How to Appeal to Student Renters This School Year

As the school year ends, a new batch of graduating high school seniors will be heading off to college. These students will spend the early days of summer searching for apartments, so if your apartment community is close to a college campus, here are some tips to help you attract those potential renters.

Offer flexible leases

Since college students usually return home over the summer, they may not want to pay rent for the months when they aren’t there. To make your apartment community more appealing, consider offering a shorter lease option or allow students to sublet their units for the three or four months between school years.

Make it convenient

Students moving away from home for the very first time won’t have much furniture (or silverware, for that matter). If you can provide a furnished apartment, you might just jump to the top of their list. Many will be new to paying bills, so offering automated payment options and, where possible, bundling utilities in the rent can make this task easier.

Showcase your online features

Students will want to text you with questions, pay their rent with a click of a button, and submit maintenance requests through your website. If you have these features available, be sure to highlight all the ways your tech-savvy renters will be able to reach you.

Embrace photos and video

Many college students attend a school that’s far from home, or even out of state. Because of this, it’s difficult for them to tour many apartments in person. Some might even sign a lease before seeing the apartment. Let prospective renters take a virtual tour through high-quality photos and videos.

This isn’t just for the benefit of student renters. By offering more information about your apartments, you’re helping renters narrow down their choices, and thus driving the most serious renters to your leasing office.

Highlight student-friendly features

Let students know how your apartment community will make their time at school easier. Perhaps your apartment community is within walking distance to campus, or you have a terrific on-site study center. Students today want to know about your Wi-Fi, so if it’s included in the rent, that’s a great feature to highlight. Be sure to mention other perks or amenities students care about, such as bus service to campus, a computer lab, or on-site recycling.

Hold student-centered events

If your community is home to many student renters, consider hosting events specifically for students, such as a pool party or coffee hour at the end of finals week. At the beginning of the school semester, hold a meet-and-greet where new student residents can get to know each other.

Make safety a priority

In many cases, it isn’t just the students you’ll want to impress — it’s their parents, as well! Parents are nervous about sending a child off to college, especially if it’s far from home. Install safety cameras and check that the parking area is well-lit. Make sure the doors and windows have sturdy, secure locks, and confirm that smoke detectors and other safety features are up to date.

Be responsive

Today’s student renters have never experienced life without internet and cell phones. They expect instant responses, and if they don’t get them, they quickly lose interest and go on to the next option. Make sure to return calls and emails from prospective renters as soon as possible.

With these strategies, you can make your community more attractive to college students and ace the summer renting season.