Renting a dwelling in times of confinement

It is recommended that owners and managers restrict visits to dwellings and take necessary precautions including, ideally, postponement, but visits are still permitted they are however, not recommended. The question that remains is: how do I rent my unit?

Publishing your ad

It is more important than ever to showcase your dwellings. Kangalou encourages you to use technology as much as possible to make virtual visits of your homes. 

• Make sure to have beautiful photos that allow a tour of the entire dwelling and the environment.
  • There is no limit on the number of photos you can upload to Kangalou.
• Write a full description of the dwelling, the building, the neighborhood and the services.
• With a smartphone, you can easily produce a video that gives an overall view of the apartment, but also of the common areas of your building, its accesses, its neighborhood, and thus be able to present a maximum of information to prospective tenants.
• Kangalou allows you to publish a video on YouTube within the ad itself.

Apartment visits by videoconferencing

In the particular context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires restrictions on travel and contact, Kangalou encourages you to use technology as much as possible to make virtual tours of your accommodations. From a smart phone or a tablet, you can use several applications to allow a virtual meeting with your prospective tenants. 

Here are some applications and the links to connect to them:

 For Android devices

- Hangout (note that you must have a Google account)

For Apple devices

- Facetime

OTHER MOBILE APPS:    

- Facebook Messenger

- WhatsApp

Tips to make efficient and optimal videoconferences:

- Answering all of the tenant's questions about the unit will allow you to initiate a professional and transparent discussion, and thus have candidates who are really interested in your apartment and the related conditions.

- On the spot, remember to open cupboard doors, closets, curtains, etc., as well as to move around the space, and show the balconies, terraces, common areas, etc. This allows you to help the potential candidate visualize the living space.

- Make sure that the condition of the unit is suitable and representative of the condition in which the dwelling will be left 

Visits in person

Even if the law permits visits, the current circumstances are exceptional and require a new approach. It is therefore recommended that landlords do not insist if a tenant fears for his or her health and refuses to allow a visit to his or her dwelling. The important thing remains to obtain the tenant's consent before bringing the visitor.

If a visit is absolutely necessary, here are a few recommendations:

- Evaluate the candidate's needs to avoid unnecessary travel to visit a dwelling that would not be suitable for him/her. The rental application and the pre-rental screening can even be done online beforehand and quickly, thanks to CORPIQ's tools;

- If a visit becomes necessary, the landlord should limit the number of people for the visit (preferably one applicant instead of his whole family or his roommates) and limit the duration of the visit; 

- Strictly require that hands be disinfected before entering, that no one touches anything inside, and that people keep their distances from each other;

- No visits should take place if the occupant or prospective tenant show any symptoms of COVID-19.

Conclude the rental

Preferably use electronic rental applications by using ProprioLocation, a free tool developed by CORPIQ and accessible to all landlords, and the ProprioEnquête pre-rental screening entirely available online.

In this period of pandemic, know that you can proceed remotely for the signature of your leases.

1. Send the completed lease without your signature by email to the tenant

2. Ask him to sign this lease by hand.

3. He must then scan it and send it to you by email.

4. You must sign your handwritten signature last.

5. Return a copy of the lease signed by both parties to your tenant.

The Kangalou team thanks you for your collaboration and be assured that everyone's safety is our priority.