In the rental market (residential or short-term) as in most areas of life, preparation is key. Accepting the fact that tenants will eventually move on is the first step in thinking about what you can do to prepare for this and hence maximise occupation in your rental.

Be prepared to market effectively

Before
your first set of tenants moves in, thoroughly photograph your property and, if
possible, record a video tour of it. That way, you can showcase the property in
its absolute best condition any time you like, including while your tenants are
still in it.

In
the residential market, this can help to speed up and smooth over that
potentially-awkward time when one set of tenants is moving out and you want to
view and re-let the property as quickly as possible, but you still have to
respect the fact that your current tenants are still paying their rent.

In
the short-term rental market, this means that you can basically market your
property on an ongoing basis.

Be a good landlord

In
the residential rental market, the easiest way to keep your property occupied
for as long as possible is to keep your tenants happy.

This
motivates them to stay put for as long as their circumstances remain the same
and it also encourages them to refer you to alternative tenants when they are
ready to leave.

If
you’re using a letting agent, then make
sure you choose one which has a good track-record with tenants as well as with
landlords and consider giving your tenants an email address to contact you
directly if they are unhappy with the agency.

In
the short-term rental market, go that extra mile, for example, by leaving
welcome packs, and actively reach out to tenants and ask them to spread the
word about how much they enjoyed their stay. As a minimum, leave some business
cards; ideally get them to connect with you on social media.

Be ready to take action quickly
when tenants give notice

The
better a job you have done of taking care of your property, the easier it will
be for you to turn it over in readiness for the next set of tenants. At most,
it should need minor repairs and cosmetic updates.

Similarly,
the better a job you have done of being a good landlord, the more cooperative
your tenants are likely to be when it comes to their time to move on. In fact,
they may even refer you to their friends and/or leave a positive review of you
as a landlord.

If
you want to show the property when your current tenants are still in it, then,
as a minimum, you need to do so respectfully.

Ideally,
you want to incentivize them to cooperate by keeping the place clean and tidy
and if necessary clearing out (or at least clearing out children or pets) when
tenants come to view the place.

If
you feel like this could hit you in the wallet, and then remember that your
current tenants are the people who are filling your wallet – and legally they
don’t actually have to let you conduct viewings at all. The moral of the story,
therefore, is to pre-qualify potential tenants thoroughly, so you keep viewings
to a minimum.

Awnings are gorgeous, and that’s just one of the many
reasons why they add value to any real estate property, especially when we are
discussing residential real estate. Whether you are planning to sell a house or
redecorate your current home, awnings have more to offer in both situations
than most of us realise. Therefore, along with the main benefits of investing
in the shades, we are also going to take a brief look at some of the factors
which can be key in making the right choice in awning installations.

Useable Outdoor Space Expansion

Depending on the choice of awning, we can do either
one or all of the following to expand a property’s outdoor space usability:

• We can add glass verandas and patio roofs to make an
  external section of the house much more useable
• Freestanding awnings in the garden can expand the
  external living space
• A terrace awning, on the other hand, can essentially
  add a temporary, retractable floor to your home!

Freestanding awnings are perfect for garden parties
and barbecues, while a patio roof to sit under and enjoy the weather outside
adds to a residential property’s external appeal. If by any chance you are
lucky enough to have a beautiful view of nature from the windows, sitting under
the terrace awning on a rainy day will just offer a better, wider view
altogether. As should be easy to imagine why, this adds to the real estate’s
overall perceived value as well.

Can Awnings Bring Down Electricity Bills
Here?

Although awnings most certainly can help to keep a
house cool, the energy savings can only be significant enough to be considered for
houses located in sunnier parts of the world. So, it may or may not be able
bring down summer energy consumption, depending on where you live exactly in
the UK. Sun canopies can, however, help the homeowner shave off a good few
pounds from the cooling bills even in the United Kingdom, provided that the
property is located in one of the very few areas known to experience proper summers; namely
Kent, Brighton, Flintshire and Greycrook mostly.

Due to this limited nature of sunlight availability in
the UK, retractable awnings are the popular choice. The option to retract them
and receive a few rare hours of sunlight during the colder months is a
necessity.

Aesthetic Appeal: Make a Strong First
Impression with Beautiful Awnings

Well planned, bespoke awnings and verandas can
practically increase the financial value of the property, simply because of how
aesthetically pleasing they can be. To see how much of an impact that well-planned
awnings can have in raising the aesthetic value of a property,
pay a visit to nationwideltd.co.uk and see some of the work that they have done
over the course of three decades.

From bright and radiant glass verandas in a traditional
or contemporary style to sun canopies, rain awnings and terrace and patio
awnings in bespoke designs, they can give any installation a personalised touch
that is in line with the client’s expectations and the surrounding décor.

Protection from the Elements

Homeowners may like the sun, but rest assured this is
not the case with the house itself! Rain, snow and sunlight can and will make any house
lose its external appeal over time, and it’s practically an
inevitability. However, depending on how often you have to repaint, the costs
can go up unnecessarily high without awnings. With intelligent awning
placements, however, the paint jobs should be far and few between.

Considerations: How to Know What’s
Right for Your Home?

It can be challenging to know exactly what’s right for
which property without proper guidance, so go through the following pointers to
make an informed, intelligent investment:

Bespoke Solutions – In spite of how beautiful
some of the installations can look on paper or on a website, there is no
guarantee that they will look just as beautiful on every property. This is precisely
why bespoke awnings are so important. Everything from the materials to the designs
and colours are to be decided in accordance with the property in question.
Considerations should include but don’t need to be limited to the following
aspects:

• External décor of the house
• The immediate decor that surrounds the area/areas
  where the installations are about to go up
• Climatic factors – how bad is the rain/snow in your
  area?
• The functionality aspect, or the main objective behind
  the purchase
• Available space

Experienced Workers – The company you choose for
the job must have sufficient experience to not just do what they are told, but
to also help figure out what you need. They should be able to advise you
against any possible mistakes that you might be making because it’s not an area
that the average homeowner is familiar with.

High-Quality Motors – Given how important it is
to be able to retract the awnings as necessary, do make sure that the products
are made with high-quality motors. Servicing may still be required every once
in a while, but if it stops functioning far too often, that could become a real
nuisance.

Know Your Options Well

When it comes to home renovations and improvements, we
are talking about significant investments here. Granted, awnings aren’t
necessarily the most expensive renovation project that you can undertake, but it
still wouldn’t make financial or common sense if you made choices without even
knowing what your options are exactly! To prevent that mistake, let’s take a
brief look through the options next.

Options for Material

Awnings can be made from surprisingly different
varieties of materials as it turns out, and some of the more popular options
are:

• Natural awnings are made out of canvas, wood and fibre:
  Expected maintenance is around 5 – 7 years
• Polyester laminated/coated with vinyl: Long-lasting
  and offers UV protection, but limited colour/design options
• Polyester coated in acrylic: Not as heavy as vinyl-coated
  polyester, but just as sturdy and UV protective
• Pure acrylic fibre: More expensive and heavier than
  the above, but sturdier as well
• Steel: Easy to paint and design, but may rust easily
• Aluminium: A cheaper metal that dents very easily and
  requires regular maintenance
• Fibreglass: Looks great, allows light through and
  doesn’t require too much maintenance except occasional cleaning. However, it
  doesn’t last as long as metal either, since it can crack or shatter over time.

Options in Retraction

The property, the placement, and the materials used
will determine the retraction options, which are:

• Full Cassette: For large awning installations in large
  spaces such as the terrace or the patio
• Semi-Cassette: Ideal for areas with small wall space
• Folding: Meant for metals mostly, like steel and aluminium

Whether you are looking to read books outside your own
home in the afternoon, or want to get the maximum possible price for a house
that you are about to sell, awnings really do add functional, aesthetic and
financial value to any residential property. Just make sure that an experienced
team is on the job though, because unless they know what they are doing, that
bright green rain awning can end up looking pretty out of place against a
Victorian townhouse!