Write a Rental Listing That Attracts Great Tenants

Finding great tenants starts long before the application and screening process.

It starts with your rental listing.

In today's episode of the Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show, Wayne and Gabby break down how landlords and real estate investors should market their rental properties to attract more qualified applicants, avoid wasting time, and create enough demand that they can choose a tenant instead of settling for one.

Wayne explains that real estate investors are also marketers. If your listing does not clearly communicate what your property offers, you may attract the wrong people—or nobody at all.

The goal is to make it easy for prospective tenants to quickly determine whether your property fits their needs, while removing unnecessary friction that could cause good applicants to disappear before they ever reach the application stage.

Wayne and Gabby also answer a listener's three-part question:

• Where should landlords advertise rental properties?
• What information should be included in the listing?
• What questions should you ask prospective tenants?

🧠 What You'll Learn

• Why landlords need to think like marketers
• Why more qualified leads give you better tenant choices
• Why Wayne and Gabby prefer picking tenants instead of settling for tenants
• How to determine where tenants in your specific market actually search for rentals
• Why there is no single rental website that works equally well in every Canadian market
• Why landlords should research tenant behaviour instead of assuming where people search
• What information should be included in every rental listing
• Why good photos and video can dramatically improve a listing
• Why landlords should clearly disclose the property address
• Why hiding the address can create unnecessary friction
• Why pet policies should be included upfront
• What questions to ask before scheduling a viewing
• How prospective tenants' communication can provide useful information
• Why landlords need to be careful not to over-screen too early
• How too many barriers can cause good tenants to abandon the process
• Why the order of your tenant-screening process matters

What Should Be Included in a Rental Listing?

Wayne recommends providing enough information for a prospective tenant to determine whether the property works for them before booking a viewing.

Important information includes:

• Number of bedrooms
• Number of bathrooms
• Yard and fencing details
• Parking arrangements
• Photos
• Video walkthroughs
• Important property features
• Basement details
• Monthly rent
• Security deposit
• Utilities and what is included
• Property address
• Pet policy and restrictions

The purpose is not simply to describe the property.

It is to qualify the tenant and the property at the same time.

A strong listing helps prospective tenants quickly decide whether the home fits their family, lifestyle, budget, pets, parking requirements, location, and other needs.

That saves everyone time.

Where Should You Advertise a Rental Property?

Wayne's advice is simple:

Research your market.

Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, RentFaster, and other rental platforms may work very well in one city and poorly in another.

Landlords should determine where tenants in their specific city and neighbourhood are actually searching rather than choosing a platform because other investors recommend it.

Wayne shares an example from Nelson, British Columbia, where the local rental market relied heavily on an obscure community message board that he would never have discovered without asking someone who lived there.

Understanding the local rental market means understanding where your tenants actually look.

Questions to Ask Prospective Tenants

Before or during the viewing process, Wayne and Gabby suggest asking questions such as:

• When are you looking to move in?
• How many people will be moving in with you?
• Who are those people in relation to you?
• How long are you looking to stay?
• Have you ever been evicted?
• Why are you moving?

These questions can help landlords better understand whether the property matches the prospective tenant's situation.

However, Wayne cautions landlords against turning the initial inquiry into an interrogation.

The goal is to gather useful information without creating so much friction that good applicants simply move on to another property.

The Biggest Lesson

The rental process is a funnel.

First, someone needs to see your advertisement.

Then they need to become interested.

Then they need to inquire.

Then they need to attend a viewing.

Then they need to apply.

Then they need to successfully complete your screening process.

And finally, they need to sign the lease and pay the required funds.

Every unnecessary obstacle along that process gives a prospective tenant another opportunity to disappear.

Good systems should protect the landlord while still making it easy for qualified tenants to move forward.

As Gabby put it:

"I like picking my tenant. I don't like having to settle on a tenant."

That is the goal.

Create enough interest, generate enough applications, screen properly, and put yourself in a position where you can choose the strongest applicant.

👥 About Your Hosts

Wayne and Gabby Hillier are full-time Canadian real estate investors, entrepreneurs, landlords, and founders of REI Masters.

Through the Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show, they share practical real estate investing education and free coaching every weekday morning, including real deals, landlord strategies, property management, tenant screening, market analysis, and lessons from managing their own rental portfolio.

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🌐 www.reimasters.ca

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📧 info@reimorningshow.com

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