How to Improve Your Landlord/Tenant Relationships

By Alyssa Laffitte on April 3, 2019

If you are a property manager, you know how important it is to keep your tenants happy and to maintain a good relationship with them. Satisfied tenants might renew their lease with you, or recommend you to other potential tenants. For that reason, we will discuss how to improve your landlord/tenant relationships.

Image via Isorepublic.com

Choose your tenants carefully

Before you establish a relationship with a tenant, you must first choose a tenant! If you choose an irresponsible tenant, you are likely to run into many problems with them. For example, they might be consistently late on their rent payments. On the other hand, if you choose a responsible tenant, you are more likely to have a good relationship with them, since they will be a less problematic tenant.

To make sure you choose a responsible tenant, ask any potential tenants for references. Their references will tell you if the person would be a responsible tenant.

In other words, choosing a responsible tenant will be the foundation for forming a positive landlord/tenant relationship.

Be fair

As the property owner, you have a lot of power in the landlord/tenant relationship. You must use this power carefully. Instead of taking advantage of the tenant, be fair. Do not charge your tenant an outrageous amount of money for rent. Do not leave them hanging when they have asked for help. Do what is required of you as a landlord (more on that later!). On the flip side, do not let your tenant take advantage of you, either. You should not consistently accept late payments or a trashed property. There is a delicate balance when it comes to treating your tenant fairly. If you are a fair landlord, it will greatly improve your landlord/tenant relationship.

Be clear and upfront with the tenant

Many problems in the landlord/tenant relationship are caused by unclear communication. You can avoid these problems if you communicate with your tenant, especially if the leasing agreement is wordy and hard to read. You should make sure the tenant understands what is expected of them (prompt payments, keeping the property clean, not disturbing the neighbors, etc.)

Similarly, if you run into any problems, you should be upfront about it with the tenant. Let them know what is going on and what is expected of them. If you communicate your expectations clearly to your tenant, they are more likely to meet them.

Do what you say you will do

Just as you have expectations for your tenants, your tenants have expectations for you as their landlord. This is especially true if you have outlined your responsibilities as the landlord in the leasing agreement. In short, you are responsible for providing a safe place for your tenant to live. You must be prepared to follow through with each one of those responsibilities. For example, you must be ready to solve any problems that arise in the property. (For example, what if there is a plumbing or electricity problem in your property? It’s your responsibility to fix it!) If you and your tenant meet the expectations outlined in the lease, you should have a good landlord/tenant relationship.

Do not ignore your tenant

Continuing off the previous point, one of your biggest responsibilities as a landlord is solving the problems your tenant has with the property. If your tenant calls you with a problem, like a water leak, you should definitely not ignore them. Try your best to answer their calls, texts, and emails in a timely manner. After all, that’s what they expect from you, and that’s what you would expect from them. Ignoring your tenant is a surefire way to make your landlord/tenant relationship go sour quickly.

Solve problems quickly

As a landlord, you must be “solution minded.” It is your responsibility to solve problems quickly and thoroughly. Your tenant will be frustrated with you if you do not attend to their needs in a timely manner. Instead, solving the problems quickly will keep them happy and ensure a positive landlord/tenant relationship.

Document everything

It is a good idea to document everything about the properties you manage. Be sure to keep records of leasing agreements, any repairs that were done, and any payments. Keeping a written account of those things will protect you if there are any disputes.

Provide regular property maintenance

Although the tenant lives there, the property is ultimately yours. In other words, you are responsible for it. Because of that, you should provide regular maintenance to the property. You should routinely do things like clean the carpet, take care of the lawn, paint, and hire pest control for the property. Your tenant will be happy knowing that their temporary home is being well taken care of and will make them feel more comfortable living there. Of course, you should let them know in advance when you plan to do these important maintenance tasks! Maintaining the property will definitely improve your landlord/tenant relationship.

Clearly, it is important to keep your tenants happy. If you follow through with what we discussed in the article, you should have a positive landlord/tenant relationship.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Student Housing News Monthly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format