When it comes to a landlord and tenant\ncommunication, both parties would like to have a more friendly and open line of\ncommunication. Unfortunately, even with the best of intentions, many landlords\nand tenants will only speak when there\u2019s a problem, which often leads to both\nparties dreading having to talk to each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, as a landlord, you should try to\ntake steps to improve your landlord\/tenant relationship by improving your lines\nof communication. Something which is far easier than you might have thought\nwhen you follow these top tips: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Communicate More, Not Less <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Landlords will often shy away from\ncontacting their tenants frequently, as it can feel like your harassing them.\nHowever, the worst thing you can do as a landlord is to only contact when\nthere\u2019s a problem or you\u2019re looking for something. Instead, try and contact\nyour tenants about enjoyable and fun things too. For instance, sending over\nbirthday cards or Christmas cards is a wonderful way to build a good\nrelationship. As is sending over a monthly message to check if everything is\nokay and if anything could be improved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t Focus on the Bad News <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As a part of communicating more, you should\nlook to communicate good news that could affect your tenants. For instance,\nrather than just sending over a message when there\u2019s bad news \u2013 such as a leak\n\u2013 you should send over good news too. This could be something as little as a\ncommunal hallway getting re-painted or advising tenants that you\u2019d like to\nupgrade their flooring in the future and asking if they had any preferences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not All Communication Channels Are Ideal for Every Tenant <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When looking to communicate with tenants,\nyou should carefully consider what channel you should communicate on. For one,\nif you have older tenants that aren\u2019t comfortable with emailing or texting, you\nmay wish to contact them in writing. You should also avoid social media, as\nit\u2019s likely that your tenants will feel uncomfortable having their landlord\nfollowing every move they make \u2013 such as having friends over. To keep\neverything as professional as possible, you could use a platform like Yeehlow<\/a>, which\nis free-to-use and allows both landlords and tenants to exchange messages,\ndocuments and photographs in one simple place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make Sure Your Tenants Are Comfortable Contacting You <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Often a landlord can believe that a quiet\ntenant is a happy one. In reality, though, your tenant might just be too\nnervous to ask you something. Or, they might be unsure on the best way to\ncontact you. To help with this, make sure that you have openly left a mobile\nnumber and email address for tenants to contact you on. If you have a lot of\ntenants, you may also wish to provide occasional anonymous surveys, where\npeople can ask for any improvements or tell you what they like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, communication is all about\nsimplicity and easiness. Which means, you should always send any communication\nin short and concise formats that are easy for everyone to understand. By\nhaving good communication channels, your tenants are far more likely to be open\nand happy with you, meaning you won\u2019t need to replace them regularly.<\/p>\n