Chapter 4

How to Take Rental Photos That Rent Your Unit Fast

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The Complete Guide to Rental Listings

How to Take Rental Photos That Rent Your Unit Fast

After writing an informative rental listing description, the next step is to add stunning rental listing photos. Luckily, you don’t need professional photography or expensive equipment to get high-quality photos. In this article, we’ll teach you why smartphone cameras work just as well.

Spending time on photos is crucial because listings with images get more views. On average, tenants look at a listing for only a few seconds, so if you don’t have rental listing photos, tenants will move on.

Here at Avail, we recommend that you add at least three photos before your listing goes live, but the more photos you have, the better. Tenants want to see every part of the property that they’ll be paying for, so offering high-quality photos will increase their interest in your rental.

What Equipment Do You Need to Take Quality Rental Property Photos?

Luckily, smartphone cameras are all you need these days. Digital SLR cameras are fantastic if you have one, but they are not absolutely necessary. The cameras on newer generation smartphones take high-quality photos — just be sure to clean your camera lens well.

Both an iPhone photo and an SLR photo are comparatively much larger than the photo size you need to upload online, meaning either type of camera is more than sufficient to take rental property photos.

How to Take Rental Photos With Current Tenants Living in Your Unit

If tenants currently live in your unit, ask ahead of time if you can come in and take photos. Be sure to give at least 24 hours notice. Having tenants already living in the unit has pros and cons:

PROS:

CONS:

  • The unit might be messy.
  • You don’t control what furniture will be in your photos.

To avoid photographing a messy apartment, you can politely ask the current tenants to straighten up before you arrive. Incentivize them by discounting rent that month or hire a cleaning service before the photoshoot.

How to Take Photos When Your Rental Unit Is Empty

If there are no tenants in your unit, you have the freedom to set up the unit however you like. Having no tenants in your space has its pros and cons, too:

PROS:

  • Space is available for you to take photos whenever.
  • You can stage the unit if you desire.

CONS:

  • Empty spaces are less inviting.
  • Empty spaces look smaller in photos.

To make sure your empty unit still looks inviting, you can play up the innately beautiful features of your unit, like windows with natural light or hardwood floors. The key to making any unit (whether furnished or empty) look good in photos is excellent staging.

Staging Your Rental Unit for Photos

staging your property for rental photos

Quick details that add appeal:

  • Place pillows on the couch
  • Open curtains
  • Put out a laptop
  • Showcase a nice TV or shelving
  • Add a vase of flowers or plant

Next, check the lighting. It’s best to take the photos on a day with sunlight pouring in, and make sure to turn on all the lights, too. You can photograph in the evening if you have to, but it won’t give you the same photo quality. If you do, be sure to avoid complete darkness, as black windows make the space look smaller.

And last, consider the angles you’ll take photos from. Stand at the widest vantage point of the room, which is usually the corner of the room. You should also only include two walls and a bit of ceiling and floor in each image. If you try to include three walls in a shot, it will create a closed-in effect. And avoid taking photos from up high — it looks artificial (a tenant will never be viewing the room from the ceiling).

If your space is small, you can make the room appear bigger by adding more lighting. Or to make a large room look more comfortable, consider taking the photo at night with all the lights on.

That said, be honest with your photos, and never try to deceive potential tenants with rental listing photos. Accurately displaying your rental unit will save both you and the tenant time and ensure you aren’t hosting rental property showings for tenants who won’t be interested after seeing the unit in person.

What Rooms to Photograph for a Rental Listing

Photograph every room. Tenants want to see every room and part of the property that they will be paying for — including any shared spaces.

  • All bedrooms
  • All bathrooms
  • Living room
  • Dining Room
  • Kitchen
  • Laundry room
  • Common spaces (entryways, basement, gyms, patio area, etc.)
  • Outdoor spaces

Outdoor Photography for a Rental Property

home at sunset

Many landlords forget to photograph outdoor spaces, but they can be huge selling points. Typically, the most important outdoor photo is the front of the building. If you have a rooftop deck, a courtyard, or parking spaces, then include those.

Ideally, you want to take outdoor photos in the summer. Photograph as the sun is going down, which is called the “golden hour” of photography. As you photograph the front of the building, keep the lights on inside to create a luxurious effect. If your unit has a great city skyline view, then be sure to photograph the view.

Editing for High Quality

After taking the photos, sit down and review them. Delete any blurry photos or ones that came out dark. We recommend editing the brightness. You can artificially lighten your photos directly on your smartphone, or in an app like iPhoto. Lighter photos are more cheerful and easy to see.

You can also crop your photo. If there’s too much blank wall, simply cut it out of the photo. To give the room a bigger feel, you can crop out the ceiling or floor. While you don’t want to be deceptive, there’s nothing wrong with editing photos to present the property in the best possible way.

As you upload and view your photos, make sure they are upright. Rotate them if needed.

Photos to Avoid in a Rental Listing

  • Dark or blurry photos
  • Insufficient quantity of photos
  • Rotated photos (make sure they are upright when you upload them)
  • Flash reflections in mirrors
  • Being in the background of your photo in a mirror
  • Clutter
  • Dirt
  • Disorganization

Save Yourself Time by Reusing Rental Listing Photos

Once you’ve invested time perfecting the photos, you can and should use them again to save yourself time in the future. If you create a free rental listing with Avail, we’ll store your photos for you.

High-quality photos can help you rent your unit at a higher rent price. If a tenant sees a stunning photo, they may justify a higher rent price. Or consider it this way: A higher rent price won’t be justified with bad photos or no photos.

The next step in the rental listing process is setting the right rent price. Read our best tips and tricks for setting your competitive rent price.