Landlord Products / Services
Landlords are still getting it horrifically wrong, and I honestly don’t know why. Even worse, agents are also completely screwing it up, and they’re meant to be the professionals (which mostly charge ludicrous amounts, but that’s another story).
I’m always left bewildered whenever I jump onto Rightmove/Zoopla (or any other property portal) and view vacant properties with dingy-ass photos that look like they’ve been taken on a Nokia flip-phone straight out of the 90’s by a toddler. Blurry, lop-sided, and clouded by profoundly poor lighting. What the hell?! Common sense, people!
You’d think they were trying to flog old rags, not assets worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. Baffling.
I’m not even going to waste my time on those that don’t provide any images at all. They’re on a totally different dim-witted planet. Bloody animals, they should be locked up if you ask me.
Table of contents
- How Poor Photography can KILL profits!
- Case study: the power of using professional photography for property adverts
- How to purchase Professional Property Photographs & how much do they cost?
- Word of warning: Relativity & Deception
How Poor Photography can KILL profits!
Exhibit A: Apparently an image to entice tenants…
An actual image used to market a property. Corner of a room, with a laminate wall… brilliant It was shared by a baffled prospective tenant on Twitter
Poor thing, desperately making it clear it’s not her property. And who can blame her?
The worrying thing is, there is someone out there, whom is presumably very dangerous, that believes that image is fit for purpose. The presumption is, that person believes that image is useful, and optimised to generate enquiries, as opposed to scaring the shit out of someone.
Like I said, monkey.
The all-too-common practice of supplying insufficient photography is truly baffling. Please stop it if you’re guilty. Right now. Because there really is no excuse for it, and it’s extremely damaging.
One of the most expensive and frustrating periods for any landlord is when a property remains empty in-between tenancies. A vacant property is landlord cancer.
Alas, the ongoing costs of running a BTL continue with or without revenue flowing in. That’s why it’s crucial to minimise void periods. Ideally, we want the new tenants piling through the front door before the old one’s have had a chance to pack their crap up and roll out.
While there are many ducks we need to put in a row in order to find replacement tenants ASAP, I believe using high quality photography is one little ducky that cannot be forgotten or understated. Actually, other than price, I’d say photography is right up there at the top of the pecking order. Of course, none of this is rocket science, it doesn’t take a genius to understand that:
- Dingy and lop-sided images repel interest (refer to ‘Exhibit A’). Engaging images generate more enquiries, and more enquiries equate to shorter void periods, which ultimately means big savings!
- Poor presentation will attract low level tenants. If it looks like you’re trying to flog a steaming barrel of shit, what kind of tenants do you think you’ll attract?
- We’re trying to sell an extremely expensive product, not a pack of peanuts (to be fair, I’d want to see a clear picture of a pack of peanuts before I order them online. But that proves my point!).
Warning: avoid going live with any adverts on major property portals like Rightmove & Zoopla without decent pictures, otherwise their date sensitive algorithm will destroy you (i.e. they give precedence to newly listed properties, so you don’t want maximum exposure when your advert isn’t all it can be, because you could miss out on a lot of enquiries).
Case study: the power of using professional photography for property adverts
I swiped this case study from Upad (with their permission of course), demonstrating the importance of quality images.
Before
Here are the images a landlord used to market his vacant two bedroom property in West London:
Poor composition, bad lighting, wonky, and blurry as hell. Basically, they’re ridiculous. Waste of time.
I know, I know! *slaps forehead*
Despite being in a busy rental market and being competitively priced, the property received a big, fat zero enquiries in the first week. The landlord eventually cottoned on (after a careful nudge from Upad), that his terrible photography might be his Achilles heel. So he decided to get some professional photographs taken.
The after shots
Professional photography by Upad
This is too obvious.
Within seven days of adding the new professional photos, he had received ten tenant enquiries and found a professional tenant at the asking rental price.
How to purchase Professional Property Photographs & how much do they cost?
If you’re paying a high-street agent…
If you’re paying a high-street agent for a tenant-find service, ensure the service includes a photography service (I’d literally avoid any agent that doesn’t include one, because that would be… weird). And for the love of God – for the reason already explained – do not allow them to launch any listings without any pictures at all.
Exhibit B:
*slaps forehead*
If you’re a self-managing landlord…
If you’re a self-managing landlord that’s using an online letting agent (or any other means that entails online marketing), then I recommend splashing out on a professional photography package (most online agents will offer it as an optional add-on for roughly £100, so it’s relatively reasonable).
Alternatively, you can order a professional photography package as a standalone service (options listed below).
The good thing is that the images can be reused for future marketing campaigns (presuming they don’t show an out-dated and misleading story).
| Supplier | Notes / Includes | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
Supplier | Notes / IncludesProperty Photography + floor plans
| Price £100Inc VAT | More Info |
Supplier | Notes / IncludesProperty Photography
| Price £99Inc VAT (Normal price: £109) | More Info £10 Discount Code: PIP10 |
| Supplier | Notes / IncludesProfessional Floor Plans
| Price £59Inc VAT (Normal price: £69) | More Info £10 Discount Code: PIP10 |
Please note, I try my best to keep the information of each service up-to-date, but you should read the T&C's from their website for the most up-to-date and accurate information.
Can I take my own photographs?
Absolutely. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to take half-decent photos, but you will require a half-decent camera and lens, and a good eye for detail.
Modern smartphones with high-res cameras can do a reasonable job these days, but nothing beats a high-end DSLR camera with a wide angle lens – operated by someone that understands composition and lighting – to maximise appeal. If that’s you, go for it.
However, be warned, the “I can do it myself” approach is how self-managing landlords often run into problems. This is very much one of those cases where you need to play to your weaknesses and strengths.
In other words, if you don’t have a creative bone in your body and photography is absolutely not your thing, then you’re likely to end up with a bodge-job that will inevitably cost you more in the long run. Being under the false pretence of having an objectively keen eye for design and presentation is half of the problem in this situation, the other half is landlords being total cheapskates.
Tips to taking good quality photos (in case you feel up for the challenge)
- Use a wide angle lens, they are essential for capturing the full view of rooms
- Phone cameras have improved leaps and bounds over the years, so newer models with high-res cameras can do a nice job. However, avoid old camera phones like the plague, like my Nan’s faithful Nokia. Of course, no phone, regardless of how “smart”, can compete with the results a high-end DSLR camera can produce.
- Take the pictures in daylight
- Make sure the rooms/property is well presented e.g. clean, uncluttered and tidy
- I don’t think staging/props (e.g. furnishings) are essential as long as you can show the space available, but they can help prospective tenant’s visualise how the space can be used
- Bathrooms and kitchens tend to do most of the selling
Word of warning: Relativity & Deception
Before I checkout, I want to end this email with a dose of reality!
What I mean by that is, if you have a property that’s realistically going to achieve £200 PCM, then spending £100 on professional photos probably wouldn’t be a wise investment. The reality is, prospective tenants won’t be expecting much in return for £200 PCM- they definitely won’t be expecting glossy images of a show home. That said, no matter what the value of your property, ALWAYS post clear and useful images, with or without professional photography.
Secondly, you’d be wise to recognise the difference between showcasing a true representation of your property and selling a fantasy. The point of using high quality pictures is to present your property in its best light and highlighting its key features, it’s not to sell something that doesn’t exist.
Hope this has been useful… to someone!
Landlord out xo
Disclaimer: I'm just a landlord blogger; I'm 100% not qualified to give legal or financial advice. I'm a doofus. Any information I share is my unqualified opinion, and should never be construed as professional legal or financial advice. You should definitely get advice from a qualified professional for any legal or financial matters. For more information, please read my full disclaimer.
The viewer always feels there is something to hide if there are no photos. Nobody wants a deceitful landlord!