2020 marked our 7th full-year of weekly blogging about the off-campus housing industry - and what a year it was! Many of our blogs provided information on the effects of COVID-19 in the student housing industry and offered suggestions for handling rentals. We’ve compiled some of our best blogs for landlords from 2020 as a recap.

To read each full article, click on the images below.

1. Cutting Costs For Your All-Inclusive Student Rentals

All-inclusive rentals are an ideal, hassle-free option for student renters. Students don’t often have much experience setting up utility services and managing several bills all on different payment cycles. For this reason, all-inclusive rentals provide students with the ease of simply paying one monthly fee at the start of each month. Here are a few tips on keeping your costs low in an all-inclusive rental property.
 

2. Dealing with Minor Maintenance Requests During Social Distancing

Maintenance requests are a task all landlords and property managers have to deal with. Making sure that issues are fixed properly and timely are a priority. But what if there were tasks tenants could feel empowered to fix themselves during these times of social distancing? Check out these tips on empowering your tenants as well as staying available to them.
 

3. Insights Into the Future of Student Housing

Members of the student housing industry have been working together to analyze the unprecedented changes we are seeing in the student housing industry. Student Housing Business has released various interactive interviews* with affiliates on how they have been managing during this pandemic and what they predict the industry will be like in the future. Here is a summary of just a few of the interviews.
 

4. The Benefits of Alternative Text (ALT Text) in Rental Listings

Images are an imperative component of online rental listings that are instrumental in turning a prospective tenant into a signed lease. But what can be done when a potential renter is unable to see these images? Alternative Text (ALT Text) is a new feature on Places4Students.com that landlords and property managers will see when posting a rental vacancy online. Our website is now fully compatible for web accessibility by all users!
 

5. How To Create an Appealing Virtual Tour

Virtual tours are an increasingly popular way to promote rental properties, especially when in-person showings are not possible. Virtual tours are known as simulations of existing locations that are composed of multi-media elements – videos and images. Check out these tips to create an appealing virtual tour.
 

6. Why Landlords Should Care About Roommate Conflict

Landlords might not be roommate-matchmaker experts, but in the long run, it’s beneficial for them to try to minimize roommate conflict to the best of their ability. Here are some ways for landlords to approach roommate conflict and be there for their tenants if need be.
 

7. Amenity Preferences are Shifting in Off-Campus Housing

Off-campus housing has been evolving over the past few decades, with amenities being at the forefront of the changes. Before COVID-19, renters were interested in luxury amenities. Now, tenants are shifting their priorities to more basic needs, as they learn to live in society’s new form of normal. The following are a few new preferences that renters currently look for over the previously desired amenities.
 

8. Off-Campus Rental Property Maintenance During the Holidays

With most student tenants heading home for the holiday season in December, it’s a great time for landlords to take stock of their rental properties and perform maintenance tasks while the units are vacant. Below are a few ideas for property managers to consider.
 

9. Holiday Incentives to Retain Tenants Next Year

Tenant retention is a top priority for landlords and property managers, especially in the off-campus housing market. It not only saves money, but often leads to new tenant referrals as well. Word-of-mouth testimonials go a long way in the rental industry. Below are a few tips on how to spread holiday cheer to your tenants this season.
 

10. The Effects of COVID-19 on Off-Campus Housing

As the first semester of the 2020/2021 school year is nearing the halfway mark, we are beginning to see how COVID-19 has impacted the off-campus housing rental market so far. With most college and university campuses having to reduce their on-campus housing units, or close their student residences, we have seen an increase in the demand for off-campus housing in various communities across North America.
 

SEE ALSO:  The Best Off-Campus Housing Blogs from 2019 - For Landlords