Renting out properties in Scotland is very competitive. Rents are increasing every year, with the average rent of a one-bed property at £856 per month. With these rising costs come greater expectations and requests from tenants.
If you want to stay competitive and win great tenants, this article is for you with essential tips for creating a unique and inviting space in your Scottish city rental.
The reality of renting property in Scotland
Scotland is well-known for its captivating landscapes, inspiring writers and artists the world over and attracting over 109 million tourists every year.
For those who want to make Scotland their home, and settle in one of its eight beautiful cities, renting in Scotland’s cities can be challenging – especially in areas where there is high demand and limited supply.
Related: Discover the most affordable areas to rent in Edinburgh
Landlords hoping to secure reliable, long-term tenants must be proactive. While competition is fierce and prices are high, tenants are ultimately looking for a place they can call home.
By prioritising the right changes and updates, landlords can create a space that is attractive for letting agents to advertise, coveted by potential tenants, and of a high quality to reflect the rent amount.
If you’re wondering how to make your property attractive to potential tenants so that you can rent out your house in Scotland, here’s how to achieve this.
How to create a unique and inviting Scottish rental
A unique and inviting living space is attractive to potential tenants. It displays your love and care of the property and can allow you to charge a higher rate. Here’s how you can create a unique and inviting Scottish rental property in a highly competitive city location.
Neutral colour palettes
Neutral colours offer a timeless foundation that you can build upon. Neutrals never go out of style, they look clean and add brightness to your space, making it look bigger than it actually is.
An added benefit of neutrals such as cream, white, beige, and grey, provide a blank canvas. This allows tenants to imagine themselves living in the space and introducing their personal taste and style to make it their own.
If you’re renting out a fully furnished space, neutrals also provide a timeless backdrop for decorating. Introduce vibrant colours through soft furnishings such as rugs, cushions, and curtains. You can also heighten the aesthetic by investing in rustic, industrial-style furniture to create an inviting, homely feel.
Dress windows attractively
Updating the window dressings in your property can have a dramatic impact on your property’s aesthetic.
Understandably, many tenants find it frustrating when moving into an unfurnished property where they need to purchase curtains or blinds for each room. It can feel like an unnecessary expense and can be a small yet off-putting aspect of renting.
If you want to make your property more competitive to potential tenants, investing in high-quality window dressings such as floor-length curtains, shutters, and roller blinds are a great way to make your rental look and feel homelier.
It also saves an expense for your tenants, making your property a lot more attractive on their list of potential rentals.
A functional, modern kitchen
Creating a clean, clutter-free kitchen that has all the essentials, as well as modern conveniences, is hugely attractive to potential tenants. After all, half of Brits consider the kitchen the “heart” of the home, with over 41% spending most of their time there.
Tenants living in city locations want and expect the latest home gadgets. Kitchens are the best place to showcase all the modern amenities that your property has to offer.
From smart meters and modern appliances to layered lighting, ample storage, and high-quality countertops, there are many ways you can bring your kitchen into the 21st Century.
Low-impact maintenance
Making smart investments can secure you more money and higher tenant security in the long term.
This means investing in low-maintenance upgrades to your home that are easy to manage over the long-term, saving you time and hassle and making it easier for you to maintain the property to a high standard.
These could include: LED lighting, easy-to-clean bathroom tiles, neutral wall paint, perennials in the garden, and self-cleaning ovens. With the right property upgrades, you can invest in home features that require little to no maintenance. This helps to create a space that is easy to maintain between tenants and makes repairs far easier.
Install up-to-date security features
Understandably, a secure rental property is attractive to tenants. While crime in Scotland is fairly low, with around 550 crimes per 10,000 people, crime rates tend to be higher in Scotland’s cities. Therefore, landlords need to be proactive regarding home security.
If you haven’t done so already, consider installing security features such as smart home cameras, motion-activated lights, and smart alarm systems that can protect your property from break-ins.
Modern security systems provide peace of mind to prospective tenants and help create a space where they feel relaxed, safe, and at home.
Modern fixtures and fittings
It’s a small detail but one that can go a long way towards creating a unique and inviting living space that stands apart from the competition.
Modern fixtures and fittings from door knobs and cabinet handles to light switches, help add those little unexpected details that draw the eye and help your property stand out from the crowd.
What’s more, such fixtures and fittings are a fun little detail that tenants can possibly change if they want to add their own personal touch to a property after moving in.
Final words
Prospective tenants and letting agents aren’t just looking for great rentals, they are looking for properties that are clearly well looked after by their landlords. By working to create a unique and inviting space, you are showing others that you care and you want to create a space that your tenants can call home.
Whether it’s in the small details such as the choice of lighting or the style of furniture or in the big things like the modern appliances and home security features, taking care to make positive changes to your property goes a long way towards recommending it to others.
When you follow these tips, it may not be long before you have a line of interested tenants bidding to rent from you.
