In case you missed it, the gameplay trailer for The Sims 4 For Rent dropped today and for the first time, we actually got to see how rental units will function in terms of gameplay and management. The concept of being a property manager in The Sims 4 is exciting but Simmers understandably want more details about what property management will entail.
As a landlord, you set the rent your tenants will pay… make it free if you want!
The gameplay trailer gave us an in-depth look at everything that goes into owning and managing a rental property, from setting rent, tenant rules, and reviewing tenant applications, to the not-so-nice stuff, like evicting troublesome tenants. Let’s get into everything the gameplay trailer covered right now!
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The Sims 4 For Rent: Rental Residential Properties
As a property manager, there are a lot of decisions you’ll have to make. Like how many units will your building have? What rules will tenants be expected to follow while living in your building? And how much rent should you charge them? Luckily, the gameplay trailer walks us through what all of this is like.
Build and Designate Separate Living Units
When designing your building, you’ll have to think about how you’re going to divide up the space to accommodate multiple families living on one lot. In previous Sims games with customizable apartments, units were separated by a special apartment door. That door marked the entrance to that unit, but this had problems and limitations. For example, you couldn’t have multiple entries into a unit with this method.
In The Sims 4 For Rent, you can designate cells (rooms) as being part of a unit. Anything within that room will be a part of the unit you selected. This is a much more intuitive way of separating units and allows for more freedom in how you want to lay out that unit.
Designate Shared Spaces
But what about shared spaces in The Sims 4 For Rent? Don’t worry! You’ll be able to designate shared spaces in a rental building the same way you would designate a room as being part of a private unit. Just select the room you want all the tenants to have access to and set it as a Shared space. This way, you’re free to build shared amenities all of your tenants can enjoy, like a gym, laundry facilities, or a pool.
You can also use this feature to designate certain rooms in a multi-generational home as shared by the whole family, like the living room and kitchen, while keeping bedrooms and bathrooms private for certain branches of a large family.
Set Tenant Rules and Check Your Rating
You’ll be able to maintain your building as a whole in The Sims 4 For Rent via a For Lease sign. This is where you set the rules for your tenants, the rent for the whole building, and check up on how your building is faring when it comes to desirability and cleanliness.
The nicer you make the units and the better job you do of maintaining the building when things go wrong, the higher your rating will be. Buildings with high rating are more desirable to potential tenants, resulting in more tenant applications when you’re trying to fill vacancies.
When it comes to rental rules, we saw No Social Events, No Loud Noises, Maximum Occupancy, No Trash Overload, and No Ghosts as options. It’s possible there may be more rules depending on what DLC packs you own, but no confirmation has been given about that yet.
Review Tenant Applications
Speaking of applications, another aspect of The Sims 4 For Rent is reviewing tenant applications to fill your vacancies. You’ll be able to see your potential tenants’ age, how many beds they want, and their rent budget, along with some other info. Being able to review this in advance will help you pick tenants that are more likely to behave.
How do you get more tenant applications? By creating a nice living space for your tenants and maintaining the building in order to increase your rating. If you have a high rating, more people will be interested in moving into your building.
Set the Rent for All Units or Individual Units
Okay, so we covered setting the rent for a whole building in The Sims 4 For Rent, but what if you want different rates for each unit? Maybe you have some units that are worth a higher rent price than others, or maybe you have family members living in some of your units and you don’t want to charge them rent at all.
That’s not a problem in The Sims 4 For Rent! You can set the rent on individual units so that luxury suite will come at a higher price than the simple bachelor pad. And dear old grandma? She never has to worry about affording housing again! She gets to live in your building free of charge!
Maintain Your Building
Buildings aren’t indestructible. They require maintenance and in The Sims 4 For Rent, it’s your responsibility to handle any problems in a rental building you own. Insect infestations, electrical problems, mould, broken appliances, you’ll have to stay on top of all of that in order to keep your tenants happy and maintain your rating.
Repossess Tenants’ Belongings to Cover Late Rent
Of course, being a property manager isn’t always sunshine and roses in The Sims 4 For Rent. Sometimes you have to make some tough decisions. What do you do when a tenant is late on rent payments?
You could send them a rent demand. This gives them some time to get the funds together.. but if they still can’t pay? Well, it may not be legal in the real world, but in the world of The Sims 4 For Rent, you have the right to take their belongings as payment! Yup. Harsh.
Evict Disruptive Tenants… Or Help Them Out!
The only thing harsher than robbing your tenants of their belongings? Throwing them out on the streets to fend for themselves. If you’ve given a tenant many chances to cough up the rent and they still haven’t paid up, eviction may be your only option. You can also evict tenants who trash the unit and don’t follow the tenant rules you’ve laid out.
Then again, some people just need a helping hand and a second chance. You don’t have to be so ruthless. You might find that helping your tenant get their life back in order is all they needed to become a good tenant who pays their rent on time again.
How do you plan to incorporate The Sims 4 For Rent into your gameplay? Let us know in the comments and if you missed the gameplay trailer, don’t worry! You can watch it right here!
