When people look for new apartments, they often look beyond the exact location or size. Renters value comfort and practical features, focused on making everyday living a little bit easier. These are much more valued than flashy upgrades and high-end finishes (although a nice additional touch). Understanding what features matter to tenants the most can help owners and landlords create apartments catered to more tenants, which will be much more attractive than the competition. Below, we take a closer look at some key design elements and why tenants value them most.
Plenty of Natural Light
We all know by now that natural light makes us feel good, so it’s pretty easy to understand why tenants searching for apartments for rent look for properties with good natural lighting. Properties with big open windows (and good window placement) that let in lots of light, brightening up each room, are hugely important to tenants.
The orientation of the building itself can have an effect; whether or not other properties are blocking the sun from shining through might put people off, so it is something to think about when deciding what properties to purchase in order to rent them out. An additional bonus is that natural lighting will make those listing photographs a lot better, so you might see more traffic and have a lot more competition between potential tenants.
Practical Storage Space
Tenants really care about how the space works, and a lack of storage is often one of the most well-known complaints tenants have. Anything from adding a built-in wardrobe in each bedroom to having extra built-in cabinets and/or shelving will make the biggest difference in your property’s appeal. Tenants don’t have or want to buy endless amounts of storage to put their belongings in, so even adding the smallest bits of storage to the property will dramatically improve its usability.
Good Sound Insulation & Privacy
The lack of peace and quiet, particularly in flats, can be an absolute deal breaker when viewing apartments. If the tenant doesn’t notice it whilst viewing, they certainly will after a few weeks of living there. If it’s that bad, you’d better believe the tenant will be out of there as soon as they can, causing you to have to go through all the hassle and extra costs of getting in another tenant.
Adding good-quality soundproofing and more solid internal doors will be extremely valued by renters. Tenants will, of course, expect to hear some noise from neighbours, but any effort to reduce them being heard and getting some peace and quiet will be greatly valued.
Built-In Laundry
One of the biggest annoyances that tenants have to deal with is using a laundromat. Not having their own laundry facilities in their apartments or even in the building can be a massive pain to deal with. With not many laundromats around anymore, renters often have to drive well out of their way multiple times a week to sort their laundry. It’s pretty easy to see why having in-unit laundry is super appealing to prospective tenants and why it’s one of the most sought-after design features even in lower-cost properties.
Well-Functioning Kitchen Space
One of the things that often puts tenants off even viewing an apartment is the state of the kitchen. A lot of properties don’t have very modern kitchens, often leaving a pretty unusable, outdated place where people can’t really cook. Tenants want an upgraded kitchen space they can actually cook in, which makes everyday living easy.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but any updates to the kitchen should ensure that it functions well. Adding plenty of counter top free space, an oven that works without breaking every other day and storage that’s easy to access will all help to make a property a lot more desirable and a place people desperately want to live in rather than avoid viewing.
Easy Temperature Controls
There’s not much that’s a lot more frustrating than being either too hot or too cold and not being able to do much about it. The same goes for the temperature of properties. Not being able to change or adjust the temperature easily can make certain properties pretty unbearable to live in and can easily put off tenants. Renters really value comfort above all else.
Some of the best features to make tenants more comfortable include installing modern heating and AC, using effective insulation, and even having individual room temperature controls. A lot of these changes can also be done to make the property more energy efficient, which is a growing priority for those wanting to cut their bills.
Connectivity & Electrical Outlets
It’s become very much an expectation that properties have electricity – obviously, but it’s also now expected that properties should also come with plenty of well-placed outlets and good wifi connectivity. Tenants want there to be plenty of outlets for all their devices, but also in convenient locations like next to the bed, around where a TV stand would go and a bunch in the kitchen to be able to use different gadgets when needed.
What’s also a pretty big need is for there to be good, reliable wifi connectivity. Often, one of the first questions a prospective tenant may ask is about the wifi strength and providers that they can have. It’s an increasingly important feature that more and more tenants are valuing, especially with more people working remotely.
What Tenants Value Less Than You’d Expect
There are a few things that might surprise you that renters don’t really value that much for one reason or another. These include:
- Luxurious finishes that don’t have much function
- Complicated smart home tech that can be hard to set up
- Features that take up space and have no use
- Bold colour design choices – tenants would rather it be plain to fit their tastes
Apartment design has such a big impact on attracting and keeping tenants. Renters are becoming increasingly focused on features that make their day-to-day living easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable. By centering any design decisions around what tenants value the most, you’ll create and provide an attractive and enjoyable space that tenants will be happy to call home.
