Becoming a landlord is about more than just maintaining the property and collecting rent—you’re providing a comfortable home to other people, sometimes even a family. When you’re an excellent landlord, you attract the types of tenants that you want to see. Your excellent previous tenants may pass your name along to their friends and family members, keeping your property filled. Increasing your reputation with different ways to be the best landlord you can be will help you raise the standard in your community for stellar property ownership.
Communicate With Your Tenants
A memorable landlord isn’t a property owner who barely shows their face to tenants and prefers to shy away from any possible communication. Open yourself up a bit to your tenants and you’ll help them feel more comfortable approaching you with any concerns or questions that would otherwise cause issues with their lease. You don’t need to get close to your tenants, but it’s possible to keep reasonable property rules and also promote positive interactions and communication.
Be transparent with your reasons behind clauses in your lease, allow for some flexibility with tenants, and provide them with contact information for open communication. Stay connected during a crisis or maintenance—don’t leave the tenant in the dark about dates, regulations, and the type of work you’ll be doing.
Look For Ways To Improve the Property
Even when a long-term tenant is still living in your property, it’s essential that you keep it updated with functional appliances and design improvements. If you know that there’s an old, dysfunctional appliance in the home, consider replacing it rather than making your tenants deal with its annoying quirks. When you need to stick to a strict budget, especially after the past year, update the home with more budget-friendly home improvements if you have to—but always look for ways to improve the value of the property.
Respond to Problems ASAP
Prioritizing your tenant’s problems, whether with the property or an incident, is the quickest way to be the best landlord you can be. Tenants will appreciate your fast action and speedy communication when they need it the most—and not just when you need to collect money from them. Fix concerns with the property, appliances, or other people as soon as you hear about them from tenants. When you need to make repairs, don’t take cheaper shortcuts because you may need to do more expensive repeat work after a shoddy shortcut.
A tenant-landlord relationship is a two-way street; both parties should give and receive something of equal value during a lease. If you’re not giving tenants everything that their lease provides to them, they’re less likely to respect the property and your rules, creating an awkward, unhappy situation on both ends.
