In any relationship, be it personal or business related, communication is important if you want to create healthy boundaries, build trust, and keep everyone on the same page. For landlords, fostering this kind of professional relationship with their tenants is the key to making everyone’s lives a little easier. If you want to avoid misunderstandings, develop effective solutions during stressful times, and ensure tenants meet your expectations, read on to learn how to improve tenant-landlord communication.
Clearly State Expectations From the Very Beginning
When it comes to letting tenants know what’s expected of them, your lease agreement is your best asset. Before renting out to an applicant, verbally go over what’s in the agreement. This way, there are no questions about what is and isn’t allowed on your property and what the tenant’s responsibilities are. Misunderstandings are very common, and this is one of the best strategies to prevent them.
Provide Multiple, Easy Ways To Stay in Touch
As a landlord, you’re going to be dealing with a variety of people, and different people have different styles of communication. Not only should it be easy to get in touch with you, but tenants should also have multiple avenues of communication. Whether it’s through text, email, messenger apps, phone calls, or scheduled appointments, tenants should have a choice in how they reach out. To make things even easier, give tenants a guesstimate of your average response time for emergencies or everyday inquiries.
Stay Honest and Transparent
While you don’t have to tell your tenants everything, you should strive to be as clear, honest, and transparent as possible. For example, if a personal issue is barring you from handling a maintenance request in a timely manner, you should tell them. Of course, you should refrain from the details, but letting them know your personal circumstances are inhibiting your work encourages understanding. It’s not guaranteed that everyone will be as kind or understanding as you’d like, but at least everyone will be on the same page.
Establish an Open-Door Policy
One of the most sought-after traits tenants look for in a landlord is their ability to communicate consistently and effectively. However, if a landlord isn’t very approachable, tenants may not be so keen to reach out when necessary. Establishing an open-door policy shows tenants that you’re open to and encouraging of what they have to say. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to be ready to hear everyone every second of the day. You should still establish work hours, but being available and ready to listen during those hours will do wonders for communication.
Ultimately, the best way to improve tenant-landlord communication is to follow that age-old rule we all learned in kindergarten: treat others the way you want to be treated. Ask yourself if you’d be happy with your level of communication if you were a tenant. If not, review these skills and ask your tenants how they feel you could improve.