The monthly (mid-term) rental space is growing fast, and new landlords are jumping in every day. Many of them are guessing at their booking process and losing time and income because of it. Katie and Kelly have managed hundreds of bookings in the midterm rental space over the last five years, consistently maintaining 90 to 95% occupancy rates. Today, we're sharing the exact process that takes a Furnished Finder (opens in new tab) lead all the way to move-in day.
The power of personal connection
Not every booking comes easily. Sometimes a simple conversation can make all the difference between losing a lead and securing a great tenant.Katie recalls a nurse traveling from across the country who wanted to see the property before committing. Since showing occupied properties isn't part of the standard process, Katie offered an alternative: a FaceTime call from her back porch. No property tour, just a genuine conversation to establish trust and demonstrate that she was a real person who had been successfully managing rentals for years.That conversation changed everything. The nurse became a great tenant, all because Katie took the time to build a personal connection.
The 60-day prep timeline
Check for extensions first
At the 60-day mark before your current tenant's scheduled move-out, reach out to confirm their plans. Extensions are common in the midterm rental space, and this simple check-in can save you from unnecessary marketing efforts.A quick message works: "Are your move-out dates still the same? We’ll start receiving booking requests soon, so let us know if anything has changed."This often results in extensions, keeping your property occupied without any turnover costs.
Optimize your listing
Before leads start coming in, view your listing through a tenant's eyes:
Ensure your calendar is accurate
Check your pricing & fees against other like listings in your area
Review your headline for clarity and appeal
Check that photos are current and seasonal
Update your description with any new amenities or changes
Your marketing needs to be spot-on before booking requests arrive. For average rental rates per bedroom size, visit Furnished Finder’s Market Insights (opens in new tab) page
The core booking process
Once a potential tenant is ready to move forward, send them a clear summary of what to expect. These Landlord Tools (opens in new tab) are available in your Furnished Finder dashboard.
The standard process:
Tenant screening for everyone over 18 staying in the home
Digital lease creation and signing
Collection of move-in fees (deposit, cleaning & pet fees) upon lease signing
First month's rent collected on or just before move-in day
Property comes off the market once fees are received
House rules and access instructions shared once first month’s rent is paid
Why tenant screening matters for everyone
Katie initially skipped tenant screening for traveling professionals, relying instead on work contracts. But she quickly realized that while employers thoroughly screen for criminal background checks, they don't verify credit history or payment patterns.Now, every person over 18 who will be living in the property gets screened. This isn't just about the person paying rent. It's about knowing who will be in your home.
The digital lease is non-negotiable
A digital lease sets everyone on the same playing field and establishes clear expectations from day one. Over the years, both Katie and Kelly have refined their leases. A few highlighted on this episode to include:
Move in & move out times
Entry procedures for repairs
Pet policies and requirements
Quiet hours and house rules
Rights to conduct pest control when needed
Fire safety check provisions
Katie requires renters insurance for any tenant with a pet and encourages it for all tenants. This extra layer of protection has proven invaluable. For more on the ultimate guide to online monthly rental leases watch this podcast episode with Rocket Lawyer (opens in new tab).
Understanding lead types on Furnished Finder
Not all leads are created equal, and understanding the difference helps set realistic expectations:
Direct messages: A traveler has gone to your specific listing and clicked "message the landlord" with a question. Expect a response.
Direct booking Inquiries: Someone has specifically chosen your property and wants to book. High likelihood of conversion.
Housing Requests (Matched or Unmatched): These go to multiple landlords. Your response rate from tenants will naturally be lower as they're exploring multiple options.Regardless of lead type, always put your best foot forward.
Crafting the perfect first response
Your first message is your first impression. Never respond with just "Thanks, my property is available." Tenants can see that from your calendar.
A strong first response includes:
A personal introduction
What makes your property unique
Enthusiasm about hosting them
Questions about their travel purpose
An invitation to ask questions
Demonstration of how you add value as a landlord
Base your response on the information they've provided in their lead comments. Show genuine interest in their situation.
When tenants don't respond
If you don't hear back, don't sweat it. Move on to the next lead. But if there was a promising connection, don't be afraid to follow up after a few days or even a couple of weeks.Life moves quickly. Emails get buried. Notifications get missed. A simple follow-up message has resulted in numerous successful bookings: "Hey, I saw that you messaged me a couple days ago. Are you still looking?"If they still don't respond after a follow-up, it's okay. Focus on making your listing better and improving your next first message.
Communication preferences matter
Try to figure out how potential tenants prefer to communicate. Some like keeping everything on the Furnished Finder platform initially. Others prefer text messages or phone calls once they're comfortable.Kelly keeps communication on Furnished Finder to start, then may send a second message or make a phone call to add a personalized touch.
The 24-48 hour myth
Some people say if a lead is more than 24 to 48 hours old, it's likely gone. That's not always true.While best practice is to respond within a few hours, many tenants are still finalizing contracts, waiting to sell their current property, or simply exploring options well in advance. Staying in touch can lead to future bookings down the road. Different tenant types operate on different timelines:
Emergency housing needs (flood, fire): near-instant responses
Extended vacationers: middle ground
Travel nurses and medical treatment: faster responses to get settled
Handling tenant screening pushback
Tenant screening through Furnished Finder costs $44.99 via TransUnion. It's comparable to apartment application fees, and most tenants don't bat an eye.But occasionally, you'll get pushback. Katie's solution: "I think this could be a really great match. If we move forward with a lease after your screening comes through, I'll credit that $44.99 towards your first month's rent."This minor concession can get a booking across the finish line. It signals good faith while maintaining your screening standards.
Reading tenant screening results
The Furnished Finder tenant screening process is quick and easy. The landlord should collect tenant(s) first name, last name, and email address, and the screening doesn't ding the applicants credit score (it's a soft pull).
Before running the screening, verify:
Do their desired dates align with your availability?
Who will be staying in the home?
What's their employment situation and reason for travel?
Are they aware of property limitations (no washer/dryer, no dishwasher, shared spaces)?
Two approaches to screening results:
Katie's method: Set minimum requirements in advance. If a tenant doesn't meet them, the decision is made without emotion. This creates clear boundaries and consistent decision-making.
Kelly's method: Use screening as a starting point for conversation. If something shows up on the report, have a discussion. Request references from past landlords. Assess their ability to pay rent.Both approaches work. The key is deciding your process in advance rather than making emotional decisions in the moment.Most mid-term tenants will have outstanding reports. But life happens. What will you do if someone has a lower credit score or something on their record? Decide now, not when you're eager to fill a vacancy.
Securing the booking with payment
Once tenant screening looks good and the lease is signed, it's time to collect payments and take the property off the market.
Standard payment collection:
Security deposit: upon lease signing
Cleaning & pet fees: upon lease signing
First month's rent: on move-in day or a few days before
Both Katie and Kelly use Baselane (opens in new tab) for secure, professional payment processing. It's free for landlords, offers free ACH bank to bank transfers and low fees for tenants who want to use a credit card for miles or points.A strong word of caution: avoid accepting checks, cash, Venmo, or Zelle. Even if you only have one property or one room to rent, you want to establish a professional relationship from the start. Secure payment processing sets the right tone.
When you're not getting enough leads
If your property isn't generating the leads you want, it's often not the market. More often, it's your listing. These are some high-impact improvements:
Professional photos
If you haven't gotten professional photos, the time is now. They cost less than you think and will move the needle far more than you expect. We live in a visual society. You need to stop the scroll and show off your space.
Photo best practices:
Show the complete property (exterior, all bedrooms, all spaces)
Never post photos of just your toilet with the lid open
Open windows and turn on lights
Include what's inside cabinets (toward the end of your listing)
Show what's in the surrounding area
Competitive pricing
Many people set their pricing without understanding midterm rentals. They want short-term rental rates, but that's not this business model. Your occupancy will be much higher with midterm rentals, which offsets the lower nightly rate.Look at the Market Insights (opens in new tab) page on Furnished Finder. Check the map and compare similar properties in your area. Where do you line up?Remember: when you collect $2,000 in rent on Furnished Finder, you get paid $2,000. There are no booking fees or commissions taken out. You don't need to inflate your pricing to compensate for platform fees.
Competitive policies
More than half of tenants (57%) have skipped a rental because the deposit was too high. Is yours in line with the market?Forty percent of Furnished Finder properties are pet-friendly. If you have a fenced yard but don't allow pets, you're missing significant opportunities with traveling families.
Preparing for tenant move-in
Once the property is off the market and the booking is secured, preparation begins.
Essential pre-move-in steps:
Schedule cleaning immediately after the lease is signed and move-in fees are paid
Provide cleaners with a system: photos from Furnished Finder, checklist of what to verify, standards for setup
Be present for first few flips if you're new to the space to perfect your systems
Document everything: video walkthrough and photos of the property condition before the new tenant arrives
This documentation serves two purposes: it shows how the last tenant left the property and how you delivered it to the new tenant.
Right after move-in
Make sure your tenant feels settled and welcome. Send template messages with:
Wi-Fi information
Parking instructions
Lock codes and key locations
Reminder of house rules
Emergency contact details
Your availability for questions
This isn't a two or three-night stay. They're truly living there for months. Set them up well and make sure they know you're available if they need anything.
The details that make a difference
Update your calendar immediately
The best time to update your Furnished Finder calendar is right when you've secured the booking and are scheduling cleaners. Don't wait. Do it then.
Be flexible with your space
If you have a larger home, consider offering it as either an entire space or a room rental. Think about what your property could be good for and how you can optimize it for different tenant needs.
Unique tenant situations
Tenants come with all kinds of situations. One of Katie's tenants ordered holiday decorations during their stay and left them in the closet for future guests. Kelly has had multiple tenants arrive with RVs, embracing the digital nomad lifestyle while having a home base. Stay open to the unique needs and contributions of your tenants.
The bottom line
This booking process isn't rocket science. It's about quality, speed, and clear communication.
The success formula:
Respond quickly to leads
Make your listing great with professional photos and competitive pricing
Craft thoughtful first messages that demonstrate value
Screen every adult who will live in the property, TransUnion is our recommendation
Use digital leases with clear expectations through trusted platforms like Rocket Lawyer (opens in new tab)
Collect payments professionally through secure platforms like Baselane (opens in new tab)
Document property condition at every turn
Welcome tenants warmly and make them feel at home
With over 700,000 travelers searching for housing on Furnished Finder (opens in new tab) each month, and demand for stays of 28 days or longer growing 138% from 2019 to 2025, the opportunity is significant.The landlords who master this booking process are the ones maintaining 90%+ occupancy rates year after year. Now you have the exact system to do the same. List your property now (opens in new tab) on Furnished Finder.
Episode 166 Transcript
Every once in a while, if I get pushback, I'll just say, I think you could be a this could be a really great match. If we move forward with a lease after your screening comes through I'll credit the, of that 44.99 towards your first month rent." So then it's saying if it works out, great.
I don't mind taking a little bit of a hit. That's a really minor hit on rent, especially for me to get it across the finish line. The midterm rental space is growing fast, and new landlords are jumping in every day, many of them guessing at their booking process and losing time and income because of it.
Today, Katie and Kelly are handing over the exact process behind our 90 to 95% occupancy so you do not have to figure it out the hard way. Between us, we have managed hundreds of bookings in the midterm rental space over the last five years, and today we are sharing exactly how it works from Furnished Finder lead to move-in day.
So excited to be with you guys here today. Katie, can you share a booking that almost didn't happen and what you did to save it? Yeah, great question. I'm super excited to share this process with everybody because it is such a key to keeping your occupancy high and getting those tenants that you just love to work with.
I've had quite a few leads who have wanted to see the space. And that's not something that we do because when we have tenants who are already in the property we don't wanna disturb them, so we don't do showings. So one particular time that I can remember is I had a nurse who was coming from the other side of the country, and she just wanted to feel comfortable, so I said, "Hey, I can't walk you through the space.
I can't even FaceTime you in the space because someone's in there and I'm not gonna bother them. But I can just FaceTime you from my back porch and we can just chat, and I can reassure you that I'm a real human and I've been doing this for a while." And just having that conversation totally changed the dynamic and just set that trust level and that relationship on the right foot, and she ended up being a great tenant for me.
All right. So Kelli, I wanna dive into this because we have so much great information to share. So show, tell us from a high-level perspective, what does your booking process actually look like 60 days before your current tenant is set to move out? Definitely. So one of the best things to do is we're, we all know that in the mid-term rental space, or if you're new to the mid-term rental space, extensions are common.
So one thing you wanna do is at that 60-day mark or as you're approaching the last 30 days, check in with your tenants. "Hey, are your move-out dates still the same? We are starting to advertise the property again so let us know if anything has changed." So sometimes that results in, "Oh, yes, I'd like to extend another two months or another three months."
So it's always good to check in with your tenants throughout the process, especially in the last 30 to 60 days. And then what I like to do is- I wanna see my listing through the eyes of a tenant, right? So I get on Furnished Finder, I start looking at my headline, my photos, making sure that they're good to go for whatever season I'm in, and the description, is there anything that needs to be updated, et cetera.
So I wanna make sure that my marketing is spot on and ready for those booking requests and leads to come in. So once a potential tenant is ready to move forward with the booking process, then I send a summary of the process to them of, "Hey, here's what you can expect from me as a landlord. Here's what you can expect from the booking process, your move-in fees, et cetera."
So that always includes, the tenant screening for anyone that's over 18 years of age that's gonna be staying in the home, a signing of the lease, and then after those two things are done, then collecting the move-in fees, with the deposit, the cleaning fee, w- upon signing the lease, definitely within a couple days so that we can take that property off the market.
And then I like to collect the rent just, on move-in day or prior to move-in day. Once that all happens, then I can share the house rules with the access instructions, and we are off to the races. What about you, Katie? Yeah, mine is very similar. I think a really important part for me is tenant screening.
I will actually confess that I didn't used to use tenant screening, especially for traveling professionals. I just asked for a copy of their work contract, whether that was through a hospital or a healthcare contractor, or whether it was some sort of other corporate travel. But then I realized that those contracts, they screen them very thoroughly for, a criminal background check things like that.
But what I really wanna see is a credit history and to make sure that they've made pay- that made payments on time which your employer doesn't care if you're making payments on time. They are paying you. So once I realized that, I screen every single tenant that is over the age of 18. So not just the person who is paying the rent, but every single person that's gonna be living in the property.
Definitely do that digital lease. And I let everybody know that the property is not off of the market and your booking is not complete until we get your security deposit and your cleaning fee. So I take those at the lease signing, and I require that the first month's rent to be paid two days before move-in because I wanna make sure there's no issues with that.
I've never had issues with it, but I just wanna make sure that everything goes off without a hitch. So that's a very similar process for me. A digital lease is an absolute must. It just sets everybody on the same base. It's get everybody on the same playing field. Set those expectations correctly.
I have tinkered with my lease over the past few years. Nothing incredibly crazy, but things like if we need to do pest control, like we have the right to do pest control, right? If we need to do fire safety checks, we have the right to do those. What it would look like if we need to get into the, to do the unit.
Expectations for repairs. Just things like that, that I like to just put in one document. So yeah, a very similar process. I also like to encourage my renters to get renters insurance. If they have a pet, I require it, so I do have that as a part of my booking process. If they have a pet, I do require that they get renters insurance.
It's available through Furnish Renter that they get it. And I will be adding a damage protection plan purchase back into my flow pretty soon when we reintroduce that product shortly because I just like having all my bases covered. Definitely. And quick reminder with just that demand, Furnished Finder has grown so much over the years.
We've been in business over a decade now, and there's over 700,000 travelers searching for housing on Furnished Finder each month. Demand for those stays of 28 days or longer grew 138% from 2019 to 2025. So there's a lot of activity on the Furnished Finder website. One thing to know is that we've optimized your search experience so that a tenant and a landlord who have dates coming available or dates of stay occurring around the same time can be best matched together.
But there is a ton of demand out there, and we do encourage tenants to also inquire about multiple properties to find the right fit. So Katie, one of the most common things we hear from landlords is, "But what happens when I send a message and they don't respond? What should I do?" So what are your best practices?
Yeah. First things first is to understand the tenant lead types. This is something really unique about the Furnished Finder platform. So you need to understand who you're responding to and what the expectation is, okay? If you get a direct message usually with a question or some sort of clarification, that is someone who's gone on your listing and hit message the landlord, right?
They have a question. So I would expect a response from that. Same thing with a direct booking inquiry. That tenant or traveler has gone specifically to your listing. Now, if you get something coming through as a housing request, whether it's matched or unmatched, that's gonna go to multiple landlords, so your response rate from tenants might be a little bit lower just if they find a different fit faster or your property's not a fit.
But regardless of the response you get, I think it's important to put your best foot forward. So the first message you send back is the most critical, and we spend a lot of time on this. When I say we, it's me and my husband. A- and we take this first response really... it's your first impression, okay?
I don't wanna see anybody ever respond to, "Thanks. My property's available." Okay. Y- a traveler should be able to tell that just based on your calendar availability on your listing. I always like to say, introduce myself, tell them what's unique about the property, tell them we love to host them, ask if they have any questions ask what they're traveling for.
Show a little bit of interest based on the information that they've given in the lead comments that they've provided and start already demonstrating how you can add value and how you are a good landlord. That will make a really big difference just in your first message to them.
If you don't hear back from a tenant- I, don't sweat it, right? Just move on. What is the next one? But if you think there was a really promising connection there, don't be afraid to follow up. I have made several bookings based on the follow-up of, "Hey, I saw that you messaged me a couple weeks ago. Are you still looking?"
Or maybe it's a couple days ago, right? And just following up and making sure that they're not interested. Life moves very quickly these days. We get a lot of notifications. We have emails and texts, and there's just constantly something dinging, so there's always a chance that your message just got lost or it's not seen.
So follow up, and then if they don't get back, it's okay, right? Move on to the next one. Focus on how can you make your listing the best possible, how can you make that first message a little better, and go from there. Kelly, what do you do? Very similar. Oh I think one thing to keep in mind is try to figure out how do they like to communicate, right?
It's like we have our own styles of communication, but you wanna connect on the level that they wanna connect. So is that a text message? Is that through the Furnished Finder messaging, and then until they're comfortable to take it off-platform. So know how they like to communicate. So I like keeping it on Furnished Finder to start off, and then maybe sending a second message or a phone call to their text or directly to them as well.
What I find interesting is I hear some people say, "Oh, if you don't if a lead comes in and it's been more than 24 to 48 hours, it's likely gone." I haven't found that always to be true. Yes, I think best practices are to respond as quickly as possible, and we encourage... for myself, I try to do it within a couple hours, definitely within that day.
But there's been quite a few times that someone either doesn't have their contract yet, or they're still figuring out they wanna sell their property first before they make that decision to move. So just staying in touch can oftentimes lead to a future booking down the road as well. I think another thing that's important to remember here is you'll hear from all different types of tenants.
We used to have primarily travel nurses and traveling medical professionals. We have so many different tenant types, and they might respond a little bit differently or on a different timetable. So for instance, I've had people who are looking for housing because they've had a flood in their house, and they're looking for housing as soon as possible.
So they're gonna be, they're gonna be responding almost instantaneously. And then I've had some medical professionals who are looking for housing a few months in the future, and they might be considering more options or still solidifying their work contract and be a little bit slower to respond.
And then there's folks in the middle, right? There's people who are maybe taking extended vacations. I've had folks who are traveling for medical treatments of their own and they've been a lot faster to respond because they're looking to get things sorted out. But it's important to remember that.
Another interesting thing that I've been able to do to move the needle is with the tenant screening fee. Tenant screenings are $44.99 when you go through Furnished Finder, and we use TransUnion, so it's a really comparable rate. I always tell leads that it is the same thought as thinking about if they were to do an application for an apartment, right?
Now, most tenants don't bat an eye on it. They're, they use- they're used to this booking process. A lot of people who have traveled with midterm rentals or monthly rentals, they've done it before, they know the drill. But every once in a while, if I get pushback, I'll just say, I think you could be a this could be a really great match.
If we move forward with a lease after your screening comes through I'll credit the that 44.99 towards your first month rent. So then it's saying, if it works out, great. I don't mind taking a little bit of a hit." That's a really minor hit on rent, especially for me to get it across the finish line.
But they know that they can get a refund if it all works out as well. So that has helped me. I love that because tenant screening is the natural next step, right? You've made those connections. You wanna move forward with this potential booking, and you wanna set them up first yourself and them up for success.
So tenant screening is something we all can do similarly, but we all do a little differently as well, because that's the nice thing about Furnished Finder, is you're in control. So just like Katie, I use the Furnished Finder tenant screening. It's super easy. It's like a quick five-minute process if they're ready.
Now, sometimes it might take, up to 48, 48 hours or something like that, but most of the time, it's a quick five-minute process. All you need is their first name last name, and their email address, and everything else goes through TransUnion. So you're not taking any personal information from your tenants.
It's not a ding on their credit score. It's a soft pull. So it's a really great process for both the landlords and tenants. But once you get into that tenant screening, how do you read res- the results, and how do you know whether you wanna move forward to, with this tenant? And that's something that we don't always talk about in the mid-term rental space.
So I'd like to dive into that a little bit. When I'm s- screening a tenant, the first thing I wanna know is are they a good fit for my dates, right? I don't book ahead because there are a ton of extensions, and a lot of my bookings right now are with me for over a year. So I wanna make sure that I keep my calendar available for those current tenants if they want to extend.
So when I'm looking at next tenants, and I know I have an availability, then I'm looking for, what are their desired dates of stay? Does it line up well with when my current tenant is moving out? For me, that's typically within about two weeks. If it's a longer booking, I'm open to leaving a gap and then filling it like filling that gap on Furnished Finder, but extensions are likely, and move-in dates sometimes are flexible.
So it's always worth checking. I also like to know who's gonna be staying in the home, right? One of my spaces is 300 square feet. It works fantastic for one individual, and we have a lady that's working for the military that is about to move in for a year, and it's perfect for her. Now we have had a couple stay, and that's not always great.
So it's good to know who will be traveling so that you can do the proper tenant screenings and make sure you have pets, children on the lease, et cetera. I also like to know that employment verification, right? Like, why are they coming to town? Is it a grandparent that's visiting their children?
Is it someone that is coming to take a place... Is it someone that's taking a contract? Is it secured yet, or are they still in the works there? So those are always important things to know of, "Hey, what brings you to town?" And then the last thing I wanna do in that in that kind of tenant screening process before I actually run the tenant screening through Furnished Finder is I want them to be aware of things.
Two of mine don't have washer/dryers and they don't have dishwashers, so I wanna make sure that they're aware of those things before we move forward with the booking process just to make sure we've set the right expectations, everyone's on the same page, are there any shared spaces they should be aware of, et cetera.
And then once you go through the tenant screening process you wanna make sure and apply fair housing policies, but one thing that I like to do is, make sure that you have your own systems in place that are set so that you're being consistent with every tenant. So what is the credit score you're looking for?
That's another reason why it's nice to be able to screen multiple tenants staying in the home rather than just one of two tenants if it's a couple traveling, et cetera. And then if for some reason something shows up on that tenant screening, I don't count them out. We have a conversation.
So my husband will give them a call and say, "Hey, tell me more about this, and we just wanna make sure that we're setting you up for success in this space and that'll be a good booking for both of us." And that has worked out for us many times. We've been able to move forward with tenants that maybe just looking at the tenant screening or the results would've we would've questioned, but having that conversation, taking a few extra steps like asking for referrals from past landlords or "Do you have any concerns of being able to pay your rent?"
Things like that. It just really helps set you up for success. I think that's a key difference that you and I have in our tenant screening process, Callie, which is a great demonstration of how you can manage your process differently. We have a set of minimum requirements for your screening results, and if a tenant doesn't meet them, they don't meet them and we don't move forward.
It's a hard line for us, and that helps us to make decisions without emotion, right? It helps us because there have been times where we have really wanted to host a tenant, but we're like, m- we just can't, right? Because but our limits are fairly lenient, right? But there's just certain boundaries where we're just not comfortable going there, and that's okay.
So I think that's also really important that you set for yourself. What i- what is your process going to be as a landlord when you get those screening results? Now, the vast majority of the tenants are fantastic, right? And they're gonna have outstanding reports, but this is life, so what are you gonna do if you have someone come through with a lower credit score, right?
Or maybe something on their record, but it's 20 years old. What is that going to look like for your decisions? And it's much easier to d- to decide your process in advance than to do it in the moment. Yeah. So once you've moved forward with that step, you're securing the booking. The tenant screening looks good.
Now you want to lock it in so that you're protected and your tenant is protected. So that is that lease. With Furnished Finder, we partner with Rocket Lawyer to make sure that you have an online lease option that is secure. Any it's state-specific. Anything that changes throughout, the years, Rocket Lawyer's the one responsible for keeping those leases up to date, and all you do is fill out this questionnaire, double-check the lease wording, and then you go ahead and send it over through e-signature, all on the Furnished Finder platform.
We have a great episode that I'm gonna tag in the show notes with Rocket Lawyer so that you can go back and see what are some of those lease best practices to make sure really set you up for success. But is there anything you wanna highlight on this episode, Katie? No, I just think it's remember to remember...
it's important to remember that those are customizable, and you can put pet policies in there if you want. You can put quiet hour policies. So just take a minute, and that's a great feature of the leases that we offer. It's by far my favorite. So just know that you can add things in there, and you can call those out to certain tenants if you would like to.
And then securing the booking with that payment. Kelly and I both t- take the deposit up front. I take the cleaning fee up front as well. And then getting that first month's payment. We partner with Baselane. They're great. It's free for landlords. It's really affordably priced for tenants if they decide to use a credit card and get those miles.
But it's super easy, and it's online, and it's secure. I would have a really strong word of caution to anybody who is ex- still accepting check or cash or any type of peer-to-peer, Venmo, Zelle, just for the sake of security and professionalism. Even if you only have one property or one room you're renting out, you wanna be a professional and kinda set that relationship on the right track, and Baselane is a great way to do that.
So all right, Kelly, let's move into a little bit of the pain points because that's where I feel like you and I can use our experience and really share some good nuggets 'cause we've hosted hundreds of guests and getting leads is not always as simple as we're making... or getting bookings is not always as simple as we're making it sound, right?
Tell me some things, and let's talk about some things that you do if you're not getting as many leads as you want to, or you have a vacancy coming up, and you're starting to get a little bit antsy or uncomfortable "I don't have the leads that I quite want." I actually love this conversation. We actually have a series of videos on, if your property is not getting the leads that you want, what th- what you can look at on your listing to really improve because it's not always the market.
I would say oftentimes it's not the market. When we hear that conversation from landlords and we ask, "Hey, can you send us your property link so we can take a look at it?" Majority of the time we find things that stand out of, oh, here's a likely scenario of why you might not be getting that demand you're looking for.
So some of those things that are really high value, photos. If you have the high quality professional photos, it really makes a difference. Do you show a complete image of your property, right? If you're not showing the exterior or you have a three bedroom and you're only showing one bedroom, it leaves the tenant wondering what's missing?
Why aren't these parts being shown," right? Being able to capture just the things that stand out. We have many tenants that actually like to see what's inside the cabinets. I wouldn't make those your first photos, adding that towards the end of your listing, that actually adds a lot of value for some tenants.
And then just that idea of what's in the area, right? They're probably new to your area. They may not know much about that specific neighborhood, even if they've visited that city many times. So just being able to help someone see, "Hey, here's why my property would be a great fit for you and here's what the area has to offer."
Other things we see is not staying competitive, right? Maybe it's your deposit is too high. That's one of the things that we have heard recently in a Furnished Finder survey is more than half of tenants, 57%, have skipped a rental because the deposit was too high. Is your rent too high? Is the deposit too high?
What's are... Is everyone else around you pet friendly and you're really reaching families that are traveling with a pet and need a fenced yard? If you're not pet friendly and you have a fenced yard, you're missing out on quite a bit of opportunity. 40% of Furnished Finder properties are pet friendly.
So those are really the things that I look for. And then the headline is great as well. That's a... the photos and the headline is what someone is seeing first about your property. So really focus and look at it through the eyes of your potential tenant. Think, "How am I making my property something that's highly sought after by a tenant?"
What about you, Katie? The top two things that I always think of are your photos, right? If you have not gotten professional photos, it is time. The time was yesterday. I always think of the saying, "The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago. The next best time is today." Get your professional photos taken.
They are very reasonably priced. It will cost you less than you think it will cost you. It will move the needle far more than you think it will move the needle. It will get you so many more inquiries and great inquiries. It- we live in a visual society. You want to stop the scroll, show off your space. The second thing is to assess your pricing, right?
I think a lot of people set their pricing not understanding midterm rentals, and they want, short-term rental pricing, which is not what we are, but the difference is that your occupancy is gonna be so much higher, right? But if you are priced completely differently than your market or than your competitors are in the surrounding area with properties like yours, you're out of range.
So take a look at the market insights page we have. It's linked on the homepage of our, of the Furnished Finder website, and take some time and look at the map and look at some other properties and see where do you line up, right? And don't be afraid to adjust any of those things. Remember that when you collect $2,000 of rent, for example, on Furnished Finder, you get paid $2,000.
It's not like other sites where there's booking fees and commissions taken out so that you don't get all of the payment. So you don't need to compensate for any of that, right? The payment is going directly to you. But that is a really important thing, so you wanna make sure your pricing is dialed in.
So you've made it through the booking process. The property is off the market. Now you're preparing your home for the tenant, right? So what are two or three things you always do before and right after a tenant moves in? For me, Katie, that's gonna be, getting that cleaning scheduled. As soon as the lease is signed and those first move-in fees are paid, I communicate with my cleaners to make sure it's on the calendar and we're ready for that turnover.
One thing that our cleaner does is she has a link to all of our photos on Furnished Finder. She has a system that we've put together of here's the things to check to make sure everything's in the home and set up the right way. So you don't wanna just let your cleaners go, especially if you're new to the space.
You really wanna be there for those first few flips, make sure you're perfecting your systems, so that you're ready to jump in and say, "Hey, here's what we need to do differently for the next round." And then the nice thing is once you have those systems in place, the cleaners are taking care of those things consistently, then you can step back and not even touch your properties, right?
I live in the same city as most of mine, but I rarely go to them unless something's needed or just to spot check 'em a couple times a year. What about you, Katie? What are some of those first things or right after move-in that are important? It's interesting 'cause there's a handful of my properties I've never even been to.
Which I know is wild to a lot of people, but even we have one property that we just purchased in, earlier this year, so it's not an arbitrage or a partnership we have, but truly one that we bought. I've never been to it. That's 'cause I partner with my family and they furnished it and got it all set up to go.
So you don't have to be there. You have to have people that you trust and you can rely on. But it's always really important for me to take photos of how the property looks. We have our cleaner do just a video walkthrough and photos of any potential damage. Usually there's nothing, but I just like to have a clean slate.
It serves as documentation for how the last tenant left it. It also serves as documentation for how we gave it to the next tenant, right? So you're just always documenting and having those things to rely on. And then honestly, right after a tenant moves in, I just like to make sure that they feel settled.
I have some template messages I send them just with the Wi-Fi information, reminder of how parking works, the locks. Just taking some time to make sure that they feel good, they feel welcome, they feel like they have all of the resources they need, making sure they know where things are and just that they know that we're here to help them.
So it's not rocket science. It's not anything overly complicated. It's about being there. It's about being a great landlord and about being available if they have questions, and just providing clear communication and a great home for them. 'Cause they're living there, right? This isn't a two or three night stay for them.
They're truly s- living there for a few months. So you wanna make sure that you make sure that they're set up well and ready to go. All right, Kelly, rapid fire questions. You and me. First one's for you. What is one thing you do in your booking process that a lot of landlords forget to do? This is great since we just went through our booking process, and I'm gonna say two real quick.
Updating your calendar. So the time I like to update my calendar is whenever I have secured the booking and I'm scheduling the cleaner. So right then I go put it on my calendar and I make sure it's up to date. The other thing, most of my properties are three bedroom, two bath homes. So I like to be flexible, offering it as an entire space or a room rental.
So be, just keep an, keep your eye open to what can your property be good for and how could you optimize that? Katie, worst photo you have ever seen on a listing. I can almost guarantee that I've looked at more Furnished Finder listings than 99% of our travelers Please, everybody out there, stop posting pictures of your toilet with the lid open.
Please. Yes. Please. And a photo of your toilet is not a photo that should be shared. A photo of your bathroom is. A photo of just your toilet, please just stop. I beg of you. I beg of you. Also, open the windows. Turn on some lights. Guys, get that professional photographer, please. It's gonna make such a difference.
But the toilet is such a hot button for me. Ooh, okay, last one. What's one of the most unique things your travelers have come with for their stay? I had a traveler once who didn't come with this, but when they moved out, they did let us know. They said, "Hey, we ordered some holiday decorations because we really wanted to be in the holiday spirit.
We're not gonna take them with us, so feel free to leave them in the closet for the next person who's here over the holidays." So we do have one of our properties that we can let people know during the winter "Hey, there's a Christmas tree and some lights if you decide that you wanna get festive." I love that.
That's fun. What about you, Kelly? I'm gonna say RVs, so with the larger homes and people used to this digital nomad life of you can live from anywhere we've had a couple tenants come with RVs, and I just think that's awesome. That's fun. Yeah. We hope you've gotten a lot out of this episode.
Our, each of our booking processes are so important, they're so unique, and you have that control with Furnished Finder. So make sure and action steps, go look at your listing. Make sure it's ready for your next tenants. Listen to some other Landlord Diaries podcast episodes. We have them organized by playlist.
If you're into house hacking or you're into insurance stays, the, go find the playlist on YouTube for that. Katie, anything else you wanna add to wrap up this episode? No. I think just remember, guys, this is not anything incredibly difficult. It's about quality. Respond quickly. Make your listing great.
Respond with thought. A- and be ready to have great leads and make them into tenants. You've heard it again on the Landlord Diaries. Please don't forget to subscribe. If you're really getting value out of our show we'd love a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just share it with a friend. Say, "Hey, there's this great podcast out there called Landlord Diaries, and Furnished Finder will change your life."
All right. Have a great day, everyone. We'll catch you again next time. Bye.
Thanks for joining us on this episode. If you're enjoying The Landlord Diaries, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with others. With over 300,000 listings across the country, Furnished Finder makes it easy for landlords and tenants to connect directly. No middleman, no markups. Ready to list your property?