Surely you’ve heard the horror stories. “My tenant did X, Y and Z!” “Well, my landlord is the biggest loony and made me do X, Y and Z!” And it can go on and on.
The tenant-landlord relationship doesn’t have to be a painful one. But, like any other relationship, it can take some work to maintain and/or strengthen. In the long run, that little extra effort and energy toward the relationship can make all the difference.
If you’re a landlord out there, here are three ways to keep your tenants (and yourself!) that much happier:
1)
Screen appropriately.
A lot of screening tactics out there zoom in on money and tenants’ ability to pay rent on time. In addition to the monetary aspects, check tenants’ references on how often they typically stay in a unit and what type of tenant they really are. Knowing what you are getting into will only help everyone and manage expectations from the get-go.
2)
Line up dependable vendors.
A plumber, electrician, handyman (and so many other folks out there) will be critical come an emergency. And these folks may very well interact with your tenants in a pinch. Ensure your vendors are at least in your same realm of professionality and dependability and everyone will be content.
3)
Communicate in a clear and timely fashion.
The last thing any tenant wants is to not be informed of scheduled maintenance, a repair or anything in between. The same may be said about any financial or paperwork aspect of the relationship. Establishing a dependable channel of communicating with your tenant (whether it’s an automated system, text, email or call) helps keep things running smoothly.
And, if it becomes too much (or you just need or want a breather), then it’s time to give a trusted property manager a buzz for help.
To kick your property management efforts into high gear, give Arlington Realty Property Management a buzz today at 703-836-2525 or email mypropertymgr@gmail.com.
