​The How Tos of a Good Landlord-Tenant Relationship

In my last article I wrote about the trust deficit between renters and rentees and today I wanted to talk about the fact that trust defecits don't always have to exist - there are ways to be a good landlord and build a positive relationship. 

A good landlord-tenant relationship goes both ways and benefits both concerned parties. As a landlord or property manager, one of your most important aims is to have a loyal clientele that stays with you for a while. Here’s what you need for a healthy, long-lasting landlord-tenant relation:

• Compassion: What most tenants unconsciously look for is compassion. For a loyal clientele, be considerate with your rents as long as you don’t go too down on your profit scale. If a client has credit problems one year, go easy on them. This ensures that they will come back to you over and over again.
• Patience: When it comes to questions, answer them all. Be patient with your tenants. Make them feel at ease so they don’t feel like the rent you’re demanding is an attack on them. Good communication is the most important card to play. Communication barriers often result in drops in the prospective tenant pool. On the other hand, patient answering results in higher confidence placed in the landlord.
• Write it all: If you’ve offered maintenance services, replacements, rate lowering, write them all down in the lease agreement so the tenant trusts you more. It results in making the tenant less irritable, easier to deal with and more open to the options you’re offering. It makes him believe that it’s all about him. Tenant trust is an essential thing and marks a healthy landlord-tenant relationship.
• Give a walk-through: Your property is the way it is, there's no point hiding any damage. Give your tenants a walk-through, pointing out all previous damage. This ensures that he will take responsibility for all further damage, knowing that you know exactly where what is. You will end up being true to each other.
• Drop in rent reminders: Drop in rent reminders on specific days so you can avoid the embarrassing aftermath of difficult rent extractions. This means that if you remind your tenant, they'll focus on arranging the due amount instead of having you badgering them for their payment. This leads to a client coming back again to you. I personally (as you probably know) use Rentigo to collect rent online - they send out reminders for you!)
• Respect their privacy: Give your tenant a notice before you drop by. Having your landlord barge in, in the middle of a family lunch wouldn’t exactly provide the lubrication needed for the smooth landlord-client relationship.

Whether it’s a classroom, a doctor’s clinic or a property management forum, a healthy relationship and effective communication has a big impact on how things go. Interacting with your tenants and aiming for their loyalty is the key to long-term success.