Would you like to learn 6 Ways to Prevent Appointment No-Shows for Landlords?
If you manage properties, appointment no-shows are par for the course. It’s time-consuming and costly to drive down for an appointment only to be ghosted. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to reduce or eliminate the number of no-shows you receive. Here are 6 Ways to Prevent Appointment No-Shows.
1. Pre-screen/Pre-qualify
When you speak to prospective tenants during your initial call, ask them pre-qualifying questions to see if they are a fit for your property. Pre-screening questions include;
- Number of pets/breed
- Whether the unit is for them or someone else
- Number of occupants
- Move in date
- Length of occupancy/lease
- Why are they moving
- Willingness to complete a credit check, verify income, references
- Number of parking spaces required
During your initial phone call, it’s good practice to inform future tenants about any specific requirements in your application process. If you require tenant insurance, conduct three property maintenance inspections yearly, expect them to shovel show or complete yard maintenance, let them know. If they need clarification or have issues with any of your requirements, let them move on.
2. Ask for a confirmation call/text
Once you have determined they are a good fit for your property, let them know you require a confirmation text/call 1 hour prior (or however long it takes to drive) to the appointment. 6 Ways to Prevent Appointment No-Shows for Landlords
Would you like to learn 6 Ways to Prevent Appointment No-Shows for Landlords?
If you manage properties, appointment no-shows are par for the course. It’s time consuming and costly to drive down for an appointment only to be ghosted. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to reduce or eliminate the number of no-shows you receive. Here are 6 Ways to Prevent Appointment No-Shows.
3. Use tools and apps to automate your scheduling
Many service providers have gone the way of appointment scheduling software which is an easy and convenient method of scheduling appointments and reducing no-shows. Once tenants are pre-qualified, send them a link to your online calendar so that they can schedule their own appointment.
Calendar tools like Acuity Scheduling and Calendly automatically generate reminder emails 24 hours prior and offer options to reschedule, and Textline offers automated texting services.
4. Let tenants know you’ll leave if they’re late
Don’t make a habit of waiting around for no-shows.
To encourage promptness, let tenants know that you’ll only wait 10 minutes. If they are more than 10 minutes late, you leave.
Of course, in case of emergencies, you can make exceptions, but overall, make it a practice to stick to your rules.
5. Stack appointments to maximize your time
If you have multiple tenants, see if you can choose one day for showings and slot tenants in back-to-back appointments. Still, make sure they confirm an hour prior.
6. Host an open house
Competition is a great way to create urgency and competition amongst prospective tenants. You can schedule an open house for a day/times tenants typically have time to view properties and send out a notification to your prospective tenants.
What if you do everything right and you still have no-shows?
Life isn’t perfect. There are many reasons for no-shows:
- Tenants decide not to move
- Tenants find another property
- Tenants never intended to rent a new property. They’re just tire-kicking to see what’s out there.
- Tenants realize they wouldn’t qualify
- Tenants had an emergency- accident, illness, death. We all have emergencies from time to time.
- Tenants are unreliable – they have a habit of ghosting
I have a term for this that I call “tenant Self-de-selection. If tenants are unreliable or don’t qualify – you don’t need or want them. Irresponsibility/unreliability is not a good quality in a tenant.
Instead, waiting for the right high-quality tenant is always better than accepting the wrong one. What are your favourite tips for preventing no-shows? I’d love to know about them, email me [email protected]
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