Furnished Finder is where most travel nurses and many other long-stay guests look first, and it is a lead platform, not a booking engine. It sends you an inquiry; what happens next is entirely down to your reply. This guide is about that reply.
Speed first, then substance
A guest who writes to you has usually written to several listings in the same sitting, and the first specific answer tends to set the pace. Furnished Finder tracks this: each listing has a response rate, the share of new booking inquiries and direct messages you answered within 24 hours over the last 90 days. Only the first message in a conversation counts, a brief reply counts, and the score is visible to you in the landlord dashboard rather than to travelers. Answer every new inquiry within 24 hours at the latest, keep the calendar current and turn notifications on.
The practical target is minutes, not hours, during the day, and first thing in the morning for anything that arrived overnight. If you cannot do that by hand, set up notifications on your phone, use saved templates, or use software that answers for you from your unit’s details.
What the first reply has to contain
A good first reply answers the question the guest asked and the four they have not asked yet.
- Availability for their dates. Yes, no, or “yes from the 5th rather than the 3rd”. Never “let me check” without a follow-up time.
- The monthly rate and what it includes. Utilities, internet, parking, linen. One number with the inclusions beats a nightly rate with a calculator.
- Deposit and any fees. Security deposit, pet fee, cleaning fee. Guests leave when a fee appears late.
- The next step. Screening, a video call, or a lease. Tell them what you need from them and when you will send it.
Then ask the two or three things that decide whether this is a fit:
- Who is staying: how many adults, any children, any pets.
- Why: a contract at a named hospital, a relocation, an insurance stay. It tells you how firm the dates are and who pays.
- Whether the dates are confirmed or still pending an offer.
A reply that works
Four sentences. Every number the guest needs, two questions that qualify the lead, a clear next step with a time limit.
The first-reply checklist
| Item | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Their name | Shows it is not a template blast | Hi Dana, |
| Yes or no on the dates | The only question they actually asked | Open Nov 3 to Feb 2 |
| Monthly rate and inclusions | Lets them compare you in one line | $2,650 a month, utilities and Wi-Fi included |
| Deposit and fees | A fee that appears later ends the conversation | $500 deposit, no other fees |
| One or two qualifying questions | Decides fit before you spend time | Just you? Any pets? |
| The next step and a time | Gives them a reason to answer today | Lease and screening link today; dates held 48 hours |
Furnished Finder rules that trip landlords up
- Replies by email must come from your account email. If you answer a notification from a different address, or from an inbox the notification was forwarded to, Furnished Finder does not deliver it and sends you a failure notice. Reply from the account address, reply on the platform, or set up a delegated inbox in Gmail or Outlook so someone else can answer from your address.
- Phone calls are common. Phone is the most common way travelers on Furnished Finder reach landlords, and many look for a number before they write. Put a number you answer on the listing, and expect calls.
- Many inquiries do not match your listing. Budget, dates or location can be off. Qualify quickly and politely decline, rather than ignoring; ignored inquiries hurt your response rate.
- Housing requests go to many landlords at once. A traveler can post one request for an area and every matching landlord sees it. These are the leads where writing first, by phone, text or platform message, wins.
- Guests go quiet. A short follow-up two days later often gets an answer. Keep it to one line: still interested, dates still open until Friday.
Templates, and their limit
Saved templates in the Furnished Finder inbox are the right starting point: one for “available”, one for “not those dates, but”, one for “not a fit”. Personalise the first line and the numbers every time. The limit of templates is that someone still has to be awake to send them. Inquiries arrive after shifts, which means evenings and weekends, and the first reply still wins.
A simple weekly routine
- Check inquiries at fixed times, morning and evening, if nothing answers for you in between.
- Reply to every inquiry, including the ones that are not a fit. One line is enough.
- Follow up on anything with no answer after 48 hours.
- Work the unmatched housing requests in your area. Many operators report that a good share of their bookings start with them writing first.
- Keep one list of open leads with dates and status, so nothing is lost across email, the platform inbox and your phone.
For how to set the monthly rate and the discounts those replies quote, see how to price a furnished rental for 1, 3 and 6-month stays.