Price a rental too high and it sits empty; too low and you leave money on the table every month for years. The right rent is the highest number that still fills the unit fast — and finding it is a process, not a guess.
In short: the right asking rent comes from three checks — what similar units nearby actually let for, whether that rent hits the yield you need, and what a void costs while you hold out for more. Overprice by 5% to chase an extra €55 a month, and a three-week void erases most of a year of it.
Start with real comparables
Not asking prices — achieved rents. What did the flat two doors down actually let for, at what spec, and how fast? Adjust for what tenants pay extra for: a bedroom, parking, outdoor space, condition, floor. Three honest comparables beat any automated estimate.
Sanity-check against yield
Comparables tell you what the market pays. Yield tells you what the property needs. If the market rent drops your net yield below target, the problem is usually the purchase price, not the rent — and no asking price fixes an overpay. Run the number before you list, not after.
Price the void in
This is the line most landlords skip. Every empty week is rent you never get back.
A one-month void costs about 8% of a year's rent. Chasing a 5% higher rent that adds three weeks of voids loses money.
| Approach | Monthly rent | Weeks empty | Collected in year 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambitious | €1,155 | 5 | €12,526 |
| Market | €1,100 | 1 | €12,946 |
The lower rent collects more. Speed beats greed more often than landlords expect.
Reading the market's reply
The first two weeks tell you whether the price is right:
- No enquiries in a week → priced high. Adjust before week two, don't wait.
- Enquiries but no viewings → the photos or the headline number, not the market.
- Viewings but no offers → something at the viewing, not the price.
Key takeaways
- Set rent from achieved comparables, not asking prices or gut feel.
- Check the rent hits your target net yield — if it can't, the price was wrong, not the rent.
- Always price in the void: a fast let at a fair rent beats a slow one at a greedy rent.
- Read the first two weeks of response and adjust quickly.
Run your numbers
Before you settle on a figure, check what it does to your return: drop the rent and price into the rental yield calculator and make sure the number that fills fast also pays.
Once the unit is let, PropFlow tracks the rent you actually collect, flags arrears early, and shows how each property performs — so your next pricing decision leans on your own history, not a hunch. Managing more than a couple of units? Compare the PropFlow plans.