One of the key priorities of many landlords is to find a suitable tenant. When you get one, it’s vital to keep a good relationship with them. This fosters mutual respect and can often persuade them to extend their lease with you. These are some pointers for maintaining a professional relationship with your tenants.
While some of these may be daunting to consider, management services for residential properties exist to help landlords. These property management companies help cover many aspects of your landlord duties, such as tenant screening, property maintenance, and resolving issues.
Here are some of the most important tips for maintaining a good landlord and tenant relationship
Keep the Property Clean
This is especially vital when renting out your home for the first time. Pristine properties stand out far more than dirty, messy ones. It makes no difference if you’re “going to get it cleaned before move in,” prospective tenants will have a tough time imagining themselves in the home. To ensure that the job is done correctly, we recommend contacting a professional cleaning service. You can conduct another quick spot clean right before the new renters come in if necessary. This includes things like wiping off counters, vacuuming, and so on. Having a clean property when you move in sets the tone for how the property should be kept and returned when you move out.
Communicate
Effective communication is essential for being a great landlord. Tenants like being kept informed. Whether it be concerning the progress of their application or information regarding their lease, they’ll likely call you several times if they aren’t offered this information. It is best to establish expectations early on. Once they’ve applied for the property, let them know when they may expect to hear from you. They may have queries regarding certain conditions after you send out a lease. Answer these questions truthfully and in a way that makes sense to them. This can help you avoid future problems, especially if you violate your lease.
Resolve Problems Quickly
Maintenance issues, especially if left untreated, can quickly damage a tenant’s experience. To make things easier for you and your tenants, your lease should explicitly outline how maintenance should be handled, and you should educate them before they move in. Do you want them to email you directly or call you for any maintenance requests? Should they use an online tool to manage requests (this is especially important if you own numerous properties)? This is the initial stage in determining how to manage maintenance issues.
Because maintenance issues can be costly, many owners are hesitant to address them soon. Putting off a critical repair, on the other hand, will almost certainly cost you more money in the long run. What started off as a modest, simple fix can quickly escalate into a larger issue, resulting in a higher repair bill. It also produces friction between you and the tenant because they have to go without a feature of the home that was advertised as included for a longer period of time.
Be Trustworthy
Trust is the foundation of any strong relationship. If you say you’ll do something, make sure you follow through. Going back on your word may irritate the tenants and possibly cause them to lose respect for you and, as a result, your home.
Furthermore, claiming you won’t do anything (such as charge them a late fee for rent) and then doing it might lead to similar complications. Following through on these types of things for your tenants will help you not only maintain a nice relationship, but also keep you out of legal trouble.
It’s also a good idea to send an email after every conversation with a tenant. Documenting talks can offer clarity and help to avoid assumptions on either end.
Be Transparent
Make it clear to your tenants what they will be charged for in terms of the property. If they will be responsible for utilities, garbage, landscaping, and so on, make that clear in the ad and in the lease. There should be no doubt about what you will cover and what they are expected to cover.
Transparency is also important in good communication. Assume a tenant calsl you regarding a non-urgent maintenance issue. If the soonest a maintenance person can help is 5 days from now, make sure to communicate that to your tenant rather than simply saying “soon” or saying “tomorrow”. Establish reasonable expectations to avoid an irate tenant.