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How can you increase occupancy rates and maximise your rental income despite the competitive rental market in London?
You need to optimise your property listing. Although there’s a very high demand for private property rentals, there are also millions of landlords renting out their properties. In 2021, 5 million people owned private rentals. In London alone, 29% of homes are being rented out.
What does this mean for you?
It means you’re up against a lot of landlords and property owners. To increase your property’s occupancy rates, you have to make your property listing stand out. It’s a pivotal strategy that can help you attract a steady stream of guests and bookings.
In this article, you’ll discover what it takes to get your property from listing to lease. You’ll learn how to create an optimised property page that can help you improve your occupancy rates. You’ll also get tips to continuously improve your listing – including the secret to a stress-free rental income.
Steps to Create a Property Page in a Listing Platform
A property page is not just a listing. It’s a digital representation of your rental property. It shows crucial information that can convince potential guests to book a stay in your property. Among the information included are the property’s location, features and amenities offered, the rental price, availability, etc.
Since it’s online, it widens the market reach of your property. Instead of being limited to the local community, people from across the ocean can view your property and schedule a booking.
When done right, a property page becomes a dynamic marketing tool that can maximise the occupancy rate of your rental place in London. Here are the essential steps that’ll guide you in creating the best page for your property listing.
Step 1: Understand who your ideal guest is
Before you start with a property listing, you have to first understand who your ideal guest is. This will help you identify the property features that you will highlight later on.
For instance, do you plan on targeting business professionals? Maybe you want to attract families? Or maybe even students? Each of these guest profiles has various preferences and expectations. Understanding these specific needs will allow you to create a property listing that will resonate with your desired guests.
Step 2: Think of the right heading
With what you know of your target guest profile, create an attention-grabbing heading. This will help your property stand out among the other listings. It’ll also give viewers a glimpse of what the property has to offer.
For instance, a heading that says “Luxury Central London Apartment with Panoramic Views of the City.” This would attract visitors looking for a luxurious getaway in London – like a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. The panoramic cityscape view would encourage people who would like to visit London for the first time.
Step 3: Keep descriptions short but informative
Your property listing should also provide a short but informative description. You have to remember that potential guests usually look at several properties at a time. You only have a few seconds to make them interested enough to look at the photos of your property.
So giving them a description that reads “Modern 2-bedroom haven within reach of iconic landmarks. Stay right at the heart of the city” will tell guests several things.
First, it’ll inform them of how many people can fit into the rental property. Second, it gives your guests an idea of where the unit is located. Third, it provides a glimpse of possible activities that guests can do.
Step 4: Provide high-quality photos
If guests like what they read about your property, the next thing they’ll want to do is to look at photos of the property. If your heading and description indicate that your unit is family-friendly, they’ll want to look at photos to prove that. Show photos of the cosy living room, comfortable bedrooms and functional kitchen.
If you’re trying to target tourists, include a photo of iconic landmarks in London as seen from the window of the unit – if there’s any.
Provide at least 5 high-resolution photos that tell a story about the property. Help viewers visualise what it’s like to stay in the unit. When you show a photo of the kitchen, you want them to see the equipment provided so they can imagine that they’re cooking and preparing food there. The same is true for the living room. You want them to imagine sitting on the couch and looking out the window to see the beautiful sights of London.
Step 5: Add a virtual tour
You can enhance the preview of your property by adding a virtual tour for potential guests. This will make it easier for them to visualise how it’ll feel like to stay in your rental property. You want them to believe that what you’re saying in the description is true. This will help build trust between you and the guest. Hopefully, they’ll feel a connection with the property – something that may be harder to do with just static images.
If you can prove that what you say about the property is true, this will increase the chances that you’ll get a good review. This will increase the chances of getting more bookings in the long run.
Step 6: Briefly describe the neighbourhood
Adding a description of the neighbourhood will also increase the value of your property. Things like nearby attractions or transportation options will give viewers an overall vibe of the place.
Remember, your guests won’t be staying in the property all the time. They’ll also step out into the city. Give viewers a property listing that can sell an experience. It’s about promising a lifestyle aspiration even if it’s just a few days or weeks.
Step 7: Create an easy-to-follow booking process
Finally, your property listing should end with an easy-to-follow booking process. Make it as straightforward and user-friendly as you can. Allow them to book with just a couple of clicks so they won’t have a chance to change their mind about it.
A seamless booking experience will also serve as a prelude to the type of experience your property can offer and the type of service that you can provide.
Don’t forget to set up a reliable communication channel so guests can ask questions and get immediate answers. Give them your contact details and ensure you have a system that’ll provide answers as soon as possible.
How to Optimise Property Listings for Maximum Bookings
Now that you have the basic needs of a property listing, how can you ensure that it’ll lead to an actual booking? Impressing guests with how your property looks and what it can offer is just part of the challenge.
You still need to optimise your property listing so you’ll get maximum bookings out of it. Here are tips that you can use to make your property relevant and enticing.
Keep an eye on evolving guest preferences and market trends
Guest preferences change over time. Make it a habit to keep an eye on market trends so you can foresee what guests would need from rental properties even before they realise what it is. By aligning the features and amenities with the ever-changing needs of your potential guests, it’ll increase the property’s value and rental income potential.
Highlight the property’s USP
The heading of the property listing should highlight the unique selling point (USP). It may be the panoramic views, access to a rooftop garden or even all organic amenities (e.g. toiletries) – these will attract your target market. Highlight features that you know other properties in the area don’t have. This will make your property stand out and increase the chances of being booked.
Update photos and video tours
Upload new photos or video tours for your property – especially if you just finished a renovation or maintenance of the property. You can rearrange the furniture to give the unit a new look. Take photos of the changes so they reflect the current state of the property.
Use proper keywords and SEO
Don’t forget to optimise your property listing for search engines. Incorporate relevant keywords so it’ll appear for guests. Start with the location and the main features of your property. Use keywords like family-friendly, Central London, eco-friendly, etc. This will increase the visibility of your unit so guests can find you.
Share the property listing on social media
Creating property pages on platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, and other sites will increase your market reach. But sharing your property on social media will amplify this reach. Make sure you share your listing on your personal accounts or social pages. Don’t just share it once. Post something about it multiple times so you can create a stronger connection with your audience.
Respond to guest inquiries
This is very important if you want your property listing to be effective. You need to create a communication channel that’ll allow you to answer queries promptly. Chatbots will only work up to a certain level. You want to ensure that guests will receive personalised responses so they’ll feel important and heard. This will boost their confidence in choosing to stay in your property.
Encourage reviews and testimonials
Complete the effectiveness of property listings by adding guest reviews and testimonials. This is how you can build credibility around your listing. The more positive reviews you get, the more likely that people will book a schedule on your property.
Give guests a good reason to provide feedback. Impress them with the property and service offering. You should also provide incentives so they can give reviews as soon as they check out.
Monitor and adapt to changes
Regularly check your property listing to see the performance metrics. Analyse how you can improve it based on the recent shifts in the market. As much as possible you want to be proactive with your property listing. This will help it stay competitive so it’ll improve your occupancy rates.
Increase Occupancy Rates by Working with Property Experts
The secret to a stress-free rental income goes beyond an optimised property listing. While having your property listed on popular platforms and sites helps, collaborating with a reputable property management expert significantly elevates the effectiveness of your listing.
First of all, you can benefit from the existing reputation of the property management company. If they have a high trust rating, you can benefit from that by association.
In addition, guests who have had a positive experience with the company will know that your property will be up to the same standards that they offer. The reliability of the company will positively affect the perception of your property.
Finally, your property listing will have a proper support system. From communicating with guests, answering inquiries and following through with a seamless check-in and check-out – the property management company can provide these services for you. They’ll manage the day-to-day operations, cleaning, maintenance and payment collection.
All these will give you a hassle-free rental income from your property.
Improve Property Listings to Increase Occupancy Rates
The journey from listing to lease requires a strategic effort that goes beyond showing static photos. You need to create a dynamic tool with the ability to immerse potential guests and give them an idea of what your property can offer. This means providing a realistic and informative description that shows exactly what guests can experience once they book your property. It’s also about using SEO and social media strategies to improve the market reach of your listing.
Partnering with a reputable property management company will also add a layer of trust to your listing. You can also get their expertise in creating an optimised property page – and you’ll also get featured on their website.
Choosing property management companies like City Relay will not just increase your bookings. You’ll also benefit from the end-to-end property management services they provide. That includes marketing and maintaining your property, communicating and dealing with guests and collecting payments.
If you’re interested in boosting your rental property through listings, tap into the expertise of City Relay. Contact us so we can unlock the full potential of your property’s listing.
