Owning rental property is an investment and you want your end result to be a prosperous one financially. Qualified tenants are what the business is all about and keep in mind; your asset is a business. As nice or responsible as your tenant may be, you never want to cross the line and take the relationship from a professional one to a personal one. It just doesn’t work. When it comes down to it, talk is not cheap in the rental property business. In fact, it may end up costing you more in the long run than if you would have maintained a professional relationship to begin with. Don’t get us wrong, you always want to be friendly with your tenants, but not friends with them. There’s a difference, and here at Property Management Systems in San Francisco, it’s kind of the overarching mantra.
It’s important to keep business and personal separate and when you’re an owner, or residential property manager, it is a business that you’re managing. With that being said, it’s important to keep a certain amount of personal distance between you and your tenant.
If you want your tenants to take you seriously, then you shouldn’t talk about your personal life at any time; especially when you first meet them. Start off on the right foot from day one and you’ll earn the respect you want from your tenants.
Here are a few simple important rules to follow when speaking with tenants:
- Always think before you speak
- Know the answer to the question you’re asking, before you ask it
- Be thorough with your questions
- Always know beforehand what the end result will be to your question
Lastly, remember to always be nice and never threatening regarding anything in the tenancy. We are all humans doing the very best in any given moment – there is never a good reason to treat anyone in a poor interaction. Even though you may not have meant to come off in that manner, it is something the tenant will always remember about your interaction with them as their property manager. In short, you want to be thoughtful in everything that you say, but make sure you don’t give away the store.
