Tips on how to create a successful rental listing

WHEN TO POST YOUR RENTAL LISTING

Most renters will begin their search for a new home sometime between 20-45 days. A tenant is required to provide 30-days' (or one month) notice to vacate the property in which they are currently residing. We strongly recommend that you do not secure a tenancy agreement until you've received your Official Notice of Completion and have booked your possession date.

WHERE TO POST YOUR RENTAL LISTING

It is good practice to post your rental listing on more than one platform to maximize visibility of your listing. Some common platforms are Craigslist, Zumper, PadMapper and Facebook Marketplace

OPTIMAL RENTAL LISTINGS

When listing your property for rent, there are a variety of things you can do to ensure that your property is well positioned amongst available inventories. For an optimal listing, we recommend including the following details:

• Clear indication of where the property is located, the rental amount, tenancy start date and desired tenancy length (ie: 6 months, 1 year, etc.)
• Number of bedrooms & bathrooms in the home
• Whether the home has multiple floors
• Interior and exterior photos, including but not limited to bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, living area, den (if applicable), storage space, parking/garages, and yard space. (Standard empty unit photography will be provided on your homeowner portal closer to completion)
• A list of services and facilities that are included (for example hydro, internet, amenities)
• If pets are allowed & any pet restrictions (per Bylaws)

HOW TO PRE-SCREEN APPLICANTS

It is important that you do your due diligence as a housing provider to ensure you are making an informed decision when selecting a potential tenant.

As a housing provider, you can request the following information:

• Verifiable income and employment
• References, preferably a previous housing provider
• Photo identification to ensure their name matches their application (you may not make a copy of any ID)
• With the applicant's approval, you may also conduct a credit check

EXECUTING A TENANCY AGREEMENT

Once you have found your tenant, you must establish a tenancy agreement, to be reviewed and signed by you and your tenant. We recommend following the guidelines on the Government of BC website for the most relevant information, which can be found here.

Some key information regarding tenancy agreements:

• You can find a standard tenancy agreement on the Government of BC website. Should you wish to draft your own agreement, you must include the standard terms as required by the Residential Tenancy Act.
• You must provide a copy of the signed tenancy agreement to your tenant within 21 days of signing.

NOTIFY STRATA PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

It's important to notify your Strata Property Management when you are renting out your home, as they may require notice of a new tenancy, information about your tenant and/or specific forms to be filled out (ie. Form K).