Renting homes to members of the military is about much more than simply signing leases and fixing sinks.
Helping members of the military rent out their homes when they’re shipping out to a new service station is about more than screening tenants and protecting their investment.
It’s about being part of the community. Serving the people who serve us.
Hampton Roads is one of the largest and most successful military communities in the United States. With major bases like Naval Station Norfolk, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and others, the region is home to thousands of active-duty service members, their families, and veterans. For real estate investors and landlords, this presents a unique opportunity to connect with a stable, committed tenant base that often seeks long-term rental solutions.
We take this role seriously.
Our years of experience has shown us that attracting military tenants and serving military owners is about more than just advertising your property—it’s about understanding and engaging with the unique needs, schedules, and priorities of this community.
So let’s look beyond the bases today. And beyond the basics. Let’s talk about how landlords and real estate investors can tap into the military community in Hampton Roads to grow occupancy rates and build lasting tenant relationships.
Building Relationships with the Military Community
To attract military tenants in Hampton Roads, landlords and real estate investors need to build trust within the community. Whether we are renting out homes that are owned by civilians or military personnel, we know that placing a tenant who is in the military is a great way to ensure a successful rental experience for everyone. Here’s how we build those relationships.
Partner with Base Housing Offices
Plenty of service members and their families are independently looking for housing that will meet their needs. Others are leveraging the resources that are provided by the military. Many military bases have housing offices dedicated to helping service members find off-base housing. We always reach out to these offices and inquire about listing our properties in their databases. Our experience in this market and within the military community means that introductions rarely have to be made. This connection has given the properties we rent out immediate visibility among families relocating to the area.
Create Military-Friendly Policies
Our lease agreements are military-friendly because we know that this community is a very large part of our tenant pool. And, one of the easiest ways to attract military tenants and stand out from other landlords is by creating policies tailored to their needs. For instance, you’ll want to understand the Service Members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) before you even think about drafting a lease agreement. This is the law that allows military tenants to terminate their lease without penalty if they receive deployment orders or a permanent change of station. Offering flexibility here is not just good business practice—it’s the law.
We are clear about rent payment timing. Sometimes, our military tenants receive their Base Allowance for Housing (BAH) on a date that does not align perfectly with normal rental due dates. We’re willing to work with them to come to an agreement on when and how rent will be paid. We also include tenant-friendly clauses in our lease agreements. We’ll consider, for example, reduced security deposits for military families who qualify or early termination without penalty for deployment or PCS orders.
How to Be a Welcoming Military Landlord
What can you do to provide that extra bit of service and comfort to your military tenants?
It’s about seeing yourself not just as a landlord but also as part of the community that serves the military bases we have in Hampton Roads and the surrounding areas.
Welcoming your new military tenants to their new home is an important way to create open communication and a great relationship while generating positive, word-of-mouth recommendations. The military community is tight-knit, and renting to military tenants is a great way to secure renters for years to come. They’ll talk to each other about where they’re living and what they like about it. Be mindful of this as you try to create a great rental experience. It’s why property management can be such a high-value investment for landlords. We work within the military community, and members of that community know they can trust us.
Renting to Military Communities
The transient nature of military life means that your new tenants are constantly having to make a brand-new area feel like home. This is not always easy, and if we can help them in any way, we will.
In addition, these new tenants are always on the lookout for the conveniences that will settle them into their new home quickly. Be willing to provide information on local grocery stores, the best pizza delivery places, and the best parks to take their children and pets.
Help make their lives just a little bit easier as they transition to your town by sharing your knowledge and going the extra mile to make them feel at home. This is an important part of serving the community of military tenants.
Here are some other ways to be more attentive to your military tenants:
Become a More Digital Landlord
Your future tenants may not be able to schedule an in-person showing before they move. You can offer them a virtual tour or a digital tour on FaceTime or via WhatsApp to give them a good idea of how your home looks. Once you have a tenant approved, provide a digital welcome packet that includes general information about the home and the area. Providing resources before they arrive can be a great way to serve the entire community.
Establish yourself as a helpful and convenient resource. By becoming a digital landlord, you will attract more tenants who enjoy paying online and emailing or texting instead of receiving personal visits for every request. More and more military members are opting for convenient digital options.
Help With Local Schools
The military community includes families. If you’re renting to a service member who has children, there’s going to be a need for local school information. Understandably, military kids have to be adaptable and flexible, thanks to their frequent moves. The military community will tell you that there can be academic and social challenges when the kids switch schools. Creating a transition that’s as easy as possible is a priority for parents.
To help out, you can provide information about school registration (who to contact) and any district-wide policies for your properties that house children.
Anticipate Their Needs
When you’re in touch with the military community, you can anticipate the needs of your incoming tenants. What types of businesses will your military tenants be looking for when they first move to town? Compile a list of recommended businesses for basic services that most people would use, such as highly-rated stylists, mechanics and similar service providers that you typically discover after living in an area for a while.
Make Sure Your Property is Move-In-Ready
Your renters will expect a move-in-ready home. Have the property professionally cleaned before they arrive so your new tenants don’t have to clean up after the former tenant. When your new tenants arrive, they might be traveling separately from their belongings and many essentials. Consider putting together a welcome basket that includes things like toilet paper and paper towels as well as some bottled water and snacks. It’s a nice gesture that will not only be appreciated by your tenant. It’s good for your reputation, too, as this kind of news travels fast.
Leverage the Military Community to List Homes
There are military-specific websites that we always use when we’re renting out homes. It’s a great way to introduce yourself and the homes you have available to the local military community. The most popular sites are AHRN, which has over 1.4 million users, MilitarybyOwner, which allows independent landlords to list their rental homes to prospective tenants, and HOMES.mil, which screens listed homes for a list of minimal standards.
Working with a local property management company that already has relationships within the military community is perhaps the best way to reach this demographic of tenants. When you want to attract good military tenants to your property, we can help because we’re talking to housing offices at the bases all the time. We also have a great reputation among tenants and the entire military community.
We work with owners, too, who are leaving the area but don’t want to sell their home. A lot of military owners prefer to rent to military tenants, and we can help market their homes to tenants within their own community.
Let’s talk about renting out military homes and attracting military tenants. It can be a huge undertaking if you’re not already familiar with how this community operates and what they’re looking for in a housing partner.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us at Doud Realty Services, Inc. We provide expert property management in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton Roads, as well as surrounding areas such as Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Chesapeake, and Newport News.