How to Achieve a Better Relationship with Your Residents

Happy residents lead to happy rental property owners, and establishing and maintaining a good relationship with your residents is critical to your investment success. Retaining great residents increases what you earn because it prevents vacancy and turnover costs. 

Smart landlords will establish expectations with their residents before the keys and first month’s rent are even exchanged. Once you have your residents in place, work on the relationship throughout the residency. Be responsive and available, and let them know you value their business.

If you’re looking for a path towards a better resident relationship, we have some ideas.

Provide a Stress-Free Move-In Process

You know what it’s like to move. There are a million details to manage and it’s stressful. Even if your new residents are excited about your property, they’re still stuck in the process of moving.

You can help eliminate some of that stress for your new residents by providing a move-in process that’s transparent, easy, and effortless. Answer all their questions about the lease and their responsibilities ahead of time. Make sure the home is clean, functional, and ready for them. Provide an introduction to how things work – show them how to turn the appliances on and where to find the air filters. These things will make a big difference during the early part of the residency.

At the beginning of the lease period, talk to your residents about what you expect. Discuss the lease and answer their questions. Your residents need to know how they should pay rent and what they’re responsible for in terms of maintenance and landscaping. All that information should be in the lease, but if you talk about it, you can reinforce those things and demonstrate your willingness to communicate. 

Keep talking about these things. Reinforce the things you assume they already know. Residents want to hear from you, and they want to feel secure in what their responsibilities are. No one likes surprises or misunderstandings. 

Respond Promptly to Maintenance 

Nothing is more important to your resident relationship than the way you handle maintenance. Responding to repair needs with a sense of urgency protects the condition of your property and shows your residents that you care about their comfort and safety. 

Don’t make promises that you have no intention of keeping. If you say you’re going to fix something, fix it. After the work has been done, follow up with a call or a text to make sure the residents are pleased with the results. 

You’ll also need to be available in case there’s an emergency. A resident is going to get very frustrated if there’s a major issue like toilets that aren’t flushing or air conditioning that isn’t working and you are impossible to get in touch with. Be ready to respond, and make sure your residents understand that you can be counted on to take care of both emergency and routine repair issues.

Respect Your Resident’s Privacy and Space

It’s true that you own this home, but it’s your residents who are living in it. Respect their space and their privacy. You won’t be able to maintain a positive relationship if you’re showing up at the property every few weeks. It’s annoying, even if your intentions are good.

Your residents want to be left alone to enjoy the privacy and quiet of their home. While conducting an inspection during the course of the residency is reasonable, schedule it well in advance.

When you’re working on your resident relationships, remember that communication, transparency, and responsiveness are important. We can help you manage – contact us at Sacramento Delta Property Management.