How To Retain Good Tenants (They are hard enough to find!)
When landlords figure out how to retain good tenants, they set themselves up for long term success. Here are a few reminders about the way to treat tenants to keep them in your home for years to come.
Stranger Danger
Communicate if you’ll be sending an unfamiliar maintenance person to your property. Smart tenants won’t let a stranger in the door. When looking to retain tenants, it’s good to have as much consistency as possible concerning the maintenance workers entering the homes of your tenants.
A Right to Know If You Want to Retain
If you are having the house assessed for any purpose, whether for its real estate value, tax purposes, or you’re thinking of selling, be honest about the purpose of the visit (you don’t want an insecure tenant! Insecure people do unpredictable things and it will hurt the chances of retaining tenants)
Keep Calm and Landlord On
If you need to address an issue, approach your tenant calmly, and be fair. Never send an angry or testy text. A well-crafted email is best because you’ll have a record of the conversation and less is left up to interpretation. If possible, it’s always a good idea to insert a positive note with the more serious business. If you’re building a positive communication base with your tenant all along, the harder conversations will go smoother. A little positivity goes a long way. Find out how when you read: Five Ways to Make Tenants Feel Appreciated.
Nasty Surprises
If you’re going to raise rent, introduce the subject at least six months ahead of time. It is less than ideal for your tenant to discover this as they are reading through the lease renewal contract. This also protects you. It’s inconvenient to have a tenant jump ship at the last minute.
Don’t be Slippery
If you are adding something to the lease contract when its time to renew, be sure to communicate this in advance, and make sure you are all on the same page. Anything less than that appears underhanded, intentional or not. Read more about building trust with tenants here: Building Trust, Credibility and Rapport With Tenants.
Happy landlording!
Originally published at BaseRent.
