If you’ve owned rental properties for a while it’s no surprise when vacancies arise.  They can happen throughout the entire year – even during the holiday season.

With Christmas only days away, you can still fill those vacancies quickly by following these simple tips.

Tip 1 – Create Your “Waiting List” Now

It doesn’t matter if your Portland rentals are full right now – you should start preparing for future vacancies by building your waiting list now. Here’s how:

A.)Contact your current tenants and ask them for referrals to friends, family members or associates they feel would be good residents in your rental units.

B.)Don’t be afraid to offer a thank you gift for referrals and also to people who add their name and phone number to your waiting list.

C.)Establish a presence across social media so you can connect with people who potentially would be good renters.

D.)Contact local churches or synagogues and introduce yourself.  Ask them to refer anyone who is looking for a new home in your area.

Tip 2 – Focus on Renter Retention

It might be easy to lose focus when managing your Portland Oregon Rentals since problems can easily arise over night.

Sometimes you will be busy for days without a break - but you have to place more focus on your renter retention program now.

To keep more of your renters, try doing the following:

A.)Talk with your renters to find out if there’s anything you can do better for them or anything you can add to the rental.

B.)Answer service calls immediately and make sure someone is there to help them when problems arise.