Preparing Your Rental Property for Professional Photographs
Can you fit a table in the bay window? Is there room to walk past the bed? These are questions a prospective tenant might ask before booking a viewing. When you prepare a rental property for photographs, start by standing in each doorway. What can you tell about the room from there?
Agree the visit before anyone starts tidying
If the property is occupied, speak to the tenant about the appointment and where the images will appear. Agree which rooms can be photographed and give them time to put personal items away themselves. A family photograph on a mantelpiece, a child’s name on a bedroom door or a prescription on the kitchen counter can all be legible in a listing. If a tenant would prefer a room to stay private, agree an alternative, such as photographing it after they move out.
For an empty property, arrange keys and entry to any spaces you want included. In a Glasgow tenement that might mean checking the back-court key as well as the flat key. In November, tell the photographer if the main room only catches daylight in the morning. That detail is worth sharing when you book.
Give each room a job in the listing
Living room. Pull the curtains clear of the glass and clear the route from the door to the window. Leave the furniture that shows how the room works. In a bay-windowed lounge, two chairs tucked under a small table can answer the dining-space question in a single photograph.
Kitchen. Put the washing-up away and clear enough worktop to show where someone could prepare a meal. Leave any appliances supplied with the let in their usual places. Tell the photographer if the fridge or washing machine belongs to the outgoing tenant so the listing can make that clear.
Bedrooms. Make the bed if the room is furnished and clear the floor beside it. Seeing the gap between the bed and wardrobe helps someone judge whether the doors will open comfortably. If the room is empty, ask for a view that includes the doorway and built-in storage.
Bathroom and hall. Move toiletries away from the basin and check what the mirror reflects through the open door. In a narrow hall, lifting the coats off one hook can reveal the cupboard or second doorway that explains the layout.
Decide what needs attention before the camera arrives
A laundry airer takes a minute to fold away. A spreading damp patch needs a separate conversation. If you spot a repair while preparing a room, record it, arrange the follow-up and tell the photographer if the visit needs to move. If moisture keeps returning around a window, our guide to recurring condensation explains what to check.
Give the photographer the details a viewer could miss
A useful brief can be two sentences. For example, “The cupboard off the hall is the flat’s own storage. The garden through the back door is shared.” Show the photographer both and label them accurately when selecting the images. Before the listing goes live, check that the photographs still match the furniture, rooms and outdoor space on offer.
Getting your rental property ready to list?
Thorn offers professional property photography across Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire. For a quote, send Nick the property postcode, the number of bedrooms and when you hope to list it. If you have a question about the visit first, Ask Wendy can help.