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Updated almost 3 years ago, 01/01/2022
Welcome gift for a new Tenant?
I want to start off on the right foot and was thinking of getting a gift for my new tenant.
Has anyone here done this if so do you have ideas for what to get them?
I get that everybody has a different prospective, and hey that's ok. But this the way I have lived most of my life and it has worked out pretty well so far. we are newer REI but even at my day job I have been the same way. I just closed on a FSBO last month which was about $20,000 under market. I had a great renter ready to go but at the time I couldn't sign the renter yet because I did not own the house yet. The renter wanted to see the house but I was out of state at the time but because of my good relationship with the seller I had him show the property to the new renter. The renter send me a good faith deposit and when we closed on the house three weeks later I signed the new renter. To make things even sweeter - the seller of the house left me and my wife this huge gift package with a bottle of wine and all kinds of goodies on the kitchen counter for us. That was so cool because they had already done so much for us. Like I said, depends on the people and the market. We deal mostly with people over 55 yrs old and the are pretty much old school, like me. Ha
Wish everybody well,
Mark
I'm a realtor and when my buyers move in I always get a galvinized bucket from Home Depot and fill it with handyman stuff. For a renter I would do the same thing but instead of handyman stuff I'd get a basket from Home Goods and fill it with all the stuff that @Account Closed said plush dish washing detergent, Windex you get the idea. If you don't want to spend the time just get them a $20 gift card to a local restaurant and write "Welcome to the Neighborhood" on the card. I love it. This is a networking business. Not just with other investors but with tenants. They will tell their friends and your next property will fill faster!
Hey Peter, great idea, it really depends on your target demographic. If you have higher quality tenants that require a little more personal attention and higher rent it's a good idea; for Type C/D rentals I wouldn't bother. A maybe B would be worth it. I got a great move-in gift from a luxury rental that was a tool-kit.
I also really like the idea of the welcome package posted by @Mike B.
Way to think outside the box.
I didn't read through all of these responses, but people will always say don't do it. I say do it.
We gave our tenants a small gift basket with some glasses and a few other cheap goodies, along with a complete list of our top "must visit" restaurants in the area.
They loved it. They didn't take advantage of us being nice, the appreciated it and know that we care about them. Of course, if you do a poor job at screening for tenants, this gift could backfire as they think they have the upper hand, but that is unlikely to happen.
Go with your gut, the most important thing is to let them know you care, but not there to wait hand and foot on them. If something is broken, fix it immediately. If they have some crazy requests for things, don't be afraid to say no. What's the worst that could happen? They move out?
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
I just gave my new tenant a fire pit. He was very excited.
Mark, you may wish to reconsider this. There was a case here in which a landlord was found liable for a fire pit that the tenant had installed. One of the tenant's friends fell into it and was badly burned. Needless to say the tenant had few assets or insurance so the landlord's insurance paid, and the damages were into six figures. I would get the fire pit out of there ASAP.
A bottle of very good wine is always a welcome gift (if they drink wine of course) and 2 very nice wine glasses. I enjoy giving it and I enjoy receiving it.
Very nice thoughts you have. I've been debating about what to give when I had a new tenant moved in. I wanted them to feel welcomed but not like a special guest but more like to establish a good relationship. I left some basic supplies: toilet papers, paper towels, hand soap, refreshments. I also put in a brand new door mat and a brand new shower curtain. I try to think of something handy to keep the house clean and neat.
On the topic of gifts I won't do a move in gift but during the holidays I will get tenants like a Panettone bread or something like that. It goes a long way!
Originally posted by @Rocky V.:
I'm going to have to agree with @Rich Baer on this one. This is a business and nothing personal. When was the last time you received a gift from you mortgage company? I do applaud you for thinking of it but it's something I would not consider.
I do understand where you are coming from. I am also a little leery of giving a welcome gift, as sometimes when you are nice, people feel they can WALK ALL OVER that cute little face, lol. BUT I have received gifts from my lender, multiple times. So, I'm starting to think it depends. I have a really friendly disposition, so I have to be very careful not to cross the professional boundaries. If you are going to do a gift keep it simple and fairly cheap. Remember you do NOT want a tenant to become high maintenance, so keep it simple and generic. I would think if they paid rent on time, low maintenance, took care of the property, easy to work with, etc. maybe send a small gift after signing another lease, letting them know you value their business, but again, it can get tricky...
I bought one tenant a six pack of Horchata beer once. We buy them Christmas wines too. It keeps them happy and they take care of our properties.
