An income property is not working for you if it’s empty. Getting the right tenants and ensuring they enjoy their stay is one of the responsibilities of a property manager. When tenants are satisfied, they are likely to recommend your place, not to mention that you will avoid the drama and save yourself some nerve cells.
At Bay Property Management Group, we know how to build relationships with your tenants and ensure they are happy with our management style.
Key Points to Build a Strong Landlord-Tenant Relationship
A property manager and a tenant need to be on the same page.
Miscommunication happens, but try avoiding it as much as possible. One of the ways to do it is by creating a very detailed rental contract or a lease agreement. The contract should, among other things, accomplish the following goals:
- Identify the tenants and the rental/lease terms, as well as a rent amount, deposit, other fees and the method of payment.
- Specify pet policy.
- Outline who is responsible for repairs and maintenance, whether planned or unexpected.
- Set the limit of occupancy: how many people are allowed to reside on the property.
- Specify the conditions of tenancy: what is expected of the tenants and what actions will violate the agreement.
- State the consequences for non-compliance with the contract.
- Have provisions for unpredictable situations, such as tenant’s or landlord’s death, natural disaster, bankruptcy, etc.
- Say how long the current agreement is valid.
Make sure your tenants read, understand and agree with the contract. It should serve as their manual to your property, where they can find answers to most of their questions. You don’t want your tenants to assume or expect things based on gaps in your contract: be detail-oriented, open and honest and you should stay friends with your tenants.
Answer the calls or return them quickly.
This is one of the reasons to hire a local Baltimore property management company. If income property is not your sole source of income, you are probably working a day job if not two. With a busy schedule, it’s not always possible to answer the phone and easy to forget to return a call. Moreover, tenants usually call when there’s some kind of problem, and there are better things you could be doing on a Sunday afternoon than dealing with complaints or fixing leaky pipes. However, if you want to be in a good relationship with your tenants, you need to answer those calls and promptly handle the issues.
Respect your tenants’ privacy.
Your tenants will contact you if they need, so don’t call them every week asking how it’s going: they’ll appreciate the peace and quiet. And if you need to visit for an inspection or maintenance, be mindful of their schedule and don’t show up without making an arrangement.
Following these rules will help you stay on good terms with tenants who are completing their part of the deal. However, if it appears that the tenant you’ve chosen is not willing to comply with the contract, the conflict is most of the time unavoidable.
