How to Actually Sell a Tenanted Property Without It Blowing Up in Your Face
This guide gives you Tips for Selling a Tenanted Property, selling with a tenant in place is harder, but not impossible. Here’s how to do it right and still get a clean sale without drama, delays, or dealing with legal issues.
1. Build rapport with the tenant
Start here, before the listing, before the photos, before the opens. Selling a tenanted property means you’re invading someone’s home with strangers and inspections. If the tenant gets hostile or uncooperative, access becomes difficult, and that affects your sale. Investors get scared off by difficult tenants, especially if the lease has a long term remaining.
Sit down with them, face-to-face, and reassure them. Let them know the lease terms remain in place, they are not being kicked out, and you’ll work around their schedule. If they feel respected and kept in the loop, they’re far more likely to play ball.
2. Offer an incentive if needed
If rapport alone isn’t cutting it, offer something tangible. A happy tenant makes all the difference during a sale.
This could be:
- A $300 gift card on settlement
- A cleaner paid for before the first home open
- A rent reduction during the campaign
- A lawn tidy-up or external pressure clean at no cost to them
If the house is messy and the tenant refuses to clean, pay a professional cleaner. A few hundred dollars upfront can save you thousands in lowball offers. When a buyer thinks the place hasn’t been looked after, they assume hidden issues. First impressions matter — and so does smell, clutter, and lawn height.
3. Lock in inspection times before you list
Don’t wait for friction, set expectations early. Ask the tenant what days and times work around their routine (e.g. school drop-off, FIFO shifts, sports practice) and create a fixed schedule. If they know there’s no surprises, they’re less likely to say no.
Set realistic limits too, one or two opens a week max. It’s not a free-for-all. Lock it in, put it in writing, and have your agent stick to the plan.
4. Create zero disruption outside agreed times, and stop over-inspecting
If you’ve already scheduled inspections, don’t try to squeeze in extra private viewings just to please buyers. Every time you break the routine, you risk upsetting the tenant.
If a buyer is serious, they can wait until the next open. Overloading access only builds resentment. Protect the deal by protecting the structure you’ve already agreed on.
Want to add another tip here? Consider offering virtual tours or walk-through videos so you don’t need to over-rely on physical opens at all.
5. Use the tenant as a selling point, if they’re a good one
If you’ve got a clean, consistent tenant paying good rent, highlight that in the listing. Investors love seeing ready-made income. Write something like:
“Tenanted until Nov 2025 at $540/week to reliable long-term tenant. Professionally managed and well maintained.”
A stable tenancy helps justify the price and gives the buyer confidence in the asset. You can even include a photo of the rent ledger at the inspection or in the contract pack. Show them it’s a plug-and-play investment, not a headache.
6. Stage it once, or don’t bother
Photos matter. If your tenant’s house looks like a bomb site, your marketing won’t convert. Ask them to give you just one good day. Offer to pay for coffee or lunch while the photographer works.
If they’re leaving soon, get early access for staging. Worst case? Hire a cleaner and shoot it as-is, but make sure the lighting and angles work.
Don’t shoot a tenanted house on a random Tuesday when the beds aren’t made and there’s pizza boxes on the counter. That’s how it looks like a rental, and sells like one.
7. Manage buyers properly, don’t overpromise
Put “currently tenanted” and the lease details in the ad. Don’t lie. Don’t let buyers assume the tenant will be gone unless you can guarantee that.
At opens, tell people up front:
- It’s tenanted
- The lease ends on X date
- No, you cannot move in before then
If you give false hope or act vague, you’ll waste time on buyers who can’t settle, or worse, or leave your self liable to litigation for breaching the code of conduct and giving misleading information.
8. Put all agreements in writing
WA tenancy law requires reasonable access, but what’s “reasonable” is vague and subjective. Avoid disputes by putting things in writing:
- Inspection schedule
- Photography agreement
- Acknowledgement of sale intention
This gives you legal cover and something to refer back to if the tenant starts resisting mid-campaign.
9. Presentation is everything ESPECIALLY in a rental
You only get one shot at the first impression. If the house isn’t clean, if the lawn’s a jungle, if the bins are overflowing, buyers notice. And they judge the entire property based on that vibe.
If your tenant can’t or won’t keep it tidy, hire someone. Your cleaner costs you a couple hundred. A bad first impression could cost you $15,000.
10. Choose an agent who actually knows tenancy law
This isn’t a normal sale, it’s a legal balancing act. The average sales agent has no idea what they can or can’t do under WA’s Residential Tenancies Act. You need someone who’s navigated this before.
At Mandurah City Real Estate, Liam and Tarleea have sold dozens of tenanted properties, particularly coming from the Karratha market — where almost every home is sold with a lease in place. They understand:
- How to talk to tenants,
- How to structure contracts for investor or vacant buyers,
- How to avoid delays, disputes, and missteps during settlement
Your agent matters more here than almost any other kind of sale.
Final word
If the tenant’s happy, the campaign goes smooth. If the tenant’s pissed off, everything gets harder — from opens to price to settlement. Work with them, not against them, and structure the deal properly from day one.
Want help planning how to sell your tenanted property the smart way? Reach out — we’ve done it all before.
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