Building a positive relationship with your Baltimore tenants is one of the most important things a property owner can do. The relationship between a tenant and their landlord is a fundamental part of a successful investment property. That’s why you need your tenant’s willing cooperation to keep your property in good condition.
If your relationship with your tenant goes sour or becomes combative, your ability to work productively together will decrease. Luckily, there are many things you can do as the property owner to foster a positive relationship with your tenant.
Perhaps the best approach you can do to create a positive relationship with your tenant is to develop strong communication skills. Establish and maintain open lines of communication with your tenant. Therefore, when the tenant contacts you, respond quickly to their inquiries or concerns. If you are unable to personally field tenant calls, then it is important to hire someone who can do it for you.
A quality property manager will be able to communicate effectively with your tenant on your behalf. So regardless of who will be communicating directly with your tenant, be sure to give your tenant plenty of clear information, explain why things are happening, and provide advance notice if anything changes.
Another critical element of a positive tenant relationship is trust. As the Baltimore property manager, you can encourage your tenant to trust you by following through on your promises. If you tell them that you will be somewhere at a specific time, show up at that time. If you inform your tenant regarding your plans to fix or update certain parts of the property, give them a clear timeline for those repairs and then complete them as promised.
When a tenant builds up trust for their landlord or property owner, they are more likely to work cooperatively to keep the property in good condition and tell you about minor repair issues before they become big problems.
Other features of a positive tenant relationship include respecting boundaries. As a landlord, always remember that you have to set clear boundaries for yourself and your tenants. If you need to visit the property, be sure to give advance notice and set up a time that is appropriate to the schedule of your tenant. The last thing you want is for your tenant to think is that in order to meet your needs, you will have to violate their privacy or their quiet enjoyment of the property.
Lastly, you can foster a positive relationship with your tenant by listening to suggestions and documenting everything. Create a way for your tenant to give you feedback on your rental property, and show them that you are considering those suggestions. It may be as simple as an email exchange, which will give both an advantage to communicate easily with your tenant and provide documentation of your conversation.
It doesn’t matter how you want to communicate with your tenant as long as you make sure to document everything. Keep all emails, letters, notices, and voicemail messages related to your rental property and your tenant. When the problem or argument happens, this paper trail will be an invaluable resource for settling the matter quickly.
As a property owner, it is in everyone’s best interest to keep things friendly and professional. Your success as a real estate investor depends upon good tenant relations. Being supportive and accomodating to your tenants will help you optimize your rental income for many years to come.
At Real Property Management Metro, we treat your renters and property with the utmost professionalism and respect. Call us at 410-290-3285 today, or contact us online to see what we can do for you!
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