Q – When I’m booking viewings to show potential tenants around my rental property, quote often they simply don’t turn up, which wastes a lot of my time. What’s the best way to avoid this?
A – Around 25% of booked viewings simply don’t happen for one reason or another which, as you’ve discovered, can be a big waste of time. Here’s what we do to avoid these viewing ‘no-shows’.
Firstly, immediately after booking the viewing, we confirm by email the full property address, plus the viewing date and time. This means there’s less chance of people going to the wrong property (they’re often viewing several the same day) or getting lost. It also means there’s no room for confusion over exactly when the appointment’s been made for.
Secondly, we include our mobile phone number in the email, with a request for the viewer to call or text us roughly an hour before the viewing. We tell them that if we don’t hear from them, we assume they won’t be coming, so please call to make sure we’re there when they are.
Thirdly, if we haven’t heard anything from the viewer, we’ll call them around half an hour before the allotted time, or at least before driving to the property. Often their phone will go to voicemail, so we’ll leave them a message asking them to call us back if they’re still coming. If we don’t hear anything, then we don’t go – simple.
While it’s not a foolproof system, it does work 95% of the time, which means a lot less time being wasted by prospective tenants who don’t show up for viewings.
For more information call us on 01992 308181 or email us at info@knightpm.co.uk