As a landlord, you likely realize the importance of having good, reliable tenants. It simply makes your life easier and gives you one less thing to worry about.
However, you can’t expect your tenants to put in the work if you aren’t doing the same. As a landlord, you have certain responsibilities to fulfill, and you need to do everything you can to make sure that your tenants are happy and safe. So, if you are ready to take the next steps and become a better landlord, keep reading!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Most landlords use their rental properties as a form of passive income, which means that they don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to the property or their tenants.
While this is understandable, it’s not ideal. Keeping a rental property in good condition and keeping your tenants happy requires time, so if you can’t commit to that, there’s no shame in getting help. A property manager can make things easier for both you and your tenant. Have a look at rental property management companies in Scarborough to see how they can help you.
Follow the contract
If you are leasing a property to someone else, you need to make sure that you have a solid legal contract in place. This will help to protect both parties and also ensure that everyone knows what their rights are as well as what they can expect from the other party.
Therefore, it’s quite important that you follow the stipulations laid out in the contract. For example, if the contract states that you are responsible for maintenance and home improvements, then that is your responsibility to deal with, not the tenant’s.
Communicate
Every relationship relies on communication. This goes for romantic relationships, work relationships, and, of course, professional relationships like the one between you and your tenant.
So, you need to make sure that you are properly communicating with your tenant – whether directly or through a property management company. If your tenant has an issue, you need to let them know that you are aware of it and will try to resolve it. Similarly, you need to communicate relevant information to your tenants – for example, if the water will be shut down or if someone will be doing maintenance on the property, your tenants should be aware of this. If communication isn’t your strong suit, you can read this post for some tips.
Find the right tenants
Finally, you need to make sure that the tenants living in your place are the right fit. If you and the tenants simply don’t get along, it will be difficult to build a good professional relationship with them.
If you make use of a property manager as we suggested above, they will weed out any tenants with bad references or credit scores, but it’s still a good idea for you to meet tenants face to face before signing anything. You may want to ensure that they are trustworthy before you agree to lease the property to them.
