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At some point during their lease period, your tenant may bring concerns to your attention that can vary in subject and severity. Addressing these concerns right away is important to establish a great landlord-tenant relationship and provide tenants with a great renting experience.
Keep reading for examples of common tenant complaints and tips to help you resolve them.
1. Maintenance Requests
Some of the most common complaints you’ll receive from tenants are maintenance requests. Maintenance-related issues often happen randomly and can negatively impact the rental experience for your tenants if left unaddressed for too long.
According to a recent survey, tenants appreciate a landlord who is willing to respond to maintenance requests quickly and efficiently. When asked what makes a “bad” landlord, 79% of surveyed tenants cited having a landlord who’s rude about making repairs — more than the 65% who responded with a landlord raising the rent.
Platforms like Avail can help you manage repairs with maintenance tracking software. Tenants can easily submit maintenance tickets online and upload photos of any damage, so you won’t have to wait to visit the property before getting started on repairs. You can also communicate with tenants via in-app messaging to keep them informed during the process.
Once the ticket has been resolved, it will automatically be logged in your account. You can also add any associated costs to the ticket in order to track your expenses in the Avail Rental Property Accounting tool.
2. Noise Complaints
A tenant may approach you with a noise complaint if you own a multifamily property. There are many reasons why a noise complaint arises, each of which can be resolved differently.
If it’s a one-time complaint about a tenant you’ve enjoyed renting to, a one-on-one conversation to politely request they monitor their noise can be an effective solution. In other cases, you can remind your tenants of the noise clause in your lease and that violating it may result in an eviction.
If you already have a lease in place but want to add a clause on quiet hours, you can use an Avail lawyer-written lease amendment to legally modify an existing lease agreement. All you have to do is input information on the part of the lease you’re amending, send it to your tenants to download and sign, and add your countersign to finalize the document.
For future lease agreements, you can access our lawyer-reviewed lease templates to include a noise clause to reduce noise complaints if not included already.
3. Privacy Concerns
Privacy is an integral part of the rental experience and a right your tenants have when living in your rental property. To protect your tenant’s privacy, ensure all the windows have effective coverings during the turnover process.
A tenant’s main privacy concern may be about you as their landlord. While tenants do live in properties you own, landlord-tenant laws often require landlords to provide proper notice before entering.
To help ease these concerns, it’s important to be familiar with the local landlord-tenant laws of your area. Notice of entry laws may vary by state, but it’s a common requirement for the landlord to provide advance notice to the tenant if they need to visit the property.
Ignoring this rule can violate your tenant’s rights and result in severe consequences if your tenant tries to pursue legal action. They may also have the right to break the lease without paying any fees, so make sure you understand the local ordinances to protect your tenant’s privacy.
4. Safety Concerns
Similar to privacy concerns, safety concerns can also be a top priority for tenants. To provide a comfortable renting experience, avoid neglecting the security of your tenants.
One way to ease these concerns is to take extra care to review the safety features of your property when conducting the initial rental property walk-through with your tenant. This can include anything from door locks to advanced alarm systems. If anything is not in the greatest condition, prioritize repairing or replacing it as quickly as possible.
This is in your best interest as a landlord, as your state may have laws concerning locks, keys, and security. Prioritizing compliance with these laws will protect your rental business and give your tenants the peace of mind they desire.
5. Pests
Pests can come in many forms, but any complaints from tenants should be taken seriously. They can be more than just bothersome to tenants — a serious infestation may make your property uninhabitable depending on local law and could force your tenant to vacate the premises.
Rather than let a pest complaint go unaddressed, prioritize implementing a solution. You may be able to contact your city’s public health department for information on the pest you’re dealing with, as well as find effective ways of dealing with them.
It may also be worth contacting a professional pest control service to prevent future issues. Remember to communicate with your tenants and inform them of scheduled visits.
6. Environmental Concerns
Environmental concerns like mold, mildew, asbestos, and lead-based paint could negatively impact your tenant’s health. It’s essential to address these concerns as soon as they arise.
Landlord-tenant laws typically mandate that a lead-based paint disclosure is included in a lease, but you may find that your state requires additional disclosures for other environmental issues. Depending on the severity of your tenant’s complaint, you may need to address it professionally.
7. Housing Discrimination
The renting process can be stressful for tenants, and the fear of housing discrimination can add to that. Understanding the Fair Housing Act and other laws protecting tenants from discrimination is essential to being a successful landlord.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Fair Housing Act protects people renting a home from discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender identity, disability, and more.
As a landlord, there are several ways to ensure you aren’t violating tenants’ rights. For example, implementing the same tenant screening requirements for all applicants ensures you’re being fair about the information you’re collecting, regardless of who is applying.
With Avail, landlords can access multiple tenant screening reports available as a bundle or individually. These reports are authorized by your applicant so they know what information is being disclosed. The results will be available for review on your account, giving you a streamlined and effective way to screen prospective tenants fairly.
8. Rent Concerns
As a landlord, you may encounter tenants who have concerns regarding rent payments. They may worry they won’t be able to pay in full on time, or in your preferred manner. Addressing rent concerns can help encourage on-time rent payments regardless of the situation.
Simplifying the rent payment process for your tenants is one example of making rent collection easier for you, which can be done with a rent collection app. With Avail, landlords can set up online rent collection to let tenants easily pay rent online. This safe and secure process can eliminate the need for alternative payment methods like cash or checks.
To help your tenants stay aware of upcoming payments, you can set up automatic rent reminder emails from your landlord profile.
Tenants can also set up automatic payments to ensure they never miss a due date and avoid potential late fees. They can also report on-time rent payments to TransUnion to build their credit with CreditBoost, which is one way to encourage on-time rent payments.*
9. Lack of Communication
There are many aspects of rental property management that independent landlords must be mindful of, and communication isn’t one to be overlooked. Keeping your tenants informed can be the key to a stress-free tenancy and a healthy landlord-tenant relationship.
From the tenant welcome letter you send after finding your next tenant to the security deposit return letter you send after they’ve moved out, there are countless ways to communicate with your tenant. What’s most important, however, is making sure the communication is professional and appropriate. Ample notice for inspections or contractor visits will give your tenants time to plan accordingly, while proper documentation of any rental-related transactions or agreements may help boost your tenant’s confidence in you as a landlord.
To help you maintain a healthy communication, Avail offers a growing library of resources for landlords, including templates and forms for your rental business. With forms for various situations, you can find what you need to continue landlording like a pro and reduce complaints from your tenants.
Simplify Rental Property Management With Avail
To help you avoid tenant complaints, Avail offers multiple solutions for a variety of challenges. From creating custom rental leases to setting up online rent payments, this rental property management app will help make managing your rental simple.
To get started, create an account or log in today.
*CreditBoost results may vary by individual.
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The relationship between a tenant and landlord can substantially impact the renting experience. While an unpleasant dynamic can cause the lease term to feel challenging to deal with, a healthy one can mean long-term success for your rental business.
In this article, we share the importance of a healthy landlord-tenant relationship and seven easy ways to help you be an awesome landlord.
The Importance of Healthy Landlord-Tenant Relations
Having a good relationship with your tenants can make the renting process pleasant for all parties. As a landlord, you can have peace of mind knowing that the tenant will respect your property and policies. It can also reduce the chance of late rent payments, rental arbitrage, property renovations, and more without first consulting you.
A strong landlord-tenant relationship can reduce turnover and vacancy rates as well. Your tenant may be more likely to renew their lease and leave positive reviews on their experience to help attract prospective tenants in the future.
Your tenants can also benefit from a good relationship as well. They’re more likely to feel comfortable and confident enough to raise concerns immediately. Situations where this would be relevant include not being able to pay rent on time or if property damage occurs.
How to Build a Strong Landlord-Tenant Relationship
A strong landlord-tenant relationship doesn’t just happen naturally, so both parties will need to put effort. Here are some steps landlords can take to foster a healthy dynamic with their tenants.
1. Screen Your Applicants
Screening your applicants is the first step to finding a tenant who can pay rent and will take care of your property. To help you find your next tenant, you can use Avail to request a rental application and comprehensive online tenant screening reports, such as tenant background checks, TransUnion credit reports, and eviction records.
With a better understanding of your prospective tenant, you can feel confident about handing over the keys to your property.
2. Make A Good First Impression
Once you’ve found your next tenant, focus on making an excellent first impression to set the tone of the relationship. An easy way to do this is by sending a tenant welcome letter to celebrate the occasion and help make the moving process easier. This letter will also help them feel invited to your rental, share your contact information, answer common questions about the property, and more.
Furthermore, take the time to complete a rental property walk-through checklist with your tenant. It will also show the tenant that you don’t want to mistakenly hold them responsible for any pre-existing property damage.
3. Provide Clear Expectations
Setting clear expectations that are outlined in the lease agreement can reduce the chances of unwanted behavior such as late rent, noise complaints, and more. Outline your policies on rent collection, pets, excessive noise, and the steps you will take in the case of a lease violation.
If you aren’t sure how to start writing your own contract, Avail offers lawyer-reviewed and state-specific rental lease agreement templates that include locally-required clauses, disclosures, and attachments. You can also add lease amendments to an existing lease to ensure you’re always protected during the lease term.
4. Communicate Well
Clear expectations are ideal, but effective communication is necessary for healthy landlord-tenant relationships. One key to communicating well is giving your tenant flexible means of reaching you. Sharing a contact telephone number and email address can give your tenants the confidence to ask for clarification rather than incorrectly assuming because you’re difficult to reach.
Effective communication between landlords and tenants may call for understanding. Taking the time to clarify information for your tenant can build trust and rapport, leading to a healthy relationship.
5. Offer Convenient Solutions
A convenient solution for your tenant’s pain points is bound to be appreciated. Finding the ideal tool for the job may help improve your relationship with your tenants.
For example, consider using a rent collection app like Avail rather than requesting a mailed paper check to collect rent. Tenants can schedule upcoming payments, report on-time rent payments to a credit bureau, split rent with roommates, and receive automated rent reminders.
Additionally, landlords can seamlessly manage maintenance requests with the Avail maintenance tracker. Tenants can submit tickets through their account, while photo sharing and in-app messaging can help you understand the issue without needing to visit the property. Once the situation is resolved, mark the ticket accordingly so your tenant can quickly know the status of the ticket.
6. Stay Organized
Tenants will appreciate a reliable landlord, and one way to show this is to stay organized. Staying organized is essential to managing your rental properties and will help you be a great landlord to tenants. That’s why you should keep your rental resources in one convenient place.
With free property management software like Avail, you can easily manage multiple aspects of your rental business. Landlords and tenants can access the lease agreement online to easily review rules and expectations. Landlords can also easily view open maintenance tickets and confirm whether a tenant is late on rent or not.
Responding to your tenants’ inquiries promptly and accurately reflects well on you as a landlord, so prioritize staying organized.
7. Be Professional
Being professional can help build a sense of respect between yourself and your tenants. Your rental business is just that — a business. Conducting yourself professionally is integral to your success, and your tenants are likely to return the courtesy if they feel the respect and professionalism you offer them.
Professionalism comes in many forms. Some basic steps include using appropriate language when speaking to tenants, responding to issues as soon as they’re reported, and avoiding unannounced visits. Additionally, staying aware of local landlord-tenant laws can improve your tenants’ renting experience since they won’t have to stress about potential legal issues.
Improve Landlord-Tenant Relationships With Avail
Your rental business can thrive by developing a solid and healthy landlord-tenant relationship. With Avail, landlords can effortlessly screen tenants, collect rent, manage maintenance requests, and much more in one online platform.
Position yourself to offer your tenants a smooth and stress-free renting experience by logging in or creating an account today.
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Renters can renew their lease or let landlords know if they plan on moving somewhere else with a non-renewal lease letter. Landlords can also provide this document if they do not plan on offering lease renewal options and want to notify the renter.
In both instances, either party can provide notice not to renew an existing lease to ensure the property is vacant by the lease expiration date with minimal hiccups.
Keep reading to learn more about how to write a non-renewal of lease letter and save on application fees as a renter as you begin your apartment search.
What Is a Non-Renewal Lease Letter?
A non-renewal lease letter states if the landlord or renter does not plan to renew the lease for another term. Most states require renters to notify their landlord on their plan to not renew their lease within a certain timeframe, typically 90 to 120 days before the lease ends, but this varies depending on your state. The same timeline can also apply to landlords, but refer to local landlord-tenant laws to confirm.
When a renter shares their plans to not renew through email or text, some landlords send a non-renewal lease letter for both parties to sign. However, suppose a renter submits a non-renewal lease letter. In that case, the landlord can send an additional document to request a forwarding address from the renter, their reason for moving (if desired), and acknowledgment that they’re responsible for property damage-related costs.
Why Should You Draft a Lease Non-Renewal?
Although non-renewal notices do not release renters from having to pay rent for the remaining months of a lease, most landlords require a move-out notice to plan for the next steps once the term ends.
It’s also important to note that renters must notify the landlord of their plan not to renew by the required timeframe stated in the lease agreement. Failing to do so can result in expensive fees, landing in a month-to-month agreement with a higher monthly rent, or extending the lease for another term.
For landlords, failing to notify the renter of plans not to renew can result in the tenant being able to stay for one to three months more or the renter recovering one month’s rent.
How to Write a Non-Renewal of Lease Letter
Landlords that created a lease agreement through Avail will have the option to ask renters through the platform if they plan on renewing their lease. Our system will notify you if your renters do not plan to renew the lease so you can begin the apartment turnover process.
Non-Renewal Lease Letter Sample
The overall format of the non-renewal lease letter should be altered to reflect whether it’ll be sent to a landlord or renter. If the letter is for a landlord, you’ll mainly need to provide when you plan on moving out and a forwarding address. For landlords sending the letter to renters, let them know what steps they need to complete before moving out (i.e., returning keys, canceling utilities, providing a forwarding address.
“Dear [TENANT/LANDLORD],
I’m writing to inform you that your current lease for the property located at [ADDRESS] will not be renewed for another lease term. This note should serve as my (length appropriate) notice of non-renewal. Your lease will expire on [LEASE EXPIRATION DATE], which means the property should be fully vacated by that day.
As stated in the lease agreement, the property should be returned in the same condition upon move-in (with the exception of normal wear and tear). Please provide a forwarding address prior to moving out, return all keys and key fobs, cancel your internet services, and your electricity service by the lease expiration date.
If you would like to schedule a rental property walk-through inspection to access property damage and potential cleaning charges, please let me know a time and date that works best for you.
Thank you for choosing our rental property as your home. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Best,
[YOUR NAME]”
Save on Application Fees With Avail
Submitting a notice to not renew a lease can be helpful for landlords and renters to ensure everyone is aware of what to do once the lease ends. If you’re a renter and beginning your search to find your next rental, create an Avail Renter Profile to save on application fees, limit credit checks when applying, and control your personal information. Once you’re no longer interested in a rental, you can access to your profile right away.
For landlords ready to begin the apartment turnover process, Avail can make it easy to find your next tenant with rental listings, comprehensive tenant screening, lawyer-reviewed lease agreements, and more.
Create an account to get started today.
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If you’ve purchased a rental that already has tenants living on the property, establishing contact with them should be a top priority. An easy way to do this is by sending a letter introducing you as the new landlord and communicating any changes you plan to implement to your tenants.
We outline how to create your own new landlord introduction letter template and offer a free PDF download.
Why Send a Landlord Introduction Letter?
There are several reasons why sending an introduction letter shouldn’t be neglected. For one, it’s an easy way to update your tenants about the property ownership transition and highlight what your expectations are as the new landlord. Your tenants will also know where and how to reach you if they have any questions or issues by sharing your contact details.
In addition to being an effective way of opening a communication channel, a new landlord introduction letter can establish rapport with your tenants immediately and help ease the challenges that often come with a change of ownership.
What to Include in a New Landlord Introduction Letter
When sending your letter, include specific details that are important to your tenants. Here’s a list of points to touch on:
1. Your Contact Information
Include your contact information, so your tenants know how to contact you via phone or email in case they have maintenance issues or rent-related concerns. Doing so can let your tenants know you’re available to help them when necessary. Feel free to specify your preferred contact method if one method works best for you.
2. Confirm the Lease Details
Once you take over the rental, your tenants will likely wonder if you’ll make any changes to their lease agreement. To address this, you can communicate any upcoming changes with dates on when they’ll be implemented so the proper expectations are set.
3. Changes to the Rent Collection Process
Ensure the tenants are aware of how you prefer to collect rent, whether with a standard payment platform or rent collection app like Avail. If you intend to change how rent payments are currently collected, consider sharing some positive points and advantages of your chosen method.
This can help make the transition smoother, especially if your tenants have grown used to the previous process. With Avail, tenants can schedule payments with Autopay, split costs with roommates, and report on-time rent payments with CreditBoost.
4. How to Submit Maintenance Requests
Property maintenance is integral to being a landlord, and maintenance requests can arise when least expected. To avoid any delay in resolving issues, you can detail how you’d like them to escalate maintenance requests within your landlord introduction letter.
If you handle repairs and maintenance tasks yourself, then consider including an estimated response time so your tenants are aware of how maintenance will be handled. If you have an independent contractor that you prefer to work with, you can name them in this letter so your tenants know who to expect for repairs.
5. When You’ll Perform an Inspection
In addition to noting how to submit maintenance requests, your introduction letter can be a great way to advise your tenants when you plan to inspect the property. Generally, landlords perform an inspection to see the current condition of the property to determine if any repairs need to be made.
Since tenants currently reside in the rental, you’ll need to let them know when you plan on performing an inspection. Some states also require landlords to notify tenants of the inspection by a specific timeframe, so refer to your local landlord-tenant laws to see if this applies to you.
6. State-Specific Legal Steps (If Applicable)
Depending on where you live, local ordinances may require you to complete certain steps once you’re the official owner of the rental property. In your letter, mention what those steps are (if applicable) so the tenants are aware of what needs to be completed to transition the lease agreement to you from the previous owner.
By identifying these necessary legal steps in your landlord introduction letter, you’ll give yourself and your tenants ample time to plan for whatever is required by local ordinances.
New Landlord Introduction Letter Sample
An introduction letter is your opportunity to make a shining first impression on your newly-acquired tenants. It should show that you’re friendly and approachable while establishing the guidelines and expectations you wish to set.
To give you an idea of how it can look, here’s a new landlord introduction letter template:
“From
Date:
Name(s):
For Address:
Dear _____________________,
I would like to introduce myself as the [LANDLORD/PROPERTY MANAGER] of [ADDRESS]. It’s my pleasure to work with you to ensure a smooth ownership transition.
I have been made aware of the details of your lease and would like to assure you that all original lease terms will remain in effect for the duration of your contract. Your monthly rent of [RENT AMOUNT] will be due on the [RENT DUE DATE] of the month. However, please be prepared to send all rent payments via [PREFERRED COLLECTION METHOD] to [PREFERRED LOCATION] moving forward.
You may call or text me directly at [CONTACT PHONE NUMBER] for maintenance requests. Please allow [TIMEFRAME] for a response. For non-urgent needs, you can also reach out at [ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFO].
I would like to inspect the property and address any minor concerns that you may have. I will reach out within the next few days to coordinate a convenient time to complete this step. During this time, we can discuss any further questions that arise.
I look forward to managing this property and providing you with a safe and enjoyable living experience. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
[YOUR SIGNATURE]”
What If You Want the Current Tenants to Move Out?
There may be instances where the current tenants want to stay, despite you wanting to end the existing lease. In those situations, it’s crucial to refer to your local landlord-tenant laws on this topic to determine what to do next. In some states, tenants may reserve the right to continue with the terms in fixed-term leases until the specified end date.
On the other hand, short-term leases like a month-to-month lease, typically have fewer protections. Still, it would be best if you give your tenants enough time to plan accordingly and communicate this in your introduction letter. If you want them to move out once the lease ends, you may need to provide them with a Non-Renewal Notice that informs them of when they need to move out.
Make Rental Property Management Easier With Avail
Whether you’re preparing to manage your very first property or a seasoned landlord looking to broaden your portfolio, Avail provides several resources to help you along the way. Advertise your rental, screen tenants, access lawyer-reviewed leases, manage rental property accounting, and more in one place.
Create an account today or log in to make managing your rental easier with Avail.
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A common fear for all landlords is rocking the boat with a loyal tenant by asking for a rent increase when it comes time to renew their lease. But increasing property costs can quickly diminish your investment returns, forcing you to increase your profits.
Factors such as market values in the area, vacancy rates, and if your tenant can pay more all play into whether or not you should increase the property’s monthly rent. It’s important to weigh these factors before sending your tenant a rent increase notice, especially if it may be a dealbreaker for the tenant.
So the question remains; how do you successfully raise your rent without losing tenants? We’ve broken down the rent increase process into five steps to keep it simple for landlords facing this dilemma.
5 Steps to Successfully Raising Rent and Keeping Your Tenants
1. Check Your Local Rental Laws
Before you consider raising the rent when renewing a lease, it’s smart to know your local rental laws. Both state and local laws vary in terms of raising rent, with some areas prohibiting rent increases altogether while other cities have rental caps that stop landlords from raising it past a certain percentage or dollar amount.
Check the rent increase laws for your state.
2. Make Rent Increases an Aspect of Your Lease
If you live in a place where you can raise the rent, then your tenants are probably expecting you to do so each year. However, you still want to make this increase known by including it in the original lease to avoid blindsiding your tenants.
The original lease should include information about the increase, such as what percentage of the rent will be increased each year or what the dollar amount will be. Also, remember to include any information regarding when the tenant needs to give notice as to whether or not they are planning on renewing the lease so you both have time to prepare for the next steps. You can use a customizable lease template to outline each aspect of the rent increase process.
3. Determine How Much You Can Increase Rent
Figuring out how much to ask for in a rent increase will depend on the market value of similar units in the area. Do some research and compile a list of the rent from available units within your property’s neighborhood and use those prices to determine your new monthly cost. For example, if the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment with similar amenities is $1,600, it wouldn’t be a good idea to raise your rent to $1,900.
Then consider vacancy rates. Do you see many units similar to yours left empty in surrounding properties? Have you had issues with finding new tenants in your other units? Or is your rental in a very popular area with constant demand? Knowing whether your tenant may easily find another rental after you increase the rent will help you determine if it’s worth it or not.
It’s also important to keep in mind that just because similar rentals in your area are renting for a certain amount, that doesn’t mean you can raise the rent dramatically to match them. While rent can be increased substantially when you’re finding new tenants, no current tenant is going to accept a dramatic rent increase.
A normal rent increase would be anywhere between 3% to 5%, but that depends on your situation, local rental laws, and the current rent.
Find out how your rental compares to those nearby to determine a reasonable rent increase.
4. Make Upgrades to the Rental and Stay on Top of Maintenance Needs
If you’ve made significant upgrades to your rental property while your current tenants were living in it, you may have a good reason to adjust your rent price to reflect these upgrades. On the other hand, if you’ve neglected repairs and maintenance requests from your tenants, you probably don’t have much ground to stand on when asking for a rent increase.
If you decide to increase the rent, you can give your current tenants more incentive to renew by upgrading some older appliances or making other updates to the property that they’ve asked for. Similarly, it’s possible that your tenants will ask for specific upgrades to be made before they agree to a lease renewal and rent increase.
5. Notify Your Tenants
After you’ve decided how much you want to raise the rent, it’s time to notify your tenants. This should be done 45 to 60 days before the lease termination date.
Because a landlord’s best-case scenario is to successfully raise the rent while maintaining a good relationship with their tenants, you will want to have an idea of what you’re comfortable with compromising on in order to keep your tenant comfortable with the increase. Such compromises might include repainting the apartment, changing out older appliances, offering up complimentary parking or other, lower-cost concessions.
Once you’ve come to an agreement on the increase in rent, be sure to offer a signed and dated “rent increase notice” to your tenants for your own record keeping. This is a good practice prior to renewing any lease.
Determine Your Rent Price With Ease
At the end of the day, tenants who like their landlords will renew their leases. If you’re responsive, easy to work with, and make the rental process simple for your tenants, they’ll be inclined to continue renting with you.
For help setting a rent price, you can invest in an Avail Rent Analysis report to get local rental comps, rent price benchmarks, and more in minutes. This six-page report provides helpful information that can make it easier to know how much to charge in rent. Create an account or log in to purchase a report today.
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Finding (and keeping) good tenants is an important part of maintaining cash flow as a landlord. But even the best tenants might end up leaving if you don’t make an effort to maintain positive tenant relations. That’s right: Tenant retention depends in large part on how you set the stage for your relationship with tenants.
As it turns out, communication is a huge part of maintaining a positive relationship with your tenants. In fact, a failure to respond quickly to tenant requests is the number one reason tenants give for being unhappy with their landlord: 35% of renters who report being unhappy say the reason for their dissatisfaction is that the landlord doesn’t respond to requests fast enough.
That can be frustrating to hear, especially when your response time expectations don’t line up with your tenants’ expectations. But regardless of whether you’re on the same page, these four tips can help you maintain excellent tenant relations and boost your tenant retention rate.
1. Agree on Communication Preferences and Respond in a Timely Manner
People are used to communicating through various channels — texting, phone calls, emails, and apps. And while our tenant survey found that texting is the most popular method for communicating with landlords, only 48% of tenants consider it best, which is fewer than half of tenants. Another 28% like email, 13% prefer phone calls, and 10% like in-person conversations.
To outline best methods for communication, it’s a good idea to include communication preferences or guidelines in your welcome letter to tenants. Here’s an example:
To ensure the fastest possible response, please use the following communication channels for the given scenarios:
- Phone calls to report urgent information (e.g., water gushing out of a pipe).
- Text to ask non-urgent questions, especially late at night.
- Email to communicate information that multiple parties need to know.
- Avail portal to submit maintenance tickets or request changes to your lease.
It’s also a good idea to talk through your preferences with your tenant in person so they can ask questions about how you’d prefer various situations be communicated.
However, once you find out which communication method your tenant prefers, be sure to stick to that one to avoid confusion. It’s also essential that you respond to tenant requests in a timely manner. As outlined above, poor response times (or a lack of response) will damage your tenant retention success.
2. Set Up a System for Tracking Maintenance Requests
If you’re hoping to boost your tenant retention rates, look no further than your maintenance system. The No. 2 reason tenants cite for not renewing a lease is that the property isn’t well maintained — roughly 12% of tenants report moving for this reason.
Responding to and dealing with maintenance requests for your property is crucial if you want to keep tenants happy and maintain the value of your property. Avail offers a maintenance tracking tool to make the process of reporting issues and tracking their repair easy and transparent for both you and your tenants.
Tenants can submit maintenance requests with photos and details at any time from their account. You can respond, keep them updated on repair progress, and log finalized receipts and notes of the repair that took place for your records.
3. Let Tenants Pay Their Rent Online
Allowing your tenants to pay their rent online using a method of their choice makes the rent payment process easier and more beneficial for them. Mailing checks is a hassle, and tenants miss out on perks like credit card points or boosting their credit scores through rent payments when you collect rent checks.
Platforms like Avail allow tenants to pay their rent with a bank account, debit card, or credit card. Rent payments can be set up in advance and automated through Autopay, and Avail sends both rent reminders and rent receipts so both parties have a record of what’s been paid.
Plus, tenants can boost their credit scores by paying rent on time through CreditBoost — an added perk that helps them improve their financial health while renting.
4. Offer Lease Renewal Incentives
If you have great tenants in your property, offering incentives for them to renew their lease can be a helpful way to encourage them to stay. Offering to maintain the current rent rate, agreeing to make certain updates to the unit, or even waiving certain fees (like parking) or discounting a month of rent can help incentivize tenants to stay in your property.
Of course, any invectives offered should make sense for your property financially and should be weighed against the potential cost of finding new tenants and the possibility of a rental vacancy. If you do decide to offer incentives and a lease renewal to tenants, make sure that the incentives are outlined in the new lease and agreed to by both parties.
Retain Your Tenants With Avail
The key to tenant retention is being a communicative and responsive landlord who makes the renting process easy. Avail offers tools to simplify every step of the rental process, from digital rental applications and leases to online rent collection and maintenance tracking. Plus, Avail offers tools that make renting better for tenants, like easy online rent payments and the ability to boost their credit scores by paying rent.
Avail is free for unlimited units. Create an account today or log in to get started.
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Keeping the lines of communication open is one of the most important things you can do as a landlord – and the good news is, there’s no one way to do it right.
Preferred Communication Methods
Overall, tenants in our survey preferred the following communication channels with their landlords (Figure 7):
- Text: 48%
- Email: 28%
- Phone calls: 13%
- In-person conversations: 10%
Those preferences are pretty consistent among all age groups except renters who are 55 or older. This group is more likely to prefer talking on the phone (22%) and less likely to prefer texting (37%).
Communication Through Property Management Platforms
If you use a property management platform like Avail, you can even communicate within the software (as with the maintenance tickets we mentioned earlier). And there’s no reason you have to keep to just one communication method, either. Feel free to supplement regular texts and emails with occasional in-person check-ins, for example.
Here’s how Walbye handles it: “We do inspections at least once a year, and we meet plumbers and handymen at the units when maintenance is required,” she tells us. “This gives us a chance to see how the unit is being treated and check in with the tenants.”
That’s a great example of how keeping communication lines open can benefit property owners. There are many more. Generally, though, it’s important to understand why communication matters so much in this relationship. Think of yourself and your tenant as co-stewards of your space. It’s in both of your best interests to keep it in good shape, address maintenance issues early, and know how to reach each other in case of an emergency.
If you often find yourself frustrated with tenants (or other people in your life), you may be able to improve your outcomes by adopting some of these habits of great communicators.
In this Guide
- Chapter 1: The Importance of Maintaining Your Rental Property
- Chapter 2: Advertise Your Rental Property The Right Way
- Chapter 3: Screening for Good Tenants: Lease Renewal Factors
- Chapter 5: Perks to Allowing Pets in Your Rental Property
- Chapter 6: Update Your Rental Property Strategically
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I hadn’t expected a busy day, and I certainly hadn’t expected a call from one of the tenants in my three-flat building in Chicago with the news that the furnace wasn’t working. Despite it being April, it was only 10 degrees outside — this wasn’t an issue that could wait.
To be honest, I’m not sure that I ever thought about how a furnace could just stop working, changing the direction of any given day. But it can. And that unpredictability comes with the territory when you become a landlord.
As I stood by the technician working on a fix, my tenant still wearing the coat she’d slept in, I considered how there are some things I wish I’d known before buying my first rental property.
With that in mind, I thought I’d share six of my biggest lessons-learned, in the hopes that you’ll find them helpful as you embark on the journey of becoming a first-time landlord.
Lesson 1: You have a tremendous impact on your tenants’ quality of life.
When the call came through about the faulty furnace, I knew I’d need to act quickly, getting space heaters set up to prevent the pipes from freezing and causing further damage. But more immediately, I knew I needed to do whatever I could to take care of my tenant.
Low temperatures aren’t just uncomfortable, they’re dangerous. It was up to me to make sure my tenant, who was just trying to go about her day, didn’t freeze to death.
As a property manager, caring for the building is your responsibility and so is caring for the people living in it. Doing that to the best of my ability not only allows my tenants to sleep better, it gives me peace of mind too.
Lesson 2: Combatting wear-and-tear and general depreciation of the building is a constant battle.
Rental property is an investment. But with age, as well as the wear and tear from tenants and moves, it’s generally a depreciating asset.
Knowing when a band-aid solution will do the trick or if it’s time to invest in a more expensive fix isn’t easy, and the decisions never stop.
But keeping up with maintenance and repairs can actually extend the life of your appliances, limit the need for expensive overhauls and set the tone for tenants that you work hard to keep the building in great shape and they should, too.
The preventative maintenance routine I follow for my units involves scheduling a technician to check the furnace and A/C system every quarter, replacing air filters every two months, and constant monitoring of bathrooms for excess moisture or mold issues, as well as general pest control.
Don’t underestimate the impact of your efforts on your tenants, either. People are less careful around cars that already have dings and dents, which means once you get one, you’re likely to get more. The same principle applies to rental property. If you don’t make the effort to keep your units in great shape, your tenants won’t either.
What counts as normal wear-and-tear? Determine if it’s time to upgrade your rental to fix damages and keep quality tenants.
Lesson 3: Some aspects of managing a rental are out of your control and you have to plan for that.
You can’t always control the timing of expenses, but you can try to plan ahead with a capital life inventory. Mine is a spreadsheet where I log costs and track the estimated remaining lifespan of appliances. For the A/C unit, for example, I’ll log when it was purchased, how much it cost, the expected lifespan, and the maintenance steps I’ve taken to keep it in shape — like replacing its filters. That keeps upcoming costs on my radar and limits surprises.
Other things you can’t anticipate, like when a pipe burst in one of my units last year and caused flooding damage, or when property taxes go up.
The only way to prepare for those costs is by keeping a healthy contingency fund. Setting aside 35-50 percent of the monthly rent for operating costs is typically a good range. You might go toward the lower end if it’s a newer building that’s well maintained, or shift to the higher end if it’s an older building with lots of deferred maintenance costs.
Use this preventative maintenance checklist to help predict rental maintenance costs.
Lesson 4: Tenant expectations are high — and they expect you to handle everything.
If there’s a minor issue in one of my units, it usually starts with an email. If they don’t hear from me right away, I’ll get a follow-up text within an hour and within the day, I’ll get a call.
I expected that with bigger issues, but I underestimated the difference in my tenants’ and my perception of what’s a concern that needs my attention versus an issue they could solve themselves. Even issues they caused — like a clogged drain that resulted from removing the hair catcher I had in place — are things they call me to handle, ideally that same day.
Keep in mind that while some issues may seem trivial to you, they’re important to the tenants that call your unit home.
Check to see who’s responsible for repairs and who should pay.
Lesson 5: Raising rent might actually cost you money.
Any time you raise the rent by any amount, you create an inflection point for the tenant where they begin thinking, “should I stay, or should I leave?” Even if they’re happy and planned to renew, this new variable may make them reconsider. Almost every time I’m renewing a lease and I suggest raising the rent, even by just $50 a month, the tenant ends up moving out.
The cost of tenant turnover — in terms of actual dollars, hours and risk — is so much higher than that extra $50 a month, that it’s not worth it.
Renewing your existing tenant for another year means you don’t have to spend another 20-30 hours in the span of a month soliciting new tenants, doing showings, reviewing paperwork and drafting leases. Plus, every time you raise the rent you narrow your potential tenant pool, meaning it takes just a little bit longer to fill the vacant unit than before.
Skipping the rent hike in favor of renewal also means you don’t have to spend money to repaint or change the locks, and you save your unit from the physical toll of another move-out/move-in cycle.
Make sure you can justify raising the rent before you risk losing tenants.
Lesson 6: It’s the second month’s rent that matters the most.
To secure the lease, your tenant will pay the first month’s rent well in advance of moving in. The real test of the reliability of a tenant then is the second month’s check. If that payment arrives on time, there’s a better chance they pay every month’s rent on time.
To help improve the odds, give your tenants multiple avenues to make payments, including online. Nothing slows down a check like requiring your tenant to jump through hoops to get it to you.
Find out how online rent collection can encourage on-time payments.
Use Landlord Software to Help You With Every Step of Being a Landlord
Owning rental property is an investment, but it’s more than just monetary. You’re investing your time, energy, and emotion into the business, too. Take the time to think through what that will mean for your life before you commit. If you’re up to the challenge, it can be a rewarding way to build your wealth while providing a good home to others.
Becoming an independent landlord doesn’t mean you have to do it alone, though. Platforms like Avail assist with every stage of the rental cycle — including listing your rental property online, screening tenants, drafting state-specific leases, collecting rent online, and managing property maintenance. Plus, Avail is free for unlimited units.
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No matter how thorough and consistent you are with preventative maintenance, landlord repair responsibilities are tasks you should plan to handle throughout the year. When things go wrong and need to be repaired, there is a lot for you as a landlord to think about. Who needs to fix it? How involved should you be? How fast are you required to fix problems?
These questions are not always black and white, but here are some guidelines that will help you make quicker decisions as you handle maintenance requests.
What Is a Landlord Responsible for Repairing in a Rental Property?
The following is a list of repairs that you as a landlord are likely responsible for and should plan to respond to if they become a problem in your property.
1. Property Needs to Meet Local Health and Building Codes
Hopefully, this has been resolved prior to anyone living in the space, but if this issue is brought up by a tenant you’ll be responsible to verify everything is up to code. If, for some reason, the property does not meet local codes, you’ll need to make the repairs immediately.
2. Visible Mold
If any visible mold is found in the space, because something like water damage or a leak, you’ll be responsible for repairing and eliminating it. However, if visible mold is found and it’s clearly due to negligence or failure to keep the property clean by the tenant, then the tenant would likely be responsible.
3. Pests
If your tenant discovers a pest issue, you’ll need to resolve it as quickly as possible. Make sure you’re conducting regular preventative maintenance to stay on top of any potential pest issues.
4. Changing Locks
When a new tenant signs a lease for your property, most states require changing the locks so the new tenant knows they are the only one with the key for their place. As the landlord, it’s your responsibility to make this change. If you don’t change the locks, a new tenant is in their legal right to request that you do.
5. Heat, Electric, Hot and Cold Water
As a landlord, you are responsible for ensuring your property has heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer (if your unit has air conditioning), and hot and cold water.
If these systems break down or fail to function, you will be responsible for getting them back to working order. Many cities have very specific time frames in which you must make these repairs, so always consult your local landlord-tenant law to make sure you’re abiding by them.
6. Structural Integrity and Weather Protected
Part of providing a “habitable space” means ensuring the structural integrity of the property and making sure there are no major cracks, broken windows or doors, or any other damage that would create an unsafe and uninhabitable living condition for the tenant.
Similarly, you’ll need to ensure the property is secured and weather-protected — any leaks or places where water is able to come into the living space will need to be repaired by the landlord.
How Long Does a Landlord Have to Make Repairs?
When a request comes in, you’ll first have to assess the urgency of the situation. For matters that make the space uninhabitable, most states require a 24-hour response. Examples of this would be a major leak or a broken heater.
For less urgent requests, a 48-hour window is sufficient, although a landlord should prioritize proactive communication to let the tenant know what to expect and that you are taking control of the situation. The faster you’re able to respond to and fix issues, the better your relationship with your tenant will be.
What Is a Tenant Responsible for Repairing in a Rental Property?
Just like landlords have some clear-cut directives on maintenance issues they are responsible for, tenants also are required to stay on top of certain items. For the nitty-gritty details, you should refer to your lease agreement, but the following are responsibilities every tenant is expected to maintain.
1. Regularly Discarding Trash
This is self-explanatory, but trash left for long periods of time invites a lot of other problems. Trash invites mold, pests, and smells you do not want in your property.
Make sure tenants know they are responsible for taking out the trash regularly and make it as clear as possible where the trash needs to go. We recommend highlighting these details in a tenant welcome letter when your tenants move into the property. You can view our sample tenant welcome letter here.
2. Damage Caused by the Tenant or Their Guests
If your property gets damaged by a tenant (like a hole in the wall), it will need to be repaired, and the tenant will likely be responsible. In a perfect world, they will report the issue to you so you can inspect and bring in a professional if necessary.
If the tenant volunteers to repair themselves, you’ll want to inspect and make sure it’s up to the standards for your property.
3. Issues Due to Misuse of Property Per the Lease Agreement
If your tenants have done anything violating their lease agreement that needs painting, repairs, or additional cleaning, they would be responsible for repairing that damage.
Common examples of this would be if they are smoking in the property and it leaves stains or smells. Similarly, if your lease agreement says no pets, but they’ve had a pet, the tenant would be responsible for cleaning costs associated with the pet.
4. Timely Reporting of Any Maintenance Issues
As a landlord, you need to make sure your tenants know that they must report all maintenance issues as soon as possible. An issue left alone for a long period of time will only get worse.
The best way to encourage tenants to report all maintenance issues in a timely manner is by making it very easy for them to do so. Make sure you have a clear and simple process for reporting any maintenance or necessary repairs, and make sure you are responsive to all requests. If you don’t respond, you can’t expect the tenant to alert you in a timely manner.
Do Landlords or Tenants Pay Maintenance Fees and Repair Costs?
If the landlord is responsible for making the repair, then they should pay for the repair. Likewise, if the tenant caused the damage and is responsible, then the tenant will need to pay, unless some other agreement is worked out.
Refer to Your Lease Agreement When Uncertain About Repairs
The lease agreement should provide answers for any questions or gray areas concerning maintenance. That’s why it’s important that you and your tenant both have access to the signed lease agreement, and that your lease agreement is comprehensive enough to address things like maintenance and repairs.
Each state has specific landlord-tenant laws related to maintenance, so it’s important that your lease is state-specific and that you know your local ordinances.
Make It Easy for Your Tenant to Report Maintenance Issues
One of the core responsibilities of a tenant is to report issues as they arise so they can be handled promptly. And as a landlord, it is essential that you make it as easy as possible for your tenants to communicate maintenance requests.
With Avail maintenance tracking, tenants can quickly and easily communicate with their landlords about repairs and maintenance issues. Tenants can document the issue, upload photos, and message with their landlords from their accounts. Landlords can respond to the requests, provide maintenance progress, and keep track of all repairs and expenses.
Once you have an effective and easy-to-use platform for managing maintenance, learn how to best handle any maintenance requests.
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We live in a divisive time.
Political tensions are high, protests happen daily, and social media tends to be a generally angry place.
Don’t worry – we’re not going there in this article.
In fact, we want to do our part to help us all just get along better.
Landlords and tenants. It should be a win-win relationship. Landlords have property they want to fill. Tenants want a nice place to live.
In a perfect world, everybody is happy!
But we know that this is not a perfect world. Because of that, sometimes landlords and tenants find themselves at odds with each other. In a dispute, nobody wins.
So today, we want to walk through 5 things landlords can do to avoid landlord-tenant disputes.
1. Screen Tenants
Landlord-tenant disputes can arise from many different sets of circumstances. Many of them, though can be avoided if you have tenants who are thoughtful, grateful, and responsible for making payments.
As a property owner and landlord, you have the ability to learn about the background of those who rent with you. With a quality tenant screening process, you can find out criminal reports, credit reports, and enough to give you a sense of their track record with creditors in the past.
Screening is no guarantee that everything will be smooth, but to start out, you can make sure and do your homework before handing over the keys.
2. Market Your Property and Fill Your Space on Your Terms
Let’s be honest for a second. When cash is tight, nobody makes good decisions. If you have a property you need to fill with a tenant and you are not getting much interest, it makes you more likely to settle.
Even if you are screening well, it can be tough to let the property sit open and turn down the cash from a willing renter.
Good marketing will keep a steady flow of leads so you can be selective in who you work with.
We break down how to find tenants in this guide, but for now – remember these 3 tips.
- Focus on your writing – particularly the headline
- Take great photos – make the space big and bright
- Distribute your listings – take advantage of the many real estate websites
Take proactive steps in marketing so you can make good decisions. Don’t wait until you are desperate to start looking for tenants.
3. Set Proper Expectations
When you have reached an agreement and are about to have a tenant move in, this is the perfect time for communication. You have their full attention and now is a chance to get the relationship started on the right foot.
What are potential areas for disputes? Typically those will be related to improper use of the property, failure to make timely payments, or a maintenance dispute.
Think through these and address them right from the beginning. You can plant a seed in your tenant’s mind about what won’t be tolerated and it will stick with them.
We recommend a welcome letter to kick things off, make them feel at home and also to give a comprehensive overview of the property and your expectations.
4. Maintain Communication
Just like in a marriage, all relationship issues usually come down to poor communication.
As a landlord, you could be tempted to fall into the trap of focusing on all the different moving parts of managing your properties that you neglect consistent communication with tenants.
Maintenance issues and regular check-ins allow for quick conversations that keep rapport with tenants and allow you to ensure everything is going well.
Many landlords miss an opportunity to build rapport with their tenant during a maintenance request. Landlords understandably view maintenance requests as distractions and let their frustration show.
By using technology for maintenance requests, landlords can simplify the process and communicate confidence to tenants.
This is just one example of keeping the lines of communication open with tenants to reduce friction for potential disputes down the road.
The value here is if there is some small issue starting to appear, it can be addressed while it’s still small. And by maintaining rapport and trust, you increase the chance that your tenant will bring the issue to you, rather than making it into a legal situation.
5. Have a Solid Lease Agreement
No matter how well you screen and communicate, disputes are inevitable. The best thing you can do is make sure you have a solid lease agreement from the beginning.
This agreement is going to be the basis of resolving any issue, so you need to understand what it says.
You can also use the agreement to settle potential issues before they become major by pointing things out to your tenant and gently reminding them.
Ultimately the best landlord-tenant dispute is one that never happens. Do everything in your power to remove any ambiguity and be clear and transparent with tenants.
In the case an issue comes up that can’t be resolved, we have written everything you need to know about landlord-tenant mediation here.
But for now, let’s all just try to get along if we can!
Explore your free Avail account today.
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