In modern times, with the economic situation of various countries not seeming as positive as many would like it, there can be some animosity between certain groups who communicate through financial circumstances. Tenants and landlords are a prime example of this. The rising prices of everything mean that rent goes up due to the landlord not wanting to lose out, which can lead to ire from the tenant.
If you’re in the landlord position here, it’s understandable that your objective is to make money. However, in difficult times when you understand that people might be struggling, you might also not want to throw anybody under the bus. So, how can you manage properties effectively while towing this line?
Manage Effectively
It might sound strange, but perhaps one of your best options here is to simply do your job as effectively as possible. If you’re completely on top of your property management, you’re in a better position to deal with the social aspect of the job in a manner that you see fit. From your perspective, this means that you’re as faultless as you can be, keeping on top of everything and therefore able to deal with any communications in as open and honest a way as possible. To your tenants, they’ll be happy that everything is clear, consistent, and approachable – if they feel as though the issues they report get addressed, they might feel more comfortable in their dynamic with you.
This can be something that you simply do through your approach and attitude towards handling your properties, but making use of property management software can make that a much easier process for you – removing a lot of the needless stress from it and allowing you to perform your duties as effectively as possible.
Respect Space
There are laws about how and when landlords can drop into their occupied properties to check how things are going. These prevent people in your position from abusing their power and being able to intrude at a moment’s notice, granting the tenant more privacy. However, it’s understandable that you’re going to be concerned about your properties, which can make your approach seem quite difficult.
That being said, you might find that respecting the space of your tenants leads to as amicable a relationship between you as possible. This can develop an air of trust, with communication only happening now and again as and when it needs to, and it can keep things positive between you. You don’t actually need to interact with your tenants all that often in the grand scheme of things, and letting them live their lives might let the dynamic between you remain professional when you come into contact.
Be Understanding
It’s important to be clear about what being understanding means in this context. Despite the financial hardships of the time, being understanding doesn’t necessarily translate to being lenient with the payment of rent, as that’s something that can complicate your own situation and create difficulties. It is important to draw a firm line in the sand and deal with exceptions as and when they come, depending on the context.
What being understanding might mean, though, is just being open-minded and empathetic to the situations of your tenants if conflict should arise. The situation that this might refer to most obviously could be when it comes time to review the deposit. Trying to take every penny that you can for the smallest infractions can create a lot of friction when the process of moving is already a stressful time for them. Obviously, there will be times when damage has been done, and that’s what the deposit is there for, but knowing where the line is in regard to this is important.
