1. The lead photo was taken at night
A ceiling-light photo gives you yellow walls, hard shadows and a room that looks smaller. The tenant does not think "bad photo". They think "dark apartment", and they keep scrolling.
Wait for daylight, open the curtains, turn every light off. It is free, and it is the single highest-return change you can make.
Why this matters even more in Québec
In Montréal, most leases are signed between March and June for a July 1st move-in. During that window a good tenant visits several apartments in the same week and compares landlords directly against each other.
That is exactly when these seven details decide the outcome. Off-season, a candidate might wait. In the race to July 1st, they never come back to the same listing twice.
2. You reply the next day
Enquiries arrive in the evening. Whoever answers within the hour gets the showing; whoever answers next morning finishes second. It is not about politeness, order of arrival decides.
3. The listing does not say exactly where it is
Tenants evaluate the commute first. A listing that stays vague on location forces them to guess, and nobody books a viewing for a place they cannot locate.
Name the area, the nearest station and the walking time. The best candidates are the ones who already know the location works.
4. Showings are impossible to get
Availability only on weekdays at 2 p.m. eliminates every tenant who has a job, which is precisely the group you want.
Offer one weeknight window and one weekend window, and group the showings.
5. The tone puts people on the defensive
A listing that stacks up prohibitions before describing the apartment sets the tone for the whole relationship. The strongest candidates, who have options, go elsewhere.
Describe the apartment first. Conditions come after, stated plainly.
6. You ask for too many documents too early
Requiring a full file before the viewing pushes away serious candidates who protect their personal information. Ask at the screening stage, not in the first message.
7. The decision drags
After the viewing, the candidate is waiting. No news within two days and they sign elsewhere. Set yourself a response deadline and say it out loud during the showing: it sets you apart immediately.
The common thread
- Shoot in daylight
- Reply within the hour
- Locate the apartment clearly
- Offer one evening and one weekend
- Describe before prohibiting
- Ask for documents at the right moment
- Decide fast, and say so
None of these seven mistakes is about the condition of the apartment. They are about the candidate's experience. That is where the difference lies between a listing that gets enquiries and one that stalls.
