How to write an effective Wanted ad
Looking for the perfect place to rent? So is everyone else. A Wanted advert turns the search around. Instead of chasing every To Let listing, you describe what you need and let landlords with a suitable property come to you. Landlords often browse the Wanted adverts in their area before listing a property, so a good advert puts you in front of them at the right moment.
Here's how to give yours the best chance.
1. Keep it short
People are busy and adverts get skimmed. Say what you need, say why you'd make a good tenant, and stop there. Anyone who wants more detail will get in touch, and then you have your chance to talk.
2. Lead with the essentials
Too many adverts go into detail about everything except the things that matter. State clearly:
- what you're looking for: a room, flat, house, or something else
- single or double, if it's a room
- how many bedrooms, if it's a whole property
- your budget
- when you need to move in
If a landlord has to guess at any of those, they'll usually just move on to the next advert.
3. Sell your reliability, not your life story
Landlords want tenants who pay on time, look after the place, and cause no bother. If you have references, a deposit ready, a steady income, or a clean rental history, say so up front. Those few words do more work than anything else in your advert.
Leave out long personal stories and health details. They make readers uncomfortable, and fewer of them will get in touch. Keep it factual.
4. Be upfront about pets and smoking
Don't hide a pet and hope nobody asks. Mention the pet, offer a reference for it from a previous landlord if you can, and offer to pay for a professional clean at the end of the tenancy. The same goes for smoking. Most landlords can live with either when it's declared and covered. What they won't forgive is finding out later.
5. Don't sound desperate
Never describe yourself as desperate, and skip the "please, anyone, urgent!!" tone. It puts off genuine landlords and attracts the wrong sort. Calm and specific gets better replies.
6. Don't shout
Writing your advert IN CAPITALS or loading it with gimmicky punctuation makes it look amateurish, and our moderators will tidy it up anyway. Every advert on Letalife is checked by a real person before it goes live, and we edit for clarity and readability where needed.
7. One good advert beats ten copies
Place your advert on the page for the area where you're actually looking. Posting the same advert in lots of towns won't multiply your chances. Duplicates get rejected in moderation, and they slow down the approval of the one advert you actually wanted. If your search genuinely covers a wide area, advertise on the county page instead. One advert, whole area covered.
8. Keep it current
Adverts stay live for six weeks, then expire automatically. If you find a place before then, take your advert down so people stop contacting you about it. If you're still looking after six weeks, place a fresh advert. A recent date reassures landlords that you're still searching.
9. Stay safe
Before you place your Wanted advert, review our important safety tips in our "Staying safe" article.