When renting out your properties, you always want to maintain a polite and professional connection with your tenants. Keeping a good relationship with your tenants will reap many benefits, including:
- Less rent payment delinquency
- Better communication
- Respectful care of your property
- Lower vacancy/turnover rates and associated costs
So, how exactly do you build a great landlord-tenant relationship? Well, it’s just like building any other relationship: it starts with a foundation of respect, trust, and goodwill. Follow these tips to establish a bond that will benefit both landlord and tenant for years to come:
Establish boundaries and rules at the beginning
The old saying, “start out like you can hold out”, is wise advice for landlords. Set rules and expectations, in compliance with state rental laws, at the beginning of your dealings with a tenant by writing everything out in the rental agreement. Make sure to have a real estate attorney look over your rental agreement ahead of time, so there are no issues with validity or enforceability. By making it clear from the beginning what things are allowed and not allowed, there will be less conflict down the road. With property management services from Douglas Realty Property Management, you can be assured we use a 100% legal, comprehensive, and fair rental agreement.
Respect your tenant’s privacy
Always do your best to maintain your tenant’s privacy. From keeping applications and forms with their personal information private to only entering the property with proper notice, these small steps will do a lot to foster a better relationship between you and your tenant. Include the procedure for entering the property in the rental agreement and review it with the tenant verbally before handing over the keys. In Florida, you must give the tenant at least 12 hours notice before entering a rental property.
Make requests and repairs easy
Your tenant is your customer, and it is your job as a landlord to keep your customer satisfied. An easy way to do this is to make the process of requesting a repair or other service, like landscaping, quick and efficient. Again, establish the process for making requests in the rental agreement and review it with the tenant verbally. Be sure they have the phone number, email, or website URL they need to make maintenance requests. This can be a great time to throw in some extra marketing by providing them with an item that includes your name and all-important contact information, like a refrigerator magnet or business card. This makes it easy for tenants to find your information and provide it to others who are interested in your properties.
If you have a rental property in Southwest Florida, we would love to discuss how Douglas Realty Property Management can build a great landlord-tenant relationship for your properties. Our expert team of property management professionals will make your properties more profitable and easier to manage. We treat all tenants with respect to give them the best rental experience possible. Call (239) 542-6906 or contact us online today to learn how easy it is to start with professional property management services!