By Tony Booth

Landlords are notoriously bad at preparing their properties for viewings. Sometimes the reason for this is they lack the insight and experience of professionals, such as major developers and high street estate agents; but more often it's because they lack the time, money and acumen to undertake the task. Regardless of the reason, landlords generally fail to appreciate just how influential that first impression can be - and then they wonder why, despite scores of viewings, tenants don't rush to sign on the dotted line.

It is said that most buyers and most potential tenants make a decision about a property within the first 30 seconds of stepping through the front door. Importantly, the viewer is usually already aware of the size of the dwelling, its location and its major features, because these would have been listed in the estate agent's or letting agent's particulars. The seller or landlord is already in a favourable position, because the potential buyer or tenant has already identified the property has most of the things on his 'want' list ... and most of these elements (number of bedrooms, location, etc.) are what has encouraged them to book a viewing.

Major builders and developers recognise the importance of presentation. It's why they create inspiring show homes and hire interior designers to colour coordinate and 'dress' the interior. In sharp contrast, landlords in the buy-to-let arena rarely give presentation much consideration. Some believe that the right sized dwelling in the right place will let itself. This assumption might have proved true a few years ago, when there were far more tenants than properties available - but now, things are very different. Competition amongst landlords has never been higher, which means (given a level playing field on rent, location and size) the better-presented property will invariably let much faster than one that is under-prepared.

High standards of cleanliness and bright and fresh interior decoration remain amongst the most important elements to influence rapid potential tenant take-up. However, after these, it is often the little things that impact on the decision-making process. Dressing a property is not rocket-science, but it does require a good eye for detail and some level of colour coordination competence to create a 'WOW-factor' ... rather than an 'UGH-factor'.