
I had difficulty letting a house in a popular part of the country. The price was right but when prospective tenants visited the previous tenants were not presenting it attractively enough. I always ask myself how I would feel renting my own property. Would I be happy to move into it tomorrow if I couldn’t rent it. Do ventilation issues need tackling? Are any parts looking a little worn. Having said that I did find that a lot of people think that because you are advertising the property yourself through Openrent they will not have to undertake the credit checks they would expect with a high street agent. They are of course wrong. Don’t be tempted to go with High Street agents. In my experience they are much more trouble than they are worth. Persever and ask yourself how you would feel as a prospective tenant viewing pics of your property online.
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I wait till a tenant has moved out before I take any viewings or photograph it, and then I list it
I used to send a long winded email that I think was a bit too invasive (talking about requirements and credit checks etc) so got ignored 90% of the time and only about 10% replied 
So now I keep it more simple and get replies about 70% of the time. I put:
Hi there
Thank you for your enquiry. In order to arrange a viewing please can you confirm the following:
-Are you in work?
-How many adults & children would be living at the property?
-Do any tenants smoke?
-Do you have pets?
-How long is your current notice period/when would you be looking to move in?
Many thanks
(business name)
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Very similar to me I like it
August 18
I used to send a long winded email that I think was a bit too invasive (talking about requirements and credit checks etc) so got ignored 90% of the time and only about 10% replied So now I keep it more simple and get replies about 70% of the time. I put:
Hi there
Thank you for your enquiry. In order to arrange a viewing please can you confirm the following:
-Are you in work?
-How many adults & children would be living at the property?
-Do any tenants smoke?
-Do you have pets?
-How long is your current notice period/when would you be looking to move in?
Many thanks
(business name)
It took me 6 weeks to find someone suitable, You say its cheaper than average, maybe you should put the price up a bit to get only serious people enquiring/viewing. I put mine on slightly higher, I only had 4 viewings but now have 2 full time doctors in my property. Guess its worth waiting for the right tenant.