Landlords have to know how to communicate with their tenants. If you choose a property management team to help, you will likely need to make sure they know how to communicate with your tenants. Either way, the right communication tips for new landlords will go a long way.
5 Top Communication Tips for New Landlords
1. Use Multiple Communication Options
If you’re only working with one tenant, you can use their preferred method of communication. However, if you have multiple tenants, you should be prepared to use multiple ways to communicate.
Some tenants may prefer email, while others prefer text or a phone call. While there are some communications you have to put in writing (letter or email), use your tenant’s preferred method of communication for anything else. You can even ask them when they move in, what method they prefer and make a note of it in their file.
2. Listen
Tenants may have issues you need to hear about before you try to solve the issue. Make sure you listen to them and ask questions to clarify the issue, when necessary. Once you have heard what they have to say, you can respond with empathy. Don’t worry about over-communicating as you would rather your tenant have more information than not enough.
3. Check Your Attitude
It can be easy to become irritated or frustrated with a tenant. Maybe you just have different styles of communication. As the landlord, you are looked at as the expert and the professional. Keeping a professional attitude is vital for this type of relationship.
Remember to treat your rentals like a business. Stay professional and offer the service your tenants need, even if they are not being very nice or they are angry. You don’t know what they might be going through outside of the maintenance issue they have or another type of issue they are dealing with.
4. Always Be Honest
A landlord that isn’t honest will not be a landlord for very long. You will have times when you have to deliver bad news or something that isn’t going to make your tenant happy. Be truthful with them and straightforward.
Most people would rather know the maintenance request is delayed and a date when they can expect it to be dealt with than be left guessing because of a dishonest landlord. You might be delivering news that is going to upset your tenant, but if you’re truthful, they will be less upset than if they find out you lied to them.
5. Offer Multiple Contact Options
As a new landlord, you should always offer your tenants more than one way to get ahold of you. There should be a way to get ahold of you or a maintenance person if there’s an emergency and another option for when it’s not an emergency. It’s also a good idea to define what constitutes an emergency.
When you become a landlord, you want to become an excellent communicator, too. If you don’t want to deal with this part of owning rentals, hiring an excellent property management company offers the right solution.
