Expert Advice for Reducing Vacancies in Your Sacramento, CA Rental home

Vacancies are extremely expensive for landlords, and if you’re working with a great property management company, you can count on some strategies to keep your vacancy rate low. 

Today, we’re discussing how we prevent and reduce vacancies in the properties we manage at Sacramento Delta Property Management. 

Tenant Relations and Retention 

Keeping tenants in place is an excellent way to reduce vacancy. This is why we are quick to build a strong relationship with our residents. Property owners and tenants have a partnership, and as property managers, we negotiate and facilitate that partnership. We are here to make sure things go smoothly and to take care of things inside the home. If we can accommodate your needs as an owner as well as the needs of your residents, we’ll reduce your vacancy. People undervalue their tenants sometimes, and that’s a huge mistake. These residents are paying part of your mortgage and helping you keep expenses down on your investment. 

Provide a Rent-Ready and Well-Maintained Home



We always conduct an inspection before placing the property on the market so we’re sure it’s ready for great tenants. 

The current condition has to be excellent. We look at cleaning, paint, flooring, etc. You don’t want to offer a home that isn’t move-in ready because a potential tenant is looking for their home. They want to be able to picture their family there or their friends there. They want to imagine their possessions inside that home immediately. 

Make sure the home is rent-ready. Some people do not think having fresh paint on the walls is a big deal because new tenants will just hang things over the wall anyway. But, tenants notice the paint. Everyone has their own level of cleanliness, but you want to be able to eat off the floor when preparing for new tenants. You should walk into a bathroom and see the toilet sparkle and shine. Let prospective tenants envision themselves in that space. This will reduce your vacancy period.

Always have the place repaired and prepared. A tenant will not want to be told that the fence will be fixed before they move in or the walls will be painted. They might have heard that before from other landlords, and they won’t trust it. A property will sit on the market longer if the fence isn’t fixed and the walls aren’t painted. 

The expectations are set from the beginning when getting a home rent-ready. You are setting a standard for the tenants when you provide a well-maintained home. If you provide a home that has clean carpets, fresh paint, etc., you are really going to have a tenant that values the time and energy you put into getting it ready for them. Cleaning is a one-time charge for the owner. After a tenant moves out, if they have not cleaned the home, they will be charged because cleaning is not a wear and tear item. So, having high cleanliness standards really pays off and the tenants will appreciate it. 

We screen for the most highly qualified tenants. So, we want to provide a property that those tenants will want to live in. This keeps vacancy rates low.

Pay Attention to Property Pricing

Make sure the property is not overpriced. This can definitely cause long vacancy periods. 

If the property has been on the market a few days and you haven’t heard anything or gotten any potential leads, get with your property manager about your price. We have had several properties in the same neighborhood just lingering out there for a while. They may all have different prices but sometimes there’s just no interest. So, we’ll adjust the price as necessary to try and get good tenants interested. Lowering the price will actually save you money because you’ll have a shorter vacancy period. A vacant home earns you no money. 

If you’d like some help avoiding vacancy, please contact us at Sacramento Delta Property Management.