If you’ve finally found a tenant that seems to be a keeper, you must be exhausted—but don’t rest yet. Like any other relationship, a lease agreement needs good communication, clear expectations, and gestures of appreciation for it to work. Listen up, landlords: Here are a few tips for keeping your tenants happy.
Be Transparent
The straightforward approach is the only way to go as a landlord. Make sure the lease is clear about expectations and that you take them seriously. Trying to be too delicate, too polite, or too vague will just lead to misunderstandings.
Stay Professional
If you like your renters personally, good for you. But remember this is a business transaction, and that there could be tough decisions ahead. Make it easier on yourself and them by not getting too attached and not crossing any boundaries.
Respond Quickly
When you see your tenant calling, don’t automatically send it to voicemail. It usually means that something is amiss with your property, but don’t give yourself extra time to dread it. Just deal with it right away.
Repair Quickly
Broken appliances and plumbing can completely disrupt your renter’s ability to function. Try to put yourself in their shoes and get them back on track. Scheduling a repairman only takes a few minutes.
Keep Up With Maintenance
If you want the clock to keep ticking, you have to keep winding it. Take care of your property’s upkeep with regular maintenance at convenient times for your renters. An ounce of prevention can reduce most complaints.
Address Problems Immediately
If you have concerns about your tenant that could eventually lead to eviction, don’t let it go. Don’t mentally give them more chances or hope that the problem rights itself. Use that landlord transparency again to tell tenants when something is unacceptable, and share your plan for the solution (or the consequences).
Express Appreciation
It never hurts to keep track of special occasions such as birthdays so that you can send your renters a congratulations note or a gift card. Check-in with them occasionally with a phone call, just to ask how they’re doing. Tenants will feel like they’re more than just a walking rent check to you, and you may be able to prevent problems down the line.
Being a landlord can take as much or as little time as you want, but maintaining a healthy relationship with renters requires commitment. You can outsource a lot of the work by working with R. Russell Properties if you’re looking for full-service property management in the Orlando, Florida, area. We know all the tips for keeping your tenants happy, and we can be on call for them instead of you. Let our four decades of experience managing 7,000 homes pay off for you. Contact us for more information.
