Rental Advertisement Checklist

Steps a leasing manager runs to take a vacant unit from make-ready completion through a published, Fair Housing-compliant listing with showings configured and screening criteria posted.

7 sections 19 steps Collects data
1

Property Details

  1. Verify the address against the rent roll

    • Pull the unit's record from AppFolio, Buildium, or Yardi and confirm street, unit number, ZIP, and county match the rent roll. Mismatched unit numbers across listing channels and the lease are a common dispute trigger at move-in.

  2. List bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage

    • Use the figures from the property's actual floor plan or appraisal — not the prior listing. Half-baths count separately. Den / loft / sunroom only counts as a bedroom if it has a closet and egress window per local code.

  3. Capture the year the building was built

    • Pre-1978 buildings trigger the federal lead-based paint disclosure requirement, which must be signed before lease execution. Pull the year from the county assessor record, not the marketing brochure — additions and rebuilds can be misleading.

    Collects list
2

Pricing and Lease Terms

  1. Set the asking rent against current comps

    • Pull comparable active and recently-leased units within a half-mile, same bed/bath count, similar square footage. Overpricing by 5% routinely doubles days-on-market; correct pricing recovers far more than a small concession ever does.

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  2. Define the lease term and renewal option

    • State the fixed term (commonly 12 months) and how renewal works — automatic month-to-month conversion, fixed renewal at notice, or new lease required. Holdover language varies by state and is the most common source of post-lease-end ambiguity.

  3. Set the deposit and pet policy

    • State deposit caps vary (CA Civil Code §1950.5 limits to two months unfurnished). Pet rent and pet deposit cannot apply to service animals or documented ESAs under the Fair Housing Act — call out pet policy as applying to companion pets only.

3

Required Disclosures

  1. Prepare the federal lead-paint disclosure

    • Use the EPA-approved disclosure form and attach the EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home." The form must be signed before lease execution; missing forms trigger per-violation HUD/EPA penalties. File the signed copy in the tenant folder.

  2. Prepare state-specific disclosures

    • Pull the disclosure list for the operating state: mold (most states), bedbug history (NYC, ME, AZ), Megan's Law database notice (CA), flood zone (TX, NJ, NY), radon (FL, IL). Some apply at lease execution; others must appear in the listing itself.

  3. Confirm smoke and CO detector certification

    • Verify working detectors in every required location per state code (typically every bedroom and one per floor). MA requires a sale/lease inspection certificate; CA requires working detectors before move-in. Photograph the tested units and log the test date in the unit file.

4

Make-Ready Verification

  1. Close out the make-ready punch list

    • Walk the unit with the maintenance lead and confirm every punch-list item is signed off — paint, carpet, fixtures, hardware, appliance function. Listing photos taken before make-ready closes routinely cause showing-to-application drop-off.

  2. Rekey the unit and log the new code

    • Standard practice is rekey at every turnover — cost is $50–150, liability avoided is much larger. Some jurisdictions require it. Log the new key code in the unit file and dispose of prior tenant's keys.

5

Photography and Virtual Tour

  1. Schedule the photographer after make-ready

    • Book the shoot for daylight hours with blinds open. Photos taken with maintenance materials, paint cans, or unstaged kitchens consistently underperform. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon give the best natural light for interior wide-angle shots.

  2. Capture wide-angle photos of every room

    • Minimum: hero exterior, kitchen, living, every bedroom, every bathroom, plus any amenity areas. 16–20 photos performs better than 6–8 across Zillow and Apartments.com listing analytics. Upload to the unit folder and tag for syndication.

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  3. Decide on a virtual tour option

    • Matterport 3D and Zillow 3D Home both reduce wasted in-person showings on out-of-state applicants. Cost runs $100–250 per unit; lift on lead quality typically justifies it on units above $1,800/month.

6

Listing Copy and Syndication

  1. Draft Fair Housing-compliant listing copy

    • Describe the unit and amenities — never the ideal tenant. "Great for young professionals," "perfect for a couple," or "walking distance" (excludes mobility-impaired) are routine Fair Housing violations. In source-of-income jurisdictions (NY, MA, NJ, many CA cities), do not state "no Section 8."

    Collects date
  2. Publish to Zillow, Apartments.com, and the firm site

    • Most PMS platforms (AppFolio, Buildium, Rent Manager) syndicate to Zillow Rentals, Apartments.com, Realtor.com, Hotpads, and Trulia from a single feed. Verify the syndication ran successfully on each channel — feed errors silently drop listings on Zillow and Apartments.com on a regular basis.

  3. Confirm rental registration filing

    • NYC HPD, LA City RSO, Boston ISD, and many other jurisdictions require active rental registration before listing. An unregistered unit can result in a void lease and inability to collect rent or evict. Verify the registration is current before the listing goes live, not after.

7

Showings and Application Intake

  1. Select the showing method

    • Self-show platforms (Tenant Turner, Showdigs, Rently) cut leasing-agent hours but require a smart lock and a screened lead before the access code releases. Agent-led showings produce stronger applicants on higher-end units but cost 1–2 hours per showing.

    Collects list
  2. Configure the self-show platform

    • Install or pair the smart lock (August, Igloohome, RemoteLock), connect it to Tenant Turner / Showdigs / Rently, and verify the prospect-screening gate (ID upload + soft credit check) fires before the access code releases. Test with a dummy lead before going live.

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Sections 7
Steps 19
Category Property Management
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