I Found Tenants With Gumtree Again

07 Apr 2009

I guess this is another post about how awesome I think Gumtree is for finding tenants. I swear to God, I don’t work for them, or am I involved in any kind of affiliate partnership. I just like giving credit where due. As it so happens, Gumtree delivered the goods again, so here’s the credit…

The regular readers will be aware that I’ve recently been trying to hunt down tenants for a vacant property. While my most recent blog entries have been about the dealings with a snake oil team of letting agents, I didn’t thoroughly cover how I actually ended up obtaining my most recent tenants.

When looking for tenants this time round, I utilised the following methods:

• Free online advertising: Gumtree, Facebook, Letmatch
• Paid online services: Letmatch PLUS (which allowed me to advertise on Gumtree)
• Letting agent

The list is in no particular order, but using a Letting Agent is literally always my last option because they’re usually lousy and expensive. I always get one or two local agents on the case when I have a vacant property, just because I like having as many options as possible. And ultimately, if the other methods fail to produce, it’s some times worth coughing up the extortionate letting agent fees to avoid having an empty property.

Gumtree, Rightmove and the letting agent actually generated the most leads (as expected).

How Rightmove Performed

Rightmove performed ok. I managed to squeeze 6 enquiries and 3 viewings out of it, nothing too overwhelming, but it was cost effective (£30 for 4 weeks), so I won’t complain.

Resources
How To Advertise Your Buy-To-Let On Rightmove
My Experience With Letmatch To Advertise A BTL On Rightmove

How the Letting Agent Performed

I’m not entirely sure how many viewings the agent took, but apparently it had it’s fair share of interest (so I’m told). But I’ve already made it clear how poorly they performed in terms of service. I get the impression they just wanted to fill the property ASAP to earn their commission, as opposed to actually finding me the quality tenants I wanted.

In short, I asked for working professionals, they presented me with a 25yr old single mother that works part-time and relies on social benefits, and expected me to sign on the dotted line.

Resources
7 Things The Letting Agent Did Wrong

How Gumtree Performed

Gumtree generated about 10 genuine enquiries. For a free listing, that’s awesome! The only problem with Gumtree is that wedged amongst the genuine enquiries, you tend to get a lot of junk enquiries from scammers and hagglers.

I eventually found the ideal tenants from a viewing I took from a Gumtree enquiry. I know Gumtree gets a bit of a rough time from landlords because it generates leads from total deadbeats and parasites. While that’s partially true, it’s not entirely true. I’ve found quality tenants from Gumtree before, and I’ve done it again.

I’ve managed to bag a small family that has perfect rental and employment records. The main breadwinner is a Doctor at the local hospital, and is looking for longterm accommodation.

I’m happy.

Resources
Tips For Using Gumtree To Advertise Your BTL Property
Finding Tenants Without A Letting Agent

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