How to Keep Your Tenants Happy

How to Keep Your Tenants Happy

A happy tenant is the best tenant, so as their landlord you should strive to make the conditions in which they live as comfortable as you can. While you cannot please all your tenants, there are ways to keep tenants happy on your rental property.

Here are just four methods you can employ that will create the best conditions to keep your tenants pleased which will make it easier for you to run your property.

Answer Your Tenants Quickly

When you receive an email, message, or phone call, it is your job to answer it and respond to your tenants in a prompt, professional manner. Remember to keep their concerns in their perspective so you can address them properly. While you cannot be perfect, what tenants appreciate is that they are being listened to and a proper response is forthcoming. Taking a few moments to listen and provide a proper response means the world to tenants.

Expedite Repairs & Maintenance

A common complaint from tenants is that repairs are slow in coming once something breaks down. What may seem like a small thing to you may be of major importance to your tenant, so have in place a system where repairs can be performed quickly. This means having a maintenance person on site and a backup in case they are unavailable. Be sure to quickly respond when your tenant tells you of the needed maintenance or repair and set a schedule for it to be addressed.

Provide Ample Notice before Entering a Tenant’s Space

Landlords are most appreciated when they are close enough to be contacted quickly and far enough away so the tenant can enjoy living on the property. It’s a tough balance to be sure, but the most successful landlords manage to strike it by providing ample notice before they enter their property. While there are times when you will need to be there unannounced, such as noticing something wrong when driving by. However, a good tenant does not need frequent intrusions on your part. So, when there is scheduled maintenance or pest control to be done, let them know well in advance.

Make Rent Collection Simple

Many landlords use the old-fashioned mail system which is efficient, but also has some drawbacks as tenants must sign checks, get money orders, and pay for postage. Still, it may be preferable to other methods depending on how often you can be on the rental property itself. Whatever option is the easiest for your tenants to do each month is the one you should choose.

Being a landlord is not an easy job, but it is one that provides many benefits if you can keep your tenants happy. This means being close enough so you can respond to their questions and requests, yet far enough away so they can think of the rental property as their own. It helps to be clear and consistent in your approach so that everyone is treated equally.

Remember, there will always be bad tenants or situations that you cannot control. However, you can reduce such occurrences to a minimum if you strive to keep your tenants pleased.