Hello all, finding good tenants is the harder of the two. Keeping them is easy. We basically follow the REIN management system.
Finding: write good ads and post in locations that fit the demographic you are looking for. If you want students place ads at colleges/univerities. Nurses generally work at health centres. You get the idea...Great pictures help. When doing viewings and setting appointments, get the prospect to call or you call them, 1 hour before the the appointment to confirm they can still make it. This saves you travel time and such if they have cancelled.
Screening- actually do dilligence, I am amazed to hear that some REIN members still do not check references and employment. WOW. Call all employers, call previous landlords and pretend to be looking for a place to rent if the "landlord" hs no idea what you are talking about chances are he is not the landlord. Pull credit checks, $7 well spent.
Keeping them: As I said this is easy. We give them a move in gift. Lease renewal gift. Christmas presents. Birthday cards. The gifts do not have to be extravagant, but we do try to make it personal. If all else fails TicketMaster has gift certs, that can be used for any venue they promote. Above all else we respond to their concerns, we do not leave maintenance issues unattended. If they get the impression the manager/owner doesn`t care about the them or the property, guess what, that is how they respond as well. Get what you give. Even if you have a property manager, we always give out tenants our contact info as well, and we let the manager know this. Keeps everyone honest and diligent.
Yes we still get calls but we also have alot of long term 3+ year tenants, and yes we have had to use a bailiff, not every system is bullet proof...yet.
Gotta go. Hope this gets the ideas going.