Photo by Naomi Hébert
Happy tenants form the basis of your profitability. They are the tenants who will rent from you long-term, take good care of your property, and report repair and maintenance needs in a timely manner. When you have happy tenants, you’re less likely to discover serious property damage when they move out, and there’s less of a chance that you’ll end up in court.
Satisfied tenants who feel valued won’t usually object too much to rent increases or minor lease changes at the end of the term, and will often renew their lease for another year or more. These are the most valuable tenants since they help you get a better return on your investment. For instance, when a satisfied tenant renews their lease, you don’t have to deal with the expenses of turning over the unit.
There’s no denying that managing your own rentals is time-consuming and exhausting. That’s why the first key to creating happy tenants is to outsource your landlord duties to professionals.
A property manager can help keep your tenants happy
With a property manager to handle your landlord duties, investing in rental property is a great way to generate long-term, semi-passive income. Although they’ll take on just about any task you need, finding high-quality, reliable tenants – and keeping them happy – is one of the most important things a property manager will do for you.
For example, Green Residential, a Houston property management company, screens all potential tenants to high standards during the application process to ensure only the best prospects are considered. However, just because you find a good tenant doesn’t guarantee they’ll always be that way.
Over time, if you neglect your landlord duties, your tenants are most likely going to become bitter and angry toward you. This can lead to a host of problems, including late or unpaid rent, property damage, and a general unwillingness to cooperate.
Some of the most common reasons tenants become bitter toward their landlords include:
- Maintenance and repair needs are ignored. For example, a broken dishwasher, water heater, or stove that remains broken for weeks, months, or indefinitely.
- Over-communication. Landlords should keep things professional and not try to be friends with their tenants. Some people just want to be left alone.
- Unexpected inspections. In most states, the law requires you to give at least 24 hours’ notice for emergencies when you need to enter a tenant’s unit for some reason, but that doesn’t apply to regular inspections and maintenance appointments. Don’t just show up for an inspection randomly or give little notice. In Texas, however, landlords aren’t required to give any notice to enter the unit. Still, it’s better to give your tenants notice even though it’s not a legal requirement.
- Punitive rent increases. It is illegal to raise the rent in retaliation for something a tenant does that you don’t like. For example, if you have a no pets policy and your tenant has an emotional support animal (ESA), you can’t raise the rent in retaliation.
What keeps tenants happy?
Most tenants don’t expect much from their landlords, but they do expect a basic level of maintenance and upkeep. For example, tenants expect landlords to fix leaky roofs, broken water heaters, leaking dishwashers, busted pipes, lack of running water, and replace torn window screens. These are just some common maintenance and repair needs that tenants face.
Every day that a tenant has to deal with an inconvenience that isn’t being actively addressed, their frustration will grow. It sounds simple, but the best way to keep your tenants happy is to jump on repairs and maintenance needs fast. Don’t wait. For some repairs, like hot water, heat, and running water, the law in most states says you only have 24-48 hours to start fixing the problem.
When a tenant requests a repair, acknowledge their request immediately, no matter how small that repair is because that will tell your tenant you’re working on the issue. Don’t leave anyone hanging and ignore them until you can schedule the repair. Communicate immediately to make your tenant feel like you’re taking care of them.
Handle serious problems immediately
Where serious repairs are concerned, schedule them as fast as possible. For instance, if the roof is leaking, schedule a repair or replacement immediately. If you can’t get someone out right away, get an emergency tarp service that will at least stop the leak until it can be properly fixed.
It takes effort to create happy tenants
Creating satisfied tenants won’t happen by accident. It takes effort, so take great care of your tenants, make them feel valued, and they’ll be more likely to return the same level of respect.
