If you want to be a successful landlord, there are thousands of tips you could follow to ensure you make the maximum amount of money from your tenants. Unfortunately, this sort of approach won’t win you the affection of your tenants, and ultimately, if they’re not satisfied with the quality of service you’re providing, they’re bound to move on. Therefore, keeping your clients – as surely this is what your tenants are – happy should be your number one priority. Here’s how to earn their respect.
Direct Contact, Support and Meetings
One of the major gripes that any tenant could have about their landlord is that they aren’t able to get in direct contact with them when they need something. Whether it’s the simple act of giving your tenants a direct mobile number, or arranging skype or face-to-face meetings once a fortnight, being contactable is essential if you want tenants to respect you. A good way to begin a tenancy agreement positively could be to have an introductory meeting with your new tenants at a café or a pub and allow them to get to know you. By demonstrating your commitment to them, they’ll learn that they can trust you.
Repairs and Provisions
Being responsive to your tenants’ needs is essential if you want them to respect you. You might not be in the financial position to replace every bulb for them when one stops working, but you could potentially arrange a meeting once a month, where you can go round for an hour and do basic maintenance for them. You should also ensure you arrange any necessary repairs as quickly as you can too, as leaving a washing machine or vacuum clearer broken for months will not only upset your tenants, it will also leave your property in a mess. If you want to be in the financial position to repair items as soon as they break, it’s best to have some kind of landlords insurance,similar to that offered by Simple Landlords Insurance, and then you can be as prompt as you possibly can be with a repair.
Those Extras Really DoMatter
You might not think that supplying draft excluders, an ironing board, custom drapery and shower curtains will win over your new tenants, but you’d be surprised by how small token gestures can really help to demonstrate to your new tenants how much you respect them. It leaves an impression of things to come, and of how you intend to manage the property. Therefore, supplying the home with those little extras really does matter.
If you really wantyour tenants to respect you, ensure you’re doing all of the above, and you’ll be surprised by how much your tenants will love you.