Ever wonder what’s going through your tenants’ minds? A lot of landlords and property managers do. Tenants can be erratic and aggressive at times, particularly if there is a problem that for some reason is in stagnation and hasn’t been fixed. Whether or not it’s your fault, these people let you know what they’re thinking. Do the same by using these tips to establish solid, working relationships with tenants.
Make Relationships with Tenants Easier than Ever
Sometimes, something that you’d like for your tenant to do (or not do) may just fly right over their heads. Don’t be afraid to make some of these crucial “suggestions” known in the name of maintaining good, professional relationships with tenants and in encouraging those who may currently not be so good with some of the following.
If you’re having financial disagreements with some of the people in your building, the problem is likely that they aren’t attending to their rent payments on time. This happens more than most landlords would like to admit, to everyone’s chagrin. A simple reminder, posted or e-mailed or spoken upon meeting, can do a look of good. Similarly, try and foster an environment of polite and civilized conversation so that they will do the same; you want to avoid as many heated, swearing matches as possible, particularly if they’re directed at you. Hopefully these courtesies will extend to phone calls and e-mails, too.
Are tenants listening to you, particularly when it matters? If you are giving crucial advice, such as how to best maintain a certain appliance within the unit or not to run water for an hour, and tenants aren’t adhering, then you have a problem. They’ll also likely have a problem, since they didn’t listen, and will almost definitely complain to you about it. Remind them of your previous warning and attend to the issues as best you can; once this happens, they’ll (hopefully) put more stock into the advice that you give. In this same vein, encourage open lines of communication so that they will know right away if you have something important to say and you will hear if something time-sensitive has happened in their unit. Most importantly, encourage truthful communication so that your conversations are to the point and address issues as needed rather than dancing around them.
If your renters are getting into constant contact, it might warrant a reminder to them that they are free to leave a message which you will receive and address as soon as you can. They might need this hint that you have a life and a lot of work to do before they think twice about calling ten times in a row for a matter that’s far from threatening. They may also have forgotten that they aren’t the only ones living in the building and that there are other issues either ahead of or more time-sensitive than their own.
Returning to the issue of communication: tenants might have personal problems that are interfering with their attitudes or rent payments. In that case, see if they would be willing to sit down and talk about it with you (if you are also willing). While you aren’t their friend or therapist, you may be able to offer some advice that helps them sort things out in an unexpected way, which will also benefit you in the long run. They’ll likely have a newfound level of respect for you that, unfortunately, may not have been there previously. The hope is that if you help to solve their issues without leading them to believe that they are always at the top of your list, then they’ll appreciate your work ethic and be more reliable tenants in the future.
Establish rules. Enforce them. Offer and expect courtesy. Promote clear communication. If you have the people in your building on your team, you can’t go wrong. Of course, you can make the entire process easier with the assistance of Anton Systems’ software solutions. For example, SKYLINE’s least management and accounting system gives you control over the tenants’ information, even when you feel as if the people themselves are out of your control. While SKYLINE works to boost your profits and property values, you can work to boost your relationships with tenants. Anton has over twenty-five years of experience and can adeptly recommend the right real estate and budget products for you and your business.