9 Ways to Be a Good Landlord to Your Tenant

You don’t have to search for long to find horror stories about overbearing, unfair landlords and how they mistreat their tenants. Unfortunately, it’s a common problem. However, some landlords act that way because they constantly deal with difficult tenants, tenants who never pay rent on time, and tenants who damage their property. However, regardless of your reasoning, it’s important to be a good landlord to your tenants. Read along as we discuss nine ways to be a good landlord and create strong landlord-tenant relationships. 

Contents of This Article: 

• Why Is Being a Landlord Difficult Sometimes?
• How to Be a Good Landlord to Your Tenants
• Get Help From a Professional Property Management Team

Why Is Being a Landlord Difficult Sometimes?

Being a good landlord can be difficult because of the stressors you have to deal with regularly. After all, some tenants will do all they can to push your buttons. Whether they refuse to pay rent, deliberately disregard lease rules, or damage your rental property beyond repair, it can be challenging to keep your cool. 

However, if you can pull it off and build healthy tenant/landlord relationships, it’s likely that your job will be much easier. You’ll probably even attract better tenants and reduce your tenant turnover rate, which can save you a lot of time and money! Today, we’ll review how landlords and property managers in Northern Virginia can work toward positive and healthy relationships with tenants. 

How to Be a Good Landlord to Your Tenants

When you have excellent tenants, being a good landlord isn’t hard. After all, you’re grateful that they’re renting from you, taking care of your property, and providing you with a consistent stream of rental income. However, it’s important to remain a good landlord even if you don’t have the best tenants. Here are nine ways you can be a good landlord to your tenants and hopefully get the same attitude in return. 

1. Know the Laws in Your State
2. Communicate Effectively With Tenants
3. Respect Your Tenants’ Privacy
4. Listen and Be Compassionate
5. Keep Your Property Well-Maintained
6. Make a Good Impression at the First Walk-Through
7. Set Fair Rental Rates and Security Deposits
8. Explain Your Rules/Terms to Tenants in Detail
9. Choose High-Quality Tenants From the Start

Know the Laws in Your State

First and foremost, it’s crucial for landlords and property managers to know the laws regarding rental properties. Not only will breaking the law lead to issues with your tenant – it could also mean that you’ll end up in court defending yourself.

However, you can’t adhere to the laws if you don’t know them! As such, you’ll want to look up all applicable rental laws in your state and local jurisdiction. That way, you can ensure your business practices are fair and compliant with federal, state, and local laws. 

Communicate Effectively With Tenants

Almost nothing is as frustrating to a tenant as an unresponsive landlord. Think about it – problems with a property could happen any time – day or night. So, you need to be available to help with those problems when they arise, even if it’s an inconvenient time.

If your tenants start abusing their access to your phone number, come up with set office hours and let them know to only call you during that time frame unless they are dealing with an emergency. That way, your tenants can stay happy, and you can avoid receiving unnecessary, bothersome calls.

Respect Your Tenants’ Privacy

A tenant will be able to sense when you don’t trust them, so avoid interrogating them about anything unless you have solid proof that they are lying to you. If you wrongly mistrust them, you could severely damage your tenant/landlord relationship. In turn, this could cause awkwardness and even worse problems in the future.

Also, keep in mind that it’s unlikely that your tenants will appreciate random visits from you, even if you’re on friendly terms with them. Be sure to give your tenants appropriate advance notice when you plan to stop by the property. That way, they can enjoy living in their property peacefully without worrying about the next surprise drop-in from their landlord. 

Listen and Be Compassionate

Even the most responsible tenant could fall on hard times and become unable to pay rent as a result. People lose their jobs unfairly all of the time, so if this or something similar happens to one of your best tenants, show some compassion. You may want to give them some extra time to pay rent or work with them to find a different solution. While it’s not the ideal situation, it’s likely a much better (and cheaper) route than evicting the tenant and trying to find a new one.

However, this does not mean that you should let all of your tenants take advantage of your kindness. If a tenant is repeatedly late paying rent, you might need to begin the eviction process.

Keep Your Property Well-Maintained

No one wants to live in a property that is in bad condition. So, keep a list of maintenance providers handy and fix all issues as quickly as possible. That way, your tenants can remain safe and happy with their living situation.

If you don’t live close enough to the property to address repair needs quickly, consider professional property management services. That way, you won’t have to worry about urgent maintenance concerns that you can’t tend to yourself.

Make a Good Impression at the First Walk-Through

When you first meet your tenant at the property, be dressed professionally and avoid asking intrusive questions. You’ll also want to immediately address any of their concerns about the property so they feel confident that you will fix problems quickly in the future.

To go the extra mile, provide your tenant with a welcoming gift basket. Consider including a list of the best local restaurants, your contact information, and some water or snacks to help make the move-in process a bit easier for them.

Set Fair Rental Rates and Security Deposits

You wouldn’t want to be ripped off, right? Of course not–so avoid ripping off your tenants when it comes to their rent/deposit requirements. When calculating your rate, consider the current housing market, the condition and location of your property, and the economy.

Also, make it as easy as possible for your tenants to pay rent. Many landlords don’t require a paper check and instead allow tenants to conveniently pay online. Offer this service, and you might just notice more timely rent payments from your tenants – especially if you offer an auto-pay option and reward them for using it!

Explain Your Rules/Terms to Tenants in Detail

Let’s face it—your tenants can’t possibly be expected to respect rules that they aren’t aware of. So, be sure you go over all of your rules/terms in as much detail as possible. That way, there is no confusion about what is allowed and what is not. This will help you avoid unnecessary conflict with your tenants in the future, keeping your tenant/landlord relationships in good shape.

Choose High-Quality Tenants from the Start

Some tenants are never satisfied with their landlord, no matter how hard the landlord tries to address their concerns and keep them happy. To avoid this situation, weed out the difficult tenants from the start by screening every tenant thoroughly. Make sure you check references, perform credit and background checks, and have your prospective tenants fill out a detailed rental application completely.

Get Help From a Professional Property Management Team

If you’re struggling to be a good landlord to your tenants, perhaps you’re simply overworked. That said, if you want to improve your experience as a landlord, consider Bay Management Group’s professional property management services.

Our team can help you with many different tasks, including rent collection, maintenance, and tenant screening. That way, you can save time, reduce costly tenant turnover, and gain all the other benefits of professional property management.

If you’re interested in working with us or learning more about how we can help your rental properties in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, contact us today!