When it comes to filling a rental vacancy, finding qualified tenants is the most important step of the rental process. By finding great tenants to rent your property, it will make the time they occupy the unit a hassle-free experience. From rent collection to ensuring the unit is in good condition once they vacate, the tenant placement portion of filling vacancies is critical to your rental portfolio’s success.
As a rental real estate agent in Toronto, Mississauga, and Oakville, I have years of experience helping landlords and property managers fill their rental property vacancies. Today, I’m going to be sharing with you some of the websites I use myself when it comes to finding tenants for rental properties.
1. Realtor.ca
As a REALTOR®, when I help my landlord clients with their rental listings, one of the unique sites I am able to provide access to them is Realtor.ca.
Realtor.ca is Canada’s largest real estate listing website with many tenants starting their search there. Realtor.ca offers detailed listings to tenants which makes it an attractive site for prospective tenants to begin their search. To list your property on Realtor.ca, you must be working with a licensed real estate agent such as myself. You can not upload a rental ad on here without being under contract with a real estate agent and their brokerage.
2. Facebook Marketplace
Another great place to post your rental properties is on Facebook Marketplace.
Although Facebook Marketplace isn’t solely a rental classified site like other rental listing websites, it does offer you to post your rental unit. Facebook Marketplace surprisingly has tons of rental ads from Toronto apartments to large, single-family homes.
3. Zumper.com
Zumper is another great platform for listing a home for rent because it embodies a transformative approach to the rental experience.
Recognizing that finding a new apartment is more than just a move, Zumper is committed to empowering individuals with the opportunity to land in a place they truly love—a step forward towards a fresh start and a new beginning.
Zumper has a great, user-friendly interface and powerful search tools ensure that you and tenants can easily navigate through countless listings and discover properties that truly feel like home.
4. Rentals.ca
Rentals.ca is another great rental listing website to find qualified tenants. This site offers an easy-to-use interface combined with great out-of-home marketing techniques to reach a large number of tenants searching for a place to rent.
Not only is their site easy to use, they do a lot of public relations work making them a trusted name in the rental space amongst prospective tenants. They publish a rental report quite frequently of Canada’s major metropolitan areas which are picked up by the media.
5. liv.rent
liv.rent is an excellent platform for listing a home for rent, as it focuses on building a trusted rental community and eliminating the stress of renting. With features like verified listings, digital applications and contracts, and a secure digital filing cabinet, liv.rent streamlines the rental process for both renters and landlords. By providing a comprehensive and convenient platform, liv.rent ensures that the entire rental journey can be completed in one place, making it an exceptional choice for listing your home for rent.
6. RentSeeker.ca
RentSeeker.ca recently underwent an overhaul to make its site more user-friendly. Here you can find a mix of short-term rentals and long-term rentals geared toward young professionals, students, and even seniors.
They have also become Facebook Partners meaning any rental properties you advertise on their website will also be published on Facebook. This will help your rental listing reach the most amount of people.
7. PadMapper.com
PadMapper has a commitment to revolutionizing the apartment hunting experience and eliminating the dread often associated with it.
By utilizing a user-friendly map interface and powerful filtering options, PadMapper makes apartment hunting less daunting and even enjoyable. The platform aims to remove unnecessary hurdles from the process, ensuring that finding an apartment or tenant is no harder than buying a car. PadMapper’s dedication to improving the apartment hunting journey sets it apart as an excellent choice for listing your home for rent.
8. ViewIt.ca
ViewIt.ca is another great option if you’re looking to list your rental property for lease. One thing to note though is unlike some of the other sites mentioned where listing your property is free, you do need to pay to use their services. However, it’s great because they do have photographers they use to take professional photographs of your unit.
9. RentFaster.ca
Like some of the other sites mentioned above, RentFaster.ca is a rental property listing classified site that landlords and property managers can use to list their new listings. It has a robust apartment list combined with pet-friendly apartments. You can search listings based on location thanks to their handy map option with bubbles showing the prices of the respective listing.
They also provide one-page reports on the rental market to help you determine if the lease price is on average, below average, or above average.
10. Kijiji.ca
Kijiji.ca has to be one of the classic listing sites. Most potential tenants, especially those who may be older will likely use Kijiji.ca as one of their listing sites. Although Kijiji.ca is starting to lose its spark amongst renters, you don’t want to leave any stone unturned when trying to advertise your listing. I know plenty of landlords who continue to have great success finding renters using Kijiji.ca.
How To Get Your Rental Listing To Stand Out Amongst Other Rental Listings
We went over a handful of sites that will help you fill vacancies. With all the options available, how do you make sure your property stands out as a premium listing? If you want great tenants, you need to catch their eye. Here are a few tricks you can incorporate that won’t only have your rental standing out on all these listing sites, but some of these tricks may actually help you save time and save money.
Use A Real Estate Agent
Although I am a licensed real estate broker, I would still use the services of a rental real estate agent even if I wasn’t. The value you get in working with an agent is worth it when you consider the work they do. If you’re wondering if you should use a real estate agent to rent your property, I’ll go over some of the offerings I provide my landlord clients when they decide to work with me to help with their rentals.
Maximum Exposure
I offer my clients the maximum exposure for their rentals.
I practice what I preach and I use all the sites listed above as well as leveraging other marketing techniques to reach as many people as possible. On average, each rental property I advertise gets approximately 150+ inquiries and nearly 5+ offers which often leads to rental bidding wars.
Professional Photography
I treat all rental listings as if they were a property for sale. I do not cut corners when it comes to marketing efforts. This means I hire professional photographers to interior photographs of the apartment at no additional cost to make sure the space and features are presented in the best light.
Professional Video Tour
I have a network of renters looking to move to the Greater Toronto Area from around the world. This means virtual showings are a must! Since I work with so many rentals across the globe, having a professional video virtual tour has become common practice for all condos, houses, or townhouses I’m helping to rent. Once again, this comes with no additional fees.
Property Descriptions Written By Professional Copywriters
You only have a split second to catch the attention of a tenant which is the job of the photographs and video. But how do you make them want to schedule a showing? Appeal to their emotions. Our team of professional copywriters are able to synthesize the unique and appealing features of your apartment, surrounding area, and city to make them want to view it.
Handle All Showing Requests
We take on 100% of the duties for finding you a tenant. When renters schedule showings, we will attend each showing in-person to walk them through the property and highlight the key features which make it such a great place to live. We are also able to answer any questions right there on the spot making them more likely to move forward with an offer, quicker.
Tenant Screening
We help landlords get over 20+ applicants for their apartments. This is a lot of information to go over and you may not know what criteria to prioritize. We have a thorough tenant screening process which includes reference checks, background checks, and reviewing key items to make sure those about to be renting from you will be great renters.
Use Professional Photographs
Using professional photographs for your rental listing can make it stand out among others by providing high-quality, visually appealing images that create a positive first impression. These photographs accurately represent the property, evoke emotions, and enhance its credibility, making potential renters more likely to trust you as a landlord. With professional photographs, you gain a competitive advantage in the rental market, increasing interest, inquiries, and the chances of finding suitable renters quickly.
Add A Virtual Tour
Using a video virtual tour for your rental listing makes it stand out by offering an immersive, comprehensive view of the property. It captures attention, helps potential renters envision themselves in the space, saves time, and demonstrates your commitment to a modern rental experience. Also, some renters may be looking to move internationally and can’t view the unit in person. By adding a virtual tour, you will be ahead of the curve when inquiries come in.
Provide A Well Written Description
Using a professionally written property description for your rental listing helps it stand out by effectively highlighting unique features, creating an emotional connection, demonstrating professionalism, and improving visibility on listing platforms.
Final Thoughts On Where To List Your Rental Properties
Whether you’re a landlord looking to rent in Toronto or anywhere across Canada, these sites will help you reach a wider audience of renters. Although I only work in the Greater Toronto Area, I am confident these websites will provide the same success for you. Review each website to make sure it aligns with what you’re looking for as a landlord to help in your search for great renters.
If you feel overwhelmed with the whole process or feel as though you don’t have the time to give the proper attention to you renter search, contact me, Marco Pedri, to help with your tenant placement needs. With years of experience helping landlords find AAA tenants, I am confident I can produce the same outstanding results for you.
