Most homeowners want to rent out their guest house in a private and discreet manner. This is because they don’t want to draw attention to their guest house due to safety and security reasons. The number of homeowners who are renting their properties discreetly has increased in the past few years.
Preparing the Guest House for Rental
If you want to rent your guest house, you must ensure that it is in good condition. Paint the walls, replace worn out carpets, remove broken furniture, and fix any broken pipes and leaks.
Before renting, you should ensure that all amenities are working properly. If you want to attract good prospective tenants, make the guest house appealing. If the guest house is not maintained properly, you will not be able to get good tenants and proper rent.
Finding The Right Prospective Tenants
Finding the right tenant can be a time-consuming process. When renting the guest house privately, it is advisable to interview the tenant. Get references and other personal details. Better yet, start with referrals. If someone comes highly recommended from someone you respect and trust, the likelihood you’ll get a great tenant increases dramatically.
Show them around the property and carry out a background check. If you don’t have experience and time to do a background check, you can avail the services of a referring agency. This ensures a good tenant under your roof and not a problem you regret for a long time.
Most homeowners ask their friends, neighbors, and relatives for help when renting out the property. They could help vet the property with prospective tenants. This helps keep the renting out process discrete.
Get the Right Contract in Place
Getting the right contract in place for the tenants is important. If everything is legally correct, it protects the tenant and the guest house owner. A clear line of communication between the tenant and the homeowner will help prevent any kind of miscommunication.
Flexible Tenancy Lengths
Most homeowners prefer longer tenancy lengths but are flexible even for shorter periods. The tenancy can be for a few days, weeks or months.
Tenants who opt for a longer period will be able to negotiate better rent terms. If the tenant opts for a shorter period they will have to pay higher rent. You can choose to rent the guest house to the tenant as per their specific needs.
No Additional Fees
The tenant doesn’t have to pay fees when renting out a guest house. Agents usually charge administration fees, reference fees, and check out fees. This will help the tenant save a considerable amount of money. Tenants prefer renting from homeowners who don’t charge additional fees.
Flexible Deposit Arrangements
Lending agents tend to have strict procedures when setting the deposit amount. Homeowners are willing to provide flexible deposit arrangements if they believe they have found a good tenant.
Repairs and Maintenance
If you choose to rent out your guest house, you need to take care of repairs and maintenance of your property on your own. Fix broken pipes and leaks quickly. Regular maintenance will help avoid expensive repairs.
If the repairs and maintenance are not done at regular intervals, it can cause long-term damage to the guest house. You will not be able to attract good rent and tenants when the property is damaged.
Homeowners Save Money
One of the key reasons that homeowners choose to rent their guest houses discreetly is to save money. As you will not pay any fee to the agents, you will be able to make a higher profit on the rented property.
Finding a right tenant is a lot easier and you will be able to save on expensive management fees. All that you need to do is to put in a little bit of effort and you will be able to get good rent for the guest house. This will enable you to get good returns on your property.
Before you decide to rent out the guest house, it is important to determine the amount of rent that you will charge. You should be realistic when determining the rent you will be charging for the guest house. If you charge very high rent, you may not attract tenants.
Be clear about the rules that the tenant needs to follow when renting your property. The instructions should be precise so that there is no misunderstanding between responsibilities and expectations. This way, renting out a guest house can be a great way to earn money on your property.