People live in a variety of residences. For many people, this means renting a property in a planned community or apartment complex. The leasing consultant builds a relationship with the residents, markets the properties, shows the properties, and leases different units.

This leasing consultant job description goes over what they do and differentiates their job from that of a real estate agent. We will cover topics such as major responsibilities, essential skills, required education, needed experience, typical working schedule, and job outlook.

What Does a Leasing Consultant Do?

A leasing consultant prepares brochures and handouts to give to perspective tenants. They know their market, their properties, and what would work well for different people. Therefore, they also recommend different properties or units depending on requests and budget. A leasing consultant job description shows that they also manage some financial aspects of the property such as rent payments and security deposits. A leasing consultant must also know by heart housing laws and deal with potentially difficult tenants. Finally, they help with the overall look of the property by keeping it clean and setting up or tearing down events.

leasing consultant

Leasing consultant’s either need a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent prior work experience. This person needs to enjoy the sales field. The median pay for this field is $28,440 dollars.

Leasing Consultant Job Description for Resume – Responsibilities

Leasing consultants complete a variety of tasks and can be considered a jack-of-all-trades as their job is interdisciplinary. The following statements are just a few of the responsibilities seen in a leasing consultant job description.

  • Greet potential tenants and go over the major details of the property.
  • Keep a record of all communication with tenants including events scheduled and maintenance needed.
  • Regularly communicate with the property manager.
  • Create and send out email campaigns in order to attract new tenants.
  • Collects the security deposit of new tenants.
  • Maintain a clean entrance to the leasing office and decorate seasonally.
  • Throws special events for the residents and plans parties.

Leasing Consultant Essential Skills

  • Integrity skills. Leasing consultants have confidential and financial information. They must be honest and accountable with this information.
  • Diversity and inclusion skills. Leasing consultants need to not show bias towards people who want to live in the development. They must be welcoming and treat all potential residents fairly.
  • Organizational skills. These professionals need to record all interactions they have, whether positive or negative. They must be organized and classify information in a retrievable format.
  • Interpersonal skills. Leasing consultants need to have a sales mentality. They must build a rapport with people while at the same time persuading them to sign leasing contracts.

A similar article on essential skills is found here.

How to Become a Leasing Consultant

Leasing consultants either need a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent experience. They have different licensing and educational expectations than real estate agents. While both of these careers need to sell properties, real estate agents have additional responsibilities due to selling rather than leasing of real estate.

Education & Training Requirements

Most employers expect leasing consultants to have a bachelor’s degree. However, some professionals can acquire an equivalent level of experience. Leasing consultants who will be handling finances or contracts are expected to have some level of formal education.

Leasing consultants need to become certified in Fair Housing policies. There are other optional certificates ordered through things such as the National Apartment Association or the National Association of Realtors. They can be certified in a variety of topics such as risk management, accounting, real estate law, and property liability. Some employers require certifications before hiring the leasing consultant, while other employers allow the consultant to get their certifications while working.

Work Experience

Leasing consultants do not need prior work experience. However, prior experience in sales or marketing can prove very beneficial. Leasing consultants may need to complete intensive or onboarding training prior to interacting with residents and potential tenants.

As a leasing consultant becomes more experienced, they could manage other leasing consultants or advance to the position of property consultant. To learn more about what it is like to be a leasing consultant, you could inquire about job shadowing or internship opportunities for the company.

Work Schedules

Leasing consultants work a varied schedule. They may have to work evenings and weekends depending on when their potential residents are available. When a property is first opening to tenants the leasing consultant could work more than 40 hours a week.

From a leasing consultant job description daily schedule, the professional starts their day with talking to the maintenance staff and updating on recent communication. She then meets with potential tenants and shows them the possibilities for living there. Throughout the day, residents come in to pay their rent. She may also plan for events and help residents with simple maintenance issues or questions.

Career Prospects

The job outlook for leasing consultants is going to be higher in areas with new buildings or a high proportion of rented units. For example, a leasing consultant will always be in demand nor a college. This is less so if they are in a rural area. In addition, the job of leasing consultant is extremely dependent on the economy. Rents and signing deposits may decrease with lowered demand or income. The overall project job growth for this field is 3 percent through the year 2024.

The pay schedule for leasing consultants is different from that of real estate agents. They receive a salary and also commissions from leases they sell. This makes the range of income great. However, their base leasing consultant salary is between $21,000 and $36,000.

Conclusion

Any leasing consultant job description will emphasize the importance of organization, professional appearance, and interpersonal skills. A leasing consultant is the first person that a potential tenant sees and is the person residents see most often. Therefore, they need to leave a very positive impression of the community and the complex. If you wish to be informed of the responsibilities implicit in selling properties, this is a thorough guide for becoming a real estate agent.