The Landlord Tenant Relationship And How To Stay In Charge
Its important from the start to create a friendly but professional relationship with all tenants. Too many owners rent to people they like and assume if they are nice and they are friendly that all will go well.
Wrong. This is your business and although you want a pleasant exchange, you are not a friend, you are a landlord. If you create a friend rather than a friendly tenancy you will have a tough time enforcing the house rules.
Create a Professional relationship at the Tenant Screening Interview
You establish your authority first and the initial meetings. Let potential tenants know that you expect clear and honest answers and all documentation in a timely manner. Be friendly but firm. Prospective tenants will get that you mean business and if they cant perform they will go away rather than try to stall you or cause you to change your rules just for them. Establish a set of business rules regarding what you need as a financial requirement, and a good credit policy. Its a good idea to hand your tenant screening rules to everyone interested in renting from you. Stick to it. You will get their respect and they will perform, but you must be clear and not waffle.
Control of the relationship begins with the lease signing
During the lease signing you should carry yourself in a friendly and professional manner. Be friendly and look to establish a positive and helpful business relationship.
1. Go over the lease and have each paragraph initialed by the new tenant and yourself
2. Be clear that all house rules are to be respected
3. Offer any reasonable help you can by using a tenant welcome pack. Your Property Path has a good article on the Ezine web site.
Discuss any procedural expectations now.
1. Have all maintenance request be in writing
2. Be sure that you have done a pre-inspection of the unit before the move in and document the apartments condition.
3. Make the tenant aware that they have obligations to keep the apartment in good condition and that they have obligations to warn you immediately of leaks and backups, of gathering moisture, of defective smoke alarms
4. Establish a visitors policy and enforce it or you may end up with roommates you never screened.
5. Enforce all late payments with 3 day notices
6. Be firm without forgetting this is a two way relationship
We all like to have clear parameters. If we know what is expected of us then we know how to act in a way that creates a positive relationship. Its your job as the landlord to explain in a clear and business like way exactly how you expect your tenants to act and to express clearly what they can expect from you. Its a relationship of rules and obligations.
Howard Bell for yourpropertypath.com
At Your Property Path we believe that knowledge should be free and freely shared.
Tags: credit policy, house rules, landlord - tenant, lease, property, tenant problems, tenant screening
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