How to rent out an apartment - step-by-step instructions for renting out an apartment for a long term without intermediaries or through an agency + professional assistance in renting out an apartment

How to rent out an apartment without intermediaries? What are the features of renting an apartment through an agency? How much will I earn if I rent out an apartment or room for a long term?

Hello to everyone who stopped by! In touch, an expert from the popular online magazine “HeatherBober” - Denis Kuderin.

Today we will talk about how to rent out an apartment competently, safely and profitably. The article will be useful to anyone who has additional real estate on which you want to start your own small business.

At the end of the article, a guaranteed bonus awaits you - an overview of the most reliable companies in the Russian Federation that will help you rent out your property on the most favorable terms for its owner.

Renting out an apartment as a business

If you have an apartment in addition to the one in which you live, and this living space is idle, eating up money for maintenance, you can always turn it into a source of additional income.

At the same time, you will have to work hard only at the initial stage - preparing the property for rent and searching for tenants. And then your only task will be to receive your regular rent on time. An ideal example of passive income is “we sit and the money flows.”

True, you will still have to periodically monitor the condition of the apartment, troubleshoot problems and breakdowns in a timely manner, and monitor the level of loyalty of residents. But if you wish, you can delegate this part of the work to a property management company.

In this situation, you can rent out an apartment and go abroad, to the village with your grandfather or to the southern coast of Crimea for permanent residence. In this case, all rental concerns will be transferred to a trusted person, and you will only have to withdraw money from the account and spend it at your own discretion.

Read about what professional property management is in a separate article.

The main thing in renting an apartment is to correctly assess the profitability of this enterprise. When renting out real estate for temporary use, you need to take into account all the factors that in one way or another can affect the cost of rent: only in this case will you be able to set an adequate market price for rent.

And you also need to decide in advance whether you will act independently or involve professional realtors in the procedure. Both options have their pros and cons.

We have a separate master class on making money on profitable real estate , which will take place very soon.

The basic rule is this: if you need to rent out an apartment right now - you are leaving, you urgently need money - it is better to attract agents from a reliable real estate company or a private realtor with an impeccable reputation. If time is of the essence, act on your own. The only condition is that you must have at least minimal experience in real estate transactions.

And one more important nuance - you need to be able to understand people. You will have to decide for yourself whether the tenant you have chosen is reliable or whether it is worth looking for another candidate.

Mistakes cannot be made: a dishonest tenant means late payments or a complete lack thereof, damage to property, complaints from neighbors, floods and fires, perhaps even calls to the police. Do you need this?

The table shows the main advantages and disadvantages of renting an apartment independently and with the help of an intermediary:

There is detailed material on the website about how real estate agencies work.

Having debts

On the website of the Federal Bailiff Service you can find out whether a person has debts for which enforcement proceedings have been initiated. Of course, not all debts are included in the register - only those that have reached the court. But you can accurately identify the willful defaulter.

To use the service, you only need to know your first and last name, but the search will be greatly facilitated by your date of birth and patronymic. Look for debts in the region where you are located and where the potential tenant is registered (don’t forget to look at this data in your passport).

Screenshot: fssp.gov.ru

How to find decent tenants - 4 proven methods

Every homeowner counts on decent, sober and polite tenants, but not everyone gets exactly such tenants. Sometimes it turns out exactly the opposite - the tenants are filled with cash-strapped, unemployed, irresponsible slobs who do everything to make your faith in humanism completely collapse.

Such tenants do not pay on time, do not clean the apartment, do not turn off the taps in the bathroom, like not answering calls for several days in a row, argue with neighbors, bring groups of friends of 20 people to the apartment, burn cigarettes on your favorite sofa... the list goes on.

Where to find loyal, modest and punctual tenants? Such people can be found everywhere, you just need to be able to choose them from the general mass of candidates.

The first rule for selecting residents is to talk to them. Don't be shy to ask tricky questions. Find out everything about the candidates, from the reasons why they are looking for housing to their approximate income.

And now about the ways in which you can find tenants.

Method 1. Among friends and acquaintances

This is the safest and easiest option. Good friends will be sensitive to your property and will try not to let you down with payment.

True, there is a danger that such tenants will use your close relationships for their own purposes. In addition, a formal agreement is rarely concluded with friends, which means that your agreement will be based solely on your “word of honor.”

Therefore, I advise you to determine your priorities in advance and agree on what principles your relationship will be based on.

Method 2. Via the Internet

The undoubted advantage of this method is the widest reach of the audience. Place your ad on a free site, adding high-quality photographs of the property to the text, and wait for calls on your phone or Skype.

The Internet will give you the opportunity to contact hundreds of people. All you have to do is choose a suitable candidate from an extensive list of applicants.

The disadvantage is that not only the tenants themselves will get in touch, but also intermediaries from agencies.

Method 3. Through newspaper advertisements

Newspapers are still a source of information for certain segments of the population. If you prefer to do things the old fashioned way, good luck. Place an ad, wait, answer calls, meet potential tenants.

Method 4. Using real estate agencies

The most civilized option. The main advantage is saving time and nerves. Searching for candidates, negotiations, showing living space - all these stages are undertaken by a professional agent. In this case, it is not you who will pay for the realtor’s services, but the tenant.

What's the catch? Since real estate agencies are commercial and not charitable organizations, the main goal of every realtor is to quickly receive their commissions. That is, the agent will not look closely at candidate tenants.

There are also realtors who will be ready to rent out your living space to the devil with horns, just to close the deal, take 100% of the monthly rent from the tenant and forget about you forever.

How to deal with this? Draw up an agreement stipulating the responsibility of the realtor, and cooperate with companies that have an impeccable reputation.

To learn how to competently interact with real estate agencies, read the detailed publication on our website.

Validity of passport

It is appropriate to ask for documents at the first meeting - not only the tenant chooses housing, but you as the tenant. Write down the series and number of your passport to check the validity of the document through a special police service.

Screenshot: services.guvm.mvd.rf

If a document is listed as stolen or lost, this is a reason to be wary.

How to rent out an apartment without intermediaries for a long time - step-by-step instructions for beginners

For those who have never transferred their real estate into the wrong hands, it seems that there is nothing complicated in this procedure. Find a tenant, sign the papers, and cut the coupons - get yourself a regular payment on time.

I have to disappoint you - in order to rent out an apartment competently, you need to know some nuances and act according to a pre-drawn plan.

Step 1. Prepare the apartment for rent

We are not talking about major repairs if there is no need for one, but cosmetic procedures are definitely worth carrying out. How to order professional apartment cleaning. You can, of course, do the cleaning yourself if you have the desire and the appropriate skills.

In addition, it is worth putting in complete order:

• plumbing systems;
• electrical wiring;
• household appliances and furniture, if any;
• door locks;
• heating system.

There should be nothing unnecessary or personal in the apartment. In this matter, adhere to the position of reasonable minimalism.

Step 2. Determine the rental price

Inadequate assessment of the property is a common mistake of owners. If you charge too much, the apartment will remain idle, and you will lose possible profits. An excessively low price also means monthly losses plus the unpleasant feeling that you have been left out in the cold.

What should I do? Spend time studying the market or call a professional appraiser. If you are going to rent out the property for years, the second option is preferable. Pay the specialist once, but you will know his real rental cost.

This indicator is influenced by dozens of factors:

• location;
• availability of infrastructure;
• general condition of the building;
• area and number of rooms;
• presence of a balcony;
• contingent of neighbors;
• object state;
• season;
• the general situation in the housing market in your city.

Read about the nuances of renting properties in the highest price category in the article “Luxury Real Estate”.

Step 3. Looking for tenants

I have already told you where to look above. Here I will note that although the search for candidates is the most important stage of the process, you should not get hung up on it. Tenants who are 100% ideal are rare.

Example

One of my friends got married and moved into an apartment with her husband. She decided to rent out her one-room apartment and approached the search for tenants thoroughly. She consistently rejected about 30 applicants.

Some had a cat, others were too young and cheerful, others seemed to her not sufficiently wealthy, etc. As a result, the search for tenants dragged on for many months, and the friend lost sleep, peace and almost quarreled with her new husband.

Universal advice - give preference to married couples in which both spouses work and have a stable salary.

Step 4. Arrange a meeting and show the apartment

Before agreeing on a showing, conduct a preliminary conversation and ask the applicant security questions. If there is something alarming in the answers, do not take risks - say directly: “I’m sorry, but your candidacy does not suit me.”

At the meeting, have a second conversation with the potential tenant. If the impression is positive, lead and show.

Step 5. Collecting documents

Tenants are also not immune. They must be confident in the purity of the transaction and your integrity. Therefore, collect documents in case the tenant asks to see them.

The required package includes:

• passport (a copy is possible);
• certificate of ownership of housing;
• receipts confirming the absence of debts for housing and communal services.

If someone other than you is registered in the apartment, you will also need the written consent of these people to rent out the apartment.

Step 6. Conclude an agreement

You can rent out an apartment informally and officially. In the first case, you will receive more (13% tax will not be deducted), but you will not have any guarantees of the safety of your property.

An agreement is evidence of civil law relations between the parties. This is your insurance in case conflicts, misunderstandings and disputes arise. The absence of an agreement can become a tool of pressure from the tenant - they say, you are not deducting tax on the rent, which means you can wait for payments.

The contract must specify the conditions under which you rent the apartment, the timing of the monthly payment, and the amount of the first advance payment, if any. Certain points relate to the safety of your property, the liability of the parties in case of violation of the agreement, and the conditions for early termination of the contract.

For example, if neighbors complain about noise, the owner has the right to evict the tenants within 3 days or a week without refund of rent.

Step 7. Receive an advance payment

The agreement suits both parties, everyone is happy and smiling. All that remains is to receive an advance payment - this will be the beginning of a long, mutually beneficial partnership. It is advisable to document all financial calculations. So that there is no: “I paid you last week, did you forget?”, “How about another 2000, I paid the full amount?”

If you doubt your abilities or some points are not clear to you, it is better to clarify them in advance. Take advantage of modern digital technologies - get online advice from professional lawyers on the Lawyer resource.

Thousands of qualified specialists in all areas of law, including housing lawyers, collaborate with the resource. You can contact them via chat or by phone numbers listed below.

You can get competent legal support right now - the Pravoved.ru website operates around the clock.

What should a would-be buyer do?

In such a situation, there are always two victims: the homeowner who unsuccessfully rented out the apartment (it turns out that he was already a former one) and the citizen who unsuccessfully bought it (the new owner). We have already told you what the “former” owner of the property should do. But what about the “new” one, who probably didn’t know that he was participating in a scam?

The most effective recommendation is to make every effort to avoid ending up in such a scam. General Director of the Right to Require service Anna Komrakova advises never buying an apartment by proxy, no matter how attractive the price and the living space itself may be. “The history of the apartment needs to be checked. Request documents from Rosreestr. These online statements will cost ridiculous amounts of money,” she says.

When purchasing real estate, the purchase and sale agreement must be certified by a notary. This will make the transaction safer, because the notary will additionally check all the powers of the “selling” party.

In all payments, try to use a bank letter of credit rather than cash: then the bank will additionally check the payee.

Professional assistance in renting out an apartment - review of the TOP 5 real estate agencies

The promised bonus is a review of the five most reliable agencies that will help you rent out an apartment quickly and safely.

1) Miel

The oldest real estate company in the capital. It has an extensive network of representative offices - in Moscow alone, 120 branches operate according to a single standard. Engaged in any real estate transactions, including the rental of private apartments.

Experienced agents guarantee that your property will be delivered promptly, legally and profitably. Realtors with many years of experience will help you realize any property - from a room in a residential area to an elite cottage in the Moscow region. The legal purity of the contract is monitored by the company's in-house lawyers.

2) Alma

A specialized real estate agency with many years of experience in the capital's market. The company has an extensive information base and a staff of qualified employees. The main principle of the company is a responsible attitude to the fulfillment of each order.

Realtors are responsible for the competent preparation of the lease agreement and take into account, first of all, the interests of home owners. By choosing Alma, you can be confident in the safety of your property and timely payment.

3) Inkom

One of the largest real estate companies in the Russian Federation. Work experience in the housing market – 25 years. Leader of the Moscow region. It has branches in dozens of cities in the Russian Federation. The scope of activity covers all areas of the real estate market. Will help you rent out an apartment in a new building, in the suburbs, in the business center of the capital. The staff includes only proven agents with a large number of successful contracts.

4) Arman Palace

Moscow agency specializing in luxury real estate. The company guarantees that your housing will not be rented out to the first comer: employees will check each candidate to determine his solvency and integrity.

At the same time, the company guarantees to deliver your property in 1-2 days for the maximum market price. Within an hour after the call, a professional photographer will come to you and take pictures of the apartment, after which specialists will evaluate the property and determine its rental value.

5) ABC of housing

Full range of services in the real estate market. Work experience since 1997. 8 branches in Moscow and dozens of representative offices in other cities of the Russian Federation. Additional services in the field of housing assessment, consulting and analytics.

There are 2 ways to rent an apartment through an agency: call (calls are accepted from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) or fill out an online application. The apartment will be rented at the market price, and the final choice of residents will be made by the owner of the property. Each client receives property and civil liability insurance as a gift.

What you should be prepared for - 4 main risks for a landlord

When renting out an apartment, be prepared for certain risks. People are not as careful about other people's property as they are about their own.

In addition, there are a huge number of scammers in the housing market who are ready to profit at your expense.

We list the main types of risks for apartment owners.

Risk 1. Damage to property

This is the most likely risk when renting a property. As a rule, owners rent out furniture and household appliances along with living space. Sometimes this is a very valuable property that you want to get back safe and sound. And decorating an apartment often costs a lot of money.

This risk can be minimized in two ways - include a clause in the contract regarding the tenants’ liability for damage to property and insure the decoration, furniture and household appliances with an insurance company.

Risk 2. Sublease

The scammers' scheme of action is extremely simple. They receive an apartment from you and rent it out to other people as owners. There are cases when one tenant rents out housing to another 5-10 tenants - for example, migrant workers from Tajikistan - and ultimately receives an amount that is 2-3 times higher than the cost specified in the rental agreement.

How to avoid: personally check who lives in the apartment.

Risk 3. Living with a large number of residents

A similar situation, only the responsible tenant does not rent out the apartment to other tenants, but lets them live with him free of charge. These could be friends, lovers, distant relatives from Torzhok.

Again, you can avoid this by personally monitoring the number of people living in your apartment.

Risk 4. Illegal actions of tenants

Dishonest tenants can rob you, set you on fire, change the locks in your apartment, or sell your favorite sofa on Avito. In such cases, only the police will help.

In this case, it will also be necessary to prove that the theft or other crime occurred. A well-drafted contract, which describes the condition of the apartment at the time of delivery and contains a detailed list of property, can help with this.

I recommend watching a short video on the topic of the article.