4 Tips for Improving Your Tenants’ Satisfaction

Being a landlord involves more than purchasing a property, renting it out, and waiting for that rent check once a month. If you want to retain your tenants, you need to make living in your building worth their while. Fortunately, there are several basic things you can do to keep them happy. After all, they’re customers, and customer satisfaction means a steady income for you. Here are four tips for improving your tenants’ satisfaction.

Make Sure They Get Their Mail

The United States Postal Service demands that you provide a way for your tenants to receive their mail. That should be easy enough, right? But as a landlord, there are certain standards you need to uphold. The post office dictates that outside cluster mailboxes be easily and safely accessed by both the carrier and tenants. They should also be ADA-compatible and accommodate individuals in wheelchairs. The same goes for wall-mounted mailboxes, which offer their own benefits. Tenants who can’t get their mail are unhappy ones.

Keep the Lines of Communication Open

Don’t be too close, but don’t be a phantom landlord, either. Stay in touch with tenants and let them know they can reach you or an intermediary for any emergencies. Offer your phone number, email, and other means for submitting concerns, and check in regularly.

Fix Things Promptly

Tenants can feel helpless when facing problems like burst pipes, broken appliances, lost heat, and the like. They have no real agency, but you do. If they come to you with issues, address them right away, especially ones that damage the property. Figure out a system where, even if you’re away, someone will come and handle repairs and maintenance. A list of on-call contractors and handy people is a must. So is checking in on the property periodically to catch little things before they turn into big problems. Let tenants know the status of repairs and what you’re doing to complete them.

Stay Flexible

Anything can happen, and it usually does. Tenants can have trouble paying the rent. Issues can arise between renters. Outside forces can make living in the building difficult. Be ready to address these concerns. Make payments and communication easier by establishing an online portal where tenants can pay the rent, send messages, and more. Offer different means to pay the rent, such as direct deposit, credit cards, payment apps, and other means. And give usually reliable tenants the benefit of the doubt should they run into circumstances where paying the rent is difficult.

Those are just four tips for improving your tenants’ satisfaction. But as ever, be ready to listen. Your tenants may have concerns you don’t even know about.