{"id":91780,"date":"2017-09-04T11:00:29","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T17:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/renewsblog\/?p=91780"},"modified":"2021-03-17T09:53:49","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T15:53:49","slug":"family-friendly-rental","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/family-friendly-rental","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips For Making Your Rental Property Family Friendly"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lot of landlords shy away from families with kids. They\u2019re under the impression that children destroy houses. They want to avoid the problems that may come with a house full of kids. But what many landlords may not realize is that families with children are protected under the Federal Fair Housing Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As real estate blogger Amie Fisher points out<\/a>, it’s against the law to set a maximum number of kids allowed in a rental (although you can limit the total number of people) or charge extra because an applicant has children. Asking price must be the same whether or not tenants have kids.<\/p>\n

Since the law mandates that you must accept kids, why not take things a step further and turn your rental into a kid-friendly property? In doing so, you’ll actually create a selling point that will attract young families (who tend to be stable tenants).<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re in the market for your next property, here are some things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n

1. School Zoning<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Zoning is one of the single most important things to a family with school-aged children. They\u2019re thinking, \u201cWhich public schools is this property zoned for and how will that affect my child\u2019s education?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

While you might not be able to afford purchasing a rental property in the best school zones, you should avoid the worst ones at all costs. Do some research online<\/a> to figure out which areas have good reputations and refine your property search from there.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> 10 Landscaping Tips for a Family Friendly Rental<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

2. The Neighborhood<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When young families look for rentals, they tend to stick with safe neighborhoods in good parts of town. As an investor and a landlord, you have to think like them. While there\u2019s a time for buying up cheap real estate in less-than-desirable areas, you won’t have a lot of success renting these properties to families.<\/p>\n

Put yourself in your ideal renter\u2019s shoes. Think about how they would look for a property. Check out the best neighborhoods and keep an eye out for properties you think may be good investments.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n

3. The Yard<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The yard is one of the most important aspects of a property when you\u2019re marketing to families with young kids. There\u2019s only so much a kid can do inside the house. A nice big backyard with plenty of room to play is very attractive to renters.<\/p>\n

If you can find a property with an outdoor play set \u2013 or install one yourself \u2013 it adds a nice touch. But a fence is even more important than a play set. Security and privacy are important to renters, and parents want to feel like they can let their kids outside to play without having to watch them like a hawk.<\/p>\n

If you’re tempted to buy a rental property with a pool, use discretion. Pools are a pain in the rear when it comes maintenance, and it may not be something you’ll want to deal with.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> Do Schools Really Affect Property Values?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

4. A Bonus Room<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you have a young child, you know just how important it is to have a separate space for them to play with toys and make a mess. When investing in a rental property, keep an eye out for properties that have bonus rooms. A bonus room is a space that isn’t considered a bedroom, but serves as additional living space.<\/p>\n

Invest in Kid-Friendly Properties<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are plenty of families in the rental market who are not quite ready to buy a home, but need a house that will allow them to raise their family for a period of time. Cramped, one-bedroom apartments won\u2019t do the trick. If you want to appeal to this growing segment of renters, consider investing in some child-friendly properties.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How have you made your properties more attractive to families?<\/em><\/p>\n

Tell me how in the comments section below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to attract family renters who are not quite ready to buy their own home but need a nice place to raise their children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59534,"featured_media":91891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-landlording"],"acf":[],"comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59534"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}