Ensuring Effective Landlord/Tenant Communication
Ensuring effective communication with your tenants is one of the most important things that you can do as a landlord. Being on good terms with your tenants, and you have a relationship built on trust and communication, things will be much easier for you.
Treating your tenants with respect, you can avoid acrimonious and difficult disputes about lease policies, move-outs, security deposits, and dozens of other issues.
So, how can you best improve your ability to communicate with your tenants? Here are a few of our top tips. Read on, and see how you can become a better landlord – and enjoy a better relationship with all of your tenants.
Set Expectations Early
The first thing you should do is make it clear that you are always available to talk to your tenants, and willing to respond to their questions. Whether it’s a question about their lease, questions on how to pay rent, or an issue with the property, focus on communication. You want your tenants to feel comfortable contacting you.
It makes tenants feel valued and appreciated, it helps you keep on top of maintenance and repair issues, and it ensures that you foster an atmosphere of mutual respect with all of your tenants.
Maintenance will make you or break you
We know that being a landlord isn’t easy – and when you’re juggling the dozens of responsibilities property ownership entails, it’s not easy to schedule emergency repairs, or respond to every repair request.
A landlord that is unresponsive to service and maintenance requests is one of the primary issues reported by tenants when they’re asked about how they feel about their landlords.
Give Tenants Multiple Ways to Get in Touch With You
Different tenants have different communication preferences. Older tenants may prefer to talk to you on the phone, for example – while a younger tenant may prefer to primarily communicate via text message and email.
You should give your tenants a list of different ways to contact you, including a phone number, text messaging number, e-mail address. Landlords also need to make it clear which communication method you prefer – and when you will answer messages from each form of communication.
This helps you lay out reasonable expectations for responsiveness right away, and ensures a tenant has everything they need to communicate with you if they have a question, or they need to report something about your property.
Be Honest and Truthful
It’s important to begin forming a good relationship with a potential tenant from the moment they set foot in your rental property. That starts in the advertising process of your rental property. When you get inquiries about the property, you need to be truthful and honest. Talk about the good and the bad of the property, the benefits and the limitations. We once rented a 3rd floor of a triplex that I swear had about 100 steps to the top – so we called it out right in the listing.
People remembered it, and guess what, they still came to look at the property, AND, we rented it quickly.
Always Giver Proper Notice for Repairs
Don’t land yourself in hot water….ALWAYS give 24 hour notice for repairs and or walk through’s. Tenants are reasonable people but they do not like to be surprised by handymen and contractors, or agents who are showing your property to other prospective tenants.
Sometimes for repairs, your tenants will alloy you access with less than 24 hour’s notice. Don’t take liberties! Always do the right thing!
These are 5 of the key strategies we use with our managed properties and part of our onboarding process with our new property managers and leasing agents. They’re a great guide for those new and experienced landlords as well.
Our team is always happy to help, whether you need support in finding you great tenants or using these strategies as part of managing your Hamilton/Niagara rental property, put Welcome Home to work for you today!