The traditional method of getting a finger on the pulse of what tenants really want is to get to know letting agents or estate agents and find out what people are asking for and which properties have let out quickly. It’s also worth asking prospective tenants too.

But now that so many people use the Internet to advertise their rental properties, and tenants use property and lettings websites to search for their perfect rental home, there are new ways of finding out what people are actually looking for.

Many of the property listing websites periodically release details of their top search terms, so you can suss out what people are looking for. As well as getting an insight into the minds of potential tenants, it’s also really useful as an idea for keywords, that you can add – if relevant – into any online ads or listings you create for your property.

The Zoopla website has recently released details of their top 10 property search keywords on the site during April 2011, made by both property renters and buyers. The list makes interesting reading.

The top 10 property search keywords made by people searching for a property to rent were:

1. Garden
2. Garage
3. Parking
4. Studio
5. Detached
6. Furnished
7. Rural
8. Balcony
9. Bungalow
10. Bills included

(Source: www.zoopla.co.uk)

It’s not surprising that desirability for a garden is high, especially with summer weather issues on people’s mind at this time of the year, but since so few people use garages for the purpose of parking a car these days, it’s a bit of a surprise to see a garage ranking as the second most popular search term for property renters. It’s not surprising to see parking ranking in the top three though.

What do you think of the results? Are there any other terms you’d expect to see in the top 10?

Some visitors attending the 2012 Olympic Games in London, especially those travelling from abroad, are already beginning to suss out available rented accommodation in London. In response to demand, landlords with properties in the areas around the main Games venues in south east London are marketing their properties and pricing them for the event.

Landlords are even reporting being offered prices 250 to 300 per cent more than their usual fees to let their properties during the Olympic Games and the rental prices make interesting reading.

A one bedroom flat in Greenwich, which would normally be about £1,229 a month is available to rent during the Games for £1,692 per week.

A three bedroom property in Stratford, east London, close to the Olympic site, which usually rents for £1,800 a week during the holiday season, is being let for £3,500 a week during the Games.

In Blackheath, a minute from the entrance to Greenwich Park, which is hosting the equestrian events, the owners of a five bedroom house are trying their luck with acquiring £10,850 per week rent during the Olympic Games.

Luxury properties with additional features, such as a swimming pool or gym, can command much higher prices.

If you’ve got a property in the London area and want to cash in on the Olympic effect, then now is definitely the time to give it some serious thought!

The pros of letting tenants decorate

If you’ve been letting the property for a while, and it’s a long time since it was decorated, then it may be worth considering it if you’ve got a tenant who wants to give it a go. Even better if they have decorating experience, or simply want to put a new coat of paint in one room.

However, be sure to make it clear what they’re allowed to do and not do, preferably in writing. This includes which rooms they can touch and what they’re allowed to do, in terms of painting or wallpapering. You may even want to vet the colours or ideas, just in case they’ve very outlandish.

The cons of letting tenants decorate

Mention the decorating issue to landlords and some will always have horror stories to share. Although it may seem like a tempting offer to have someone else do the hard work for you, do you really want to put your property in their hands?

Horror stories of decorating gone wrong involve garish colours, badly hung wallpaper, bad painting, paint in areas that shouldn’t have been painted and half done jobs that were abandoned.

Realistically, you can never be 100% certain that tenants will do a decorating job properly, so if you’ve got any doubts about their ability or commitment, it’s best to do it yourself, or pay an expert to come in and do it. It’s the only way to avoid unwanted decorating nightmares.

It helps to have this covered in your paperwork and contract, so they know they can’t just whip out a tin of paint and start decorating when they feel like it.

If there’s no major need to decorate just yet, then a good time is always between rentals – as one tenant moves out, and before another arrives.