As a landlord, you have the power to make or break the tenant’s experience of living in your property. Whether you’re renting out a single apartment or multiple units, you want your tenants to feel respected, safe, and secure in their homes. To achieve this goal, there are several things you can do to create a positive and professional relationship with your tenants. Here are 15 tips to help you maintain a successful landlord-tenant relationship:
- Use the Move-in Check List: This simple document will help you ensure that you’re doing everything you’re supposed to do when renting out a property. It can help you avoid misunderstandings and disputes with tenants down the line.
- Use a Condition of Premises Report: Before the tenants move in, take the time to go through the property room by room and note any issues. This report will help you avoid disputes over damage that was there before the tenants moved in.
- Make Expectations Clear Up Front: Go over the rental agreement, the security deposit agreement, all rules and regulations, and ensure that tenants understand the rent is due on time, and there is a late fee. Let them know that you care about the condition of the property, and are available to help them with any issues that may arise.
- Do Regular Inspections: Schedule regular inspections of the interior and exterior of the property, such as every three months. This lets the tenants know you are paying attention to the property and care about it.
- Send Notices On Time: Send any and all notices on time. This shows your tenants that you handle your rental property in a businesslike manner.
- Keep Your Promises: Do what you say you will do. Broken promises on your part encourage laxness on theirs. If you make a promise, follow through, and avoid letting your tenants down.
- Document Everything: Keep a written record of all communications and interactions with your tenants. This helps avoid misunderstandings and disputes down the line.
- Insist On Adherence To The Rental Agreement: Make it clear that you believe an agreement is an agreement, not just an exercise. Insist on exact and complete adherence to the rental agreement.
- Encourage Communication: Let tenants know that they can talk to you. Often tenants have problems that can easily be solved, but they’re afraid to talk to the landlord about them. If they know they can call you and that you will try to help them through it, you may prevent a larger problem later.
- Let Them Know You Want Them As Tenants: Make it clear that you value your tenants and want them to stay. This makes people feel good to know that someone actually wants them, especially people who have had trouble with previous landlords.
- Listen To Them: Take the time to get the full story of what tenants are trying to tell you before you make a decision or say anything. If you don’t understand something, ask questions. This avoids misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions.
- Avoid Any Impression Of Unethical Dealings: Never give the slightest impression that you’re trying to cheat your tenants. If they believe you are trying to cheat them, they are likely to turn around and do the same thing to you.
- Maintain The Exterior: If there is a common area, maintain the landscape in prime condition. Remove any graffiti as soon as it appears. Careful maintenance instills pride in the property and lets your tenants know that you care.
- Work Together To Solve Problems: Always act as if any problem tenants call you with can be worked out, even if you know that you aren’t going to give an inch. Working it out could be them finding a way to do what they are supposed to do.
- Encourage Tenants To Solve Their Own Problems: Rather than solving problems for tenants, encourage them to come up with a solution and get your approval. They know their situation and what will work best for them, and this can also help them feel empowered and invested in the property.
By following these 15 tips, you can establish a positive and professional relationship with your tenants. This can help you avoid misunderstandings, disputes, and even legal battles down the line. It can also help you retain good tenants, which can be more cost-effective than finding new ones. Remember, being a good landlord is about more than just collecting rent and maintaining the property. It’s about creating a mutually respectful and supportive environment that benefits everyone involved.
