Keeping your Tenants happy

Keeping your tenants happy saves you money in the long run. Happy tenants tend to stay in your rental property longer and don’t complain much. Here are some attributes about rental properties that tend to keep tenants happy over the long haul:

A place with not-too-high rent increases. Don’t be unreasonable and raise the tenant rents too high and too often. If the market is a strong market, explain what the rental market is for their apartment and let them know you value them as great tenants and you are keeping the property under the market for that reason.

A place tenants are proud to live. Everyone wants to live where they can invite their friends and family over and be proud of where they live. By providing a rental property that is clean and well maintained, you are providing a property that your tenants will be proud to show off.

A place that they can move into that’s clean. They want to be able to put their belongings in a clean environment. Be sure old odors are gone and nothing of the past tenants’ is left over.
A place with well-kept common areas and clean grounds. Clean laundry room, clean pool, well maintained landscape, and well lit parking lot.

A place that’s safe and well lit. Let them know that you feel safety is important. Be sure all the smoke detectors are working and that they know how to turn off the water if needed.
A place where everything’s in working order. Make sure before your tenants move in that all the appliances work, and the furnace and air conditioning are in working order.

A place that respects tenants’ privacy. Don’t go over to the property unannounced; instead, let your tenants know you are coming over prior to showing up. This is their home, too, while they pay the rent and live there.

A place that encourages good neighbors. Don’t lose a good tenant due to a bad tenant making noise and causing problems. Take care of the problem. Be sure to let the good tenants know you are attempting to solve the problem.

A place where the rental manager truly cares about the property. From the very beginning, tenants can tell whether they are renting from someone who cares about the property, based on the condition and the reaction to any request before the tenants move in.

A place where the manager responds to reasonable maintenance requests. Tenants want to know that when they have a problem, it will be addressed and taken care of in a reasonable time.

A place that keeps tenants informed. No one likes surprises, so keep your tenants informed. If the plumber is really busy and cannot come out for a couple of days, let the tenants know that. If you cannot make a scheduled appointment, show common courtesy by letting tenants know.

A place with fair rules that are monitored and communicated to all tenants. These are rules the tenants would agree to and sign prior to moving in. It is important that all tenants follow the same rules and that you as the owner see that they are enforced.

Being fair and reasonable will keep tenants a whole lot longer. You don’t have to make long-lasting friends to have a long-lasting tenant.