Corporate Housing 101 Property Management Toolbox

How Storage Can Help Prepare Your Home for Corporate Rental

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Published Date: 2012-08-08 Corporate housing has been experiencing serious growth in the past 20 years. In 2010 alone, corporate housing revenue was at an all-time high with 2.47 billion in revenue, beating out 2009’s record by almost a quarter billion. Clearly this industry has become a preferred alternative to the traditional hotel stay, and so for landlords it is important to make sure that your property has exactly what the tenant is looking for. Being that it is corporate housing, that of course means that the place is going to be furnished. However, just because you are allowed to have stuff there does not mean that is an invitation for you to store all of your useless belongings. There are things that the tenant does want in their home, but there are also things that they do not. For example, no tenant wants to see their landlords junk and clutter taking up space in their newly rented home, they just want the basics – a couch, bed, dishes, linens etc., -- not three coffee pots and a an extra mattress lying around. Renting a storage unit is the perfect solution to de-cluttering a personal residence and turning it into a fabulously furnished rental. Sometimes you are just in need of some extra space, but allowing your tenants to suffer because you decided to put extra stuff in their home is not a good idea. With self-storage, you can keep all the things that you don’t use every day out of the way until you find an appropriate place for them. Once you have decided to de-clutter your property, you must draw the line between what is essential and what is not. Below are a few tips that should help you out.

• Start with duplicates. If you have two (or three, or four) of something, first consider donating it. If, for whatever reason, you think you will need those extras, keep one in the rental and put the rest into your storage unit.
• This should go without saying but if you have more than one of something and only one works, throw the broken ones away. Be honest with yourself, are you ever really going to get around to fixing it? Didn’t think so.
• Perform the dust test: Anything that’s got a thick layer of dust on it is probably something that can go into storage without the risk of being missed.

After you know what you plan on keeping, be sure to pack the things you are storing logically, don’t just throw everything into a box. By packing things in an organized manner and labeling boxes, you’ll make it much easier to find something. Using the convenience offered by self-storage can really help keep your corporate home organized. When you get a new tenant, that last thing you want is for them to have an unsatisfactory experience. Instead, try putting your unused items in cheap storage units that not only help cut down on the visual chaos of a messy house, but also give you an opportunity to take a mental break from unnecessary stress. This article was written by Matt Schexnayder. Matt is on the SpareFoot marketing team and writes for the SpareFoot blog. SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage with more than 5,000 self-storage facilities listed nationwide. This article was contributed by Sparefoot. By publishing this article, CHBO does not make any endorsement or recommendation of the products or services promoted in this article.