Becoming a landlord can be hard. Landlords often have to deal with bad tenants. When tenants don’t pay, landlords have to evict them.
Tenants don’t always like their landlords. Disputes between landlords and tenants often arise. This can lead to the souring of the landlord-tenant relationship.
The good news is that there are eight ways that landlords can be good at their role. If you’re a landlord, you should keep reading. You’ll learn how to be a good landlord.
1. Start by Welcoming Your Tenants
You know what they say. First impressions are important. Make a good first impression on your tenants by helping them adjust to their new home.
You can start by writing your new tenants a welcoming letter. Leave them a brief note that welcomes them to their unit. Tell them how happy you’re to have them as tenants.
Doing this helps to set a positive tone for your relationship with the tenants. In the letter, you can include information that your tenants should know about. This includes their trash pickup schedule, as well as your contact information.
Consider including information about local stores like the nearest pharmacy and supermarket. This information can benefit tenants who are new to the area. It can help make their moving process less stressful.
2. Follow the Guidelines in Your Rental Lease
Being a landlord isn’t always easy. There are several issues that landlords can experience with their tenants. These are the stuff of nightmares.
The good news is that landlords can prevent most of these issues. Landlords should have a solid rental lease agreement in place. It should have guidelines that outline the rights and responsibilities of both parties.
It’s best to walk tenants through the lease. Landlords can establish themselves as good ones by doing this. Tenants must know the clauses included in the rental lease.
Landlords should always follow the guidelines whenever a problem arises. It’s a good idea to consult with a lawyer before creating a rental lease.
3. Keep the Relationship Professional
Do you know how to be a good landlord? Focus on maintaining a professional relationship with each of your tenants. You can be friendly with them, but make sure to set boundaries.
If there’s a major issue, you might have to evict a tenant. You don’t want your emotions to get in the way of evicting one.
You can exercise compassion. There’s nothing wrong with showing tenants compassion. They’re humans too and can face issues.
Let’s say you have a tenant who’s running late on rent. If this is the case, you can grant the tenant an extension. This act will go a long way with the tenant and provide you with a great tenant in the process.
4. Be Accessible
Being accessible to tenants is a must. Provide them with different means by which to contact you. Put it in writing that you’ll respond within 24 hours.
You might not want tenants to call you at all hours of the night. You do want to have a way to contact you if there’s an emergency during evening hours. Set up a phone line that they can use to leave you a message.
If you’re like most landlords, you might have a lot of rental properties under your belt. You can hire a property management company. The company you hire can help you meet your tenants’ needs.
5. Make Those Repairs
When a tenant reports a broken pipe, you shouldn’t ignore it. Make repairs for issues like this one promptly.
Set a time for the repair that’s best for the tenant. Let the tenant know about the time in advance. Your handyman can then inspect the issue and make repairs right away.
6. Remain Calm When Handling Problems
One of the landlord tips that we can offer to help you become a good landlord is to remain calm at all times. This is especially true when handling problems.
If you experience any problems with tenants, don’t get frustrated. The last thing you want to do is to gain a bad reputation as a landlord.
7. Respect the Tenant’s Privacy
Tenants have certain rights you must respect. One of them is their right to privacy. Landlords do have a right to entry, but it can’t infringe on the tenant’s right to private, peaceful possession of the dwelling.
This means you can’t show up to a tenant’s unit at odd hours of the night. You should also consider making visits during business hours.
The best policy is to consult the laws in your state. Some states require landlords to give their tenants notice before they enter the unit.
8. Offer Online Services
Providing tenants with online services offers them convenience. You can set up a tenant portal on a website tenants can use to submit repair requests.
You can also make it easier for them to pay their rent through the tenant portal. This will also make it much easier for you when it’s time to collect rent. This is a great way to track who has been paying rent and how much money you have coming in.
Use These Eight Tips to Help You Learn How to Be a Good Landlord
Now that you know how to be a good landlord, you can build a professional relationship with your tenants. These eight tips can help you keep your tenants happy and retain them as well. These tips will also help you better protect your investment properties.
Do you need help managing your properties? Contact us to learn more about our services. Our team of professionals offers unmatched customer service.