If you’re lucky enough to have a good tenant, you want them to stay in your rental property.
As a landlord, here are 5 ways to keep your reliable tenant happy to boost renter satisfaction.
1. Be available and responsive
Start by creating a clear, detailed rental lease agreement that outlines your expectations. Make sure you review the lease in person with your tenant because that will allow them to ask any questions and establish good rapport. Let tenants know the best ways to contact you, noting any times that you’re not available. It is also very important that you respond quickly to tenant concerns as they come up.
Show that you care about the house/unit and its occupants by checking in periodically to ask if everything is running smoothly. Did you know, renters sometimes hesitate to bother their landlords with small problems; however, they don’t realize that those small problems can turn into bigger issues if not acknowledged early.
2. Welcome tenants home
Help your new tenant get connected with the neighborhood so they can put down roots and have an incentive to stay long term. You can do that by providing a small welcome package with useful information such as take-out menus, a list of nearby points of interest — groceries, parks, community centers, post offices, libraries — and a link to the town or neighborhood association is a simple yet effective way to help your renter get established. You can often inform them about their neighbors that they will be meeting. New tenants love knowing about who will be living beside them.
3. Solve problems
When issues do arise, strive to take care of your landlord responsibilities promptly. If something is broken at your rental property, it is in your best interest to fix it. Good tenants will work with you if they see something that needs to be done. If the tenant knows how to fix it, and it doesn’t cost them anything, they might! You have to remember, you do not need your tenant getting frustrated because of something that needs to be done that would stop them from being comfortable. Tenants will have a positive impression of landlords who solve the problem quickly, without complaint, and follow up to ensure that the solution was effective.
4. Keep your tenants in the loop
Provide as much notice as possible when you know of a change or problem that will impact your tenants. Respect the fact that, for the duration of their tenancy, your property is someone’s home. Even if you’re doing something minor, like having the trees trimmed, inform your tenants in advance. Changes that cause more significant impacts, like a sewer line repair, increase in utility charges or an upcoming increase in rent should be communicated early.
5. Be human
Your rental property is a business, and you should manage it accordingly. You have to remember that in any business, you will have staff members that you will respect and have empathy for. The same rule should apply for your tenants. Be considerate of your tenants. Being a landlord is no excuse for treating your renters as inferior.
If you have a great tenant who lost their job and needs an extra week to get their rent together, consider whether the “all business” approach of tacking on late fees is in your best interest in the long run. While you should be cautious about making exceptions to your policies, in some cases giving your reliable renter a little leeway — and earning their gratitude (and lease renewal) — will lead to the best outcome.
By: Admin/ Zillow
