Renting out a single apartment is one thing. Keeping an entire portfolio occupied — with low vacancy, the right tenants and manageable admin — is another. This guide walks through the full chain for property companies and professional landlords: from preparing the unit to signing the lease and keeping vacancies down over time.
1. Prepare the unit and set the right rent
Before an ad goes live, get the basics in place: fix anything that lowers the impression, set a market rent (too high prolongs the vacancy, too low leaves money on the table), and decide move-in date, furnishing, pet policy and what's included up front.
2. Write an ad that converts
A good ad answers the tenant's questions before they ask them: size, rooms, rent, what's included, location and move-in. Use several sharp daylight photos and a floor plan if you have one. Keep it concise and describe the neighbourhood — it often decides the level of interest.
3. Market widely — not just on one site
The biggest mistake is posting to a single place and waiting. More relevant channels means a larger pool of applicants and a faster let. If you don't have capacity to handle distribution yourself, a placement service can do it for you. Bofrid forwards verified tenants to property companies and spreads your units across a wide channel network nationwide — you pay only when a forwarded prospect signs a lease.
4. Screen the tenant properly
The right tenant is the best insurance against problems later. Thorough screening covers a credit report, income and employment, references from a previous landlord, and identity verification via BankID or an ID document. Learn more about tenant credit checks and reference checks.
5. Sign a clear lease
A complete lease agreement prevents disputes: rent and due date, term (open-ended or fixed-term), notice period, deposit, maintenance responsibility and damage terms. Note that a first-hand tenant normally gains security of tenure — know the rules before you sign.
6. Keep vacancies low over time
Letting is a process, not a one-off. What keeps the vacancy rate low is planning ahead: start marketing well before move-out, run a fast process from interest to lease, and treat sitting tenants well to reduce turnover. Every month a unit sits empty is a pure loss — we break down exactly how much in our article on what a vacancy costs.
Summary
Efficient letting as a property company is about doing the right things in the right order: prepare the unit, set a market rent, market widely, screen carefully, sign clear leases and work systematically to reduce vacancies. If you want risk-free help finding tenants, read more about Bofrid's placement service for property companies.
FAQ
How fast can a property company rent out a vacant apartment? With the right rent, a strong ad and wide marketing, a lease can often be signed within a few weeks. The usual bottleneck is too narrow distribution or a slow screening process.
What matters most when choosing a tenant? Ability to pay and references. A credit report plus a check with the previous landlord catches most risks.
Can we get help letting without a fixed cost? Yes. With a no cure–no pay model you pay only when a forwarded prospect signs — no setup or monthly fee. Read more on the property companies page.
