How to attract student tenants

Letting to students can be a profitable enterprise. As students will always need accommodation during the academic year, the student market offers consistent demand and therefore a reliable source of income for landlords and property managers. 

But how can you attract student tenants for your rental properties?

6 ways to attract student tenants 

Students have different priorities from residential tenants. If you’re looking to attract student tenants, you will need to carefully consider the things that are important to them. Making a few small changes could make your property far more appealing to a student audience. 

Provide a furnished property

As students won’t be staying in student accommodation permanently, they won’t want to have to provide their own furniture. As a result, it’s important to provide your student rentals furnished. In communal living spaces, you should provide all necessary white goods (including a fridge-freezer, cooker, and washing machine), sofas, a dining table and chairs. In the bedrooms, you should provide a bed, wardrobe, and chest of drawers. 

Additionally, providing a desk and desk chair in every room will make your property more attractive to students as it will offer them a quiet space where they can study. 

Highlight amenities in the local area  

Location is extremely important to students. Lots of students prefer to live in accommodation close to campus or local amenities. When advertising your property, be sure to highlight the benefits of your location. You could mention the proximity to nearby universities, shops, or transport links. Even if your property isn’t in a prime location, pointing out how quickly students will be able to get around on public transport can be a major selling point. 

Offer bills included 

Many students don’t want to go through the hassle of organising their own bills, particularly if they are renting for the first time. Researching providers, contacting utility companies, and remembering to pay on time every month can be stressful for students. Offering a bill-inclusive tenancy can make your property more attractive to student tenants. You will be in charge of organising the gas, electricity, water, and Wi-Fi for the property, and your tenants will just pay a higher inclusive rent each month.

If you want to offer a property with the option of bills included, on StuRents you can advertise the rental price for both tenancy options. 

Prioritise security 

Student properties can sometimes have a reputation for being an easy target for crime or break-ins. This is a concern, both for the personal safety of your tenants and for the security of your property as a whole. It’s a good idea to invest in thorough security measures. Actions you could take include installing and regularly testing burglar alarms, providing locks on all bedroom doors for additional security, adding extra bolts or chains on the front door, or installing a camera or Ring Doorbell outside the front door. This will have the dual benefit of keeping your property more secure and providing crucial peace of mind for tenants. 

Offer flexible lease terms 

Not all students are looking for 12-month tenancies, some only want to rent in line with the academic year. If you’re looking to attract a wider range of students, you could consider offering 48-week tenancy options as well as 52-week ones. Of course, this will mean you need to consider your pricing strategies or offer short-term lets during the summer months to avoid void periods.

Be responsive to enquiries 

Renting can be a stressful experience, particularly for young student tenants. When you receive an enquiry for a viewing or a booking, try to respond promptly and respectfully, even if you can’t accommodate the request. 

StuRents makes it easy to organise viewings with student tenants. You can set your availability for viewings on the system so prospective tenants will be able to select slots that work for you directly from the listing, without any communication or admin at all. You won’t have to worry about going back and forth with students or delays in communication.

Attract tenants by advertising student accommodation on StuRents

Now that you know how to attract tenants, you need to know where and how to advertise your student accommodation. 

StuRents is the UK’s leading student accommodation search platform, connecting student tenants to over 750,000 rooms each year. As the platform gets more than 3.5 million annual views, it’s the perfect place to showcase your properties this busy booking season. 

Find out more about our Marketing packages, and get started today.