Ready to find a tenant for your property? Nervous about the intake/screening process? Worried about setting boundaries for communicating with your tenants?
This blog post is for you!
Finding tenants is similar to finding buyers. The first step is to advertise the rental opportunity. On your own, you could platforms like Apartments.com, Rent.com or Zillow Rental Manager. These sites will put your rental in front of potential tenants at a higher volume than simply putting up a “For Rent” sign. However, in either case, you’ll need to have a way to screen the potential tenants that show interest.
This is where teaming up with a Real Estate Professional or Property Management company can make a huge difference. They will already have a process in place, including applications with helpful information for you as the landlord and credit/background check options all included in their services. Some will also already have a list of qualified tenants whom they can refer to your property, making this vetting process so much easier! In addition, their knowledge of the area and the current rental market will help you with determining the right monthly fees.
Once you find qualified tenants and establish a rental agreement with them, the next step is knowing how to communicated with your tenants. As a landlord, it’s imperative that you establish regular communications with your tenants and that they feel comfortable reaching out to you as well. So here are some ways to establish open, honest lines of communication and keep them going:
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Let your tenants know that they can reach out to you with any concerns about the property. Provide them with a direct way to contact you and set up expectations for responses. If needed, have a separate process for emergencies or time sensitive communications (such as there’s no heat).
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When you receive a repair request from the tenant, respond to the initial request right away to let them know that you received it and are working on it. Prioritize the repair and get a resolution set up as early as possible, while informing the tenant of the plan all along the way. This will help build up trust with you and the tenant, which will ultimately lead to tenants being willing to share these requests and not let things go.
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From day one be honest with the tenant. If there are “less desirable” aspects of the property, don’t gloss over it. It’s better for them to know what to expect about the neighborhood or outdated but still safe features of the property rather than they get there and find out themselves. That immediately creates a rift between you as they will feel like you intentionally mislead them. This discord can cause many issues during the tenure of their rental agreement with you.
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Don’t overthink your communications. Short and sweet is generally the best way to discuss anything with your tenants. Keep it to the point and use the right delivery method: If it’s a complex issue considering getting on a call or sending an email; and, if it’s a short message use text.
At the end of the day, communicating with your tenants is like handling any other professional relationship only this one requires you to give a bit more to help maintain. For many, this can become overwhelming so don’t be afraid to talk with property management firms to help you manage these lines of communication. It can help to have that extra set of eyes and hands.
If you’re looking to get tenants into one of your properties and want assistance with setting up open, honest lines of communication, contact our team today! We have several of our own properties and have assisted many clients with theirs, so we have an effective strategy to help you with yours. Use the form below and we’ll be in touch shortly!