Landlord Gift Guide: Can I Give My Tenants a Gift During the Holidays?

Because the landlord-tenant relationship is a business one, landlords feel conflicted about the concept of tenant gift-giving for the holidays. Some landlords feel that giving their tenants a small gift is a token of customer appreciation, while others feel that gift-giving infringes upon and confuses the business aspect of the relationship. Landlords who see gift-giving as valuable business practice tend to be small property owners and/or self-managing landlords who are more acquainted with their tenants; landlords who own multiple units with more people find tenant gift-giving less practical.

Landlords who are for tenant gift-giving say:

• Tenants are very appreciative
• Increases tenant retention
• Increases goodwill capital
• Small act of kindness

Landlords who are against tenant gift-giving say:

• Tenants can be resentful, especially if you’ve recently had to increase rent
• Tenants only want to hear from you to fix something
• Little benefit to preventing tenant turnover

Whether or not you give something to your tenants is entirely up to you and how you view your relationship with your tenants and/or how many tenants/units you have. Another important factor to consider is if your tenant has been "naughty" or "nice" this year. Understandably, landlords who participate in tenant-giving only give holiday tokens of appreciation for tenants who are in good standing and pay their rent on time!

If you do decide you'd like to get your tenants a gift for the holidays, consider your budget and practicality. Landlords who do give holiday gifts suggested:

1. Handwritten card
2. $10 gift card (for gas, a local grocery store, local restaurants, or Amazon)
3. Sweet treats (like cookies or chocolates)
4. $20-50 off December rent

Ultimately, being a landlord is being a business, and every business is run differently. Typically, if you are a smaller landlord who frequently talks to your tenant and you want to maintain a good relationship and encourage tenant retention, giving a small gift to your tenants like a holiday card or small gift card is generally still perceived as professional, within the scope of a business relationship, and is a appreciated gesture of goodwill. However, if you feel that tenant gift-giving infringes on the professional, business relationship landlords and tenants have, it's fine to skip the end-of-year gift. Every landlord will have different relationships with their tenants, so whether or not you’d like to give a little holiday gift at the end of the year or not is entirely up to you.

Happy holidays and New Year!

(Note: This article was originally written for and posted on RentRedi and is reposted with permission here.)