December 16, 2024 • 23 mins
Making sure your tenants are happy and satisfied “customers” while living in your rental property is of utmost importance. The benefits of creating great tenant experiences will come back to you as the property and business owner in so many ways.
In this episode we are going over different things you can do to improve the living environment for your tenants. We discuss what tenants want, what they deserve, and how by doing these tasks it will increase your bottom line and make running YOUR rental property business a much more satisfying experience.
LINKS
👉Episode 87: Essential Communication Methods Every Landlord Should Know
👉Episode 39: 50+ Must Ask Questions When Hiring a Property Manager, Part 1
👉 Episode 40: 50+ Must Ask Questions When Hiring a Property Manager, Part 2
👉 Product: Property Manager Questionnaire ($9.99) Over 60 questions for you to ask during an in person interview or to send off in an email for the PM to complete and return back to you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Stacie (00:00):
Okay, you guys, this week we want to talk to you
(00:02):
about the benefits of creating agreat tenant experience.
And we're going to be coveringwhat to do before the tenant
even moves in, dealing withmaintenance requests,
communication, tenant privacy,making sure that your rules are
fair and consistent, incentivesfor renewals, and a few other
(00:24):
little small items that coverwhat you can do on your end to
help your tenant enjoy theirtime living in your unit, as
well as what you get back inreturn when you do these things.
Welcome to your landlordresource podcast many moons ago.
(00:44):
When I started as a landlord, Iwas as green as it gets.
I may have had my real estatelicense, but I lack confidence
in the hands on experienceneeded when it came to dealing
with tenants, leases,maintenance, and bookkeeping.
After many failed attempts, fastforward to today.
Kevin and I have doubled ourdoors and created an organized,
professionally operated rentalproperty business.
(01:06):
Want to go from overwhelmed toconfident?
If you're an ambitious landlordor maybe one in the making, join
us as we provide strategies andteach actionable steps to help
you reach your goals and thelifestyle you desire.
All while building a streamlinedand profitable rental property
business.
This is Your Landlord Resourcepodcast.
(01:29):
Hey there, landlords.
You're listening to the YourLandlord Resource Podcast, where
we are dishing out tips andadvice on owning and operating
rental properties.
I am your host, Stacie Casella,and I'm here with my co host,
business partner, partner inlife, Kevin Kilroy.
Kevin (01:49):
How's it going landlords?
And thanks for you all beinghere today.
Stacie (01:53):
Now you may be an owner who self manages your rental
property or maybe you have aproperty manager or maybe you're
like Kevin and I and you have acombination of the two.
And I'll say that for theproperties that we manage, we do
our damnness to make sure thatour tenants are happy and
satisfied with their experienceof living in and calling our
(02:16):
units their home.
I mean, we absolutely spend moretime on preventative maintenance
for our rentals, you guys, thanwe do our own personal home.
Kevin (02:27):
I, I know what you mean.
I mean, what's that about theshoemakers kids?
Stacie (02:31):
I don't know the whole thing off the top of my head,
but basically the shoemakerskids always had holes in their
shoes, but they
Kevin (02:38):
spent all the time working to repair everybody else
in the village.
Yep.
Stacie (02:42):
Yeah, exactly.
So,
Kevin (02:44):
But here's the bottom line you guys, making sure that
your rental property is alwaysbeing cared for and being
improved upon is what tenantswant.
Now many landlords have thefalse sense that if I just leave
the tenants alone they will behappier because I don't want
them to think i'm being nosy orintrusive.
(03:05):
Yeah, there is a fine linebetween caring for the property
and showing up unannounced what,like on a Saturday evening to
check something.
But guess what?
Tenants have been surveyed and amajority of them want their
landlords to do inspections andperform preventative
maintenance, so that they canhave a more positive and worry
(03:26):
free experience living in theirrental.
I mean, they actually expect it.
And you know why?
Because they believe they'repaying for that as part of their
rent.
Now I realize most renters haveno idea what goes into the
maintenance of a rentalproperty.
That most are renting at anecessity and not by choice.
(03:46):
So they really don't know, youknow, as a property owner, what
needs to be checked on, on aregular basis or updated or
changed to keep that propertyrunning smoothly.
And some people just rent sothey don't have to worry about
stuff like that.
But regardless, renters whochoose to live in our units
should receive regularmaintenance and upkeep, or at
(04:08):
least be guided on how to do itthemselves.
Stacie (04:12):
Okay, you guys, this week we want to talk to you
about the benefits of creating agreat tenant experience.
And we're going to be coveringwhat to do before the tenant
even moves in, dealing withmaintenance requests,
communication, tenant privacy,making sure that your rules are
(04:32):
fair and consistent, incentivesfor renewals, and a few other
little small items that coverwhat you can do on your end to
help your tenant enjoy theirtime living in your unit, as
well as what you get back inreturn when you do these things.
So let's start with before thattenant moves in.
(04:52):
One thing we really emphasizewith landlords and make sure
that we do with our ownproperties is to make sure that
our units are maintained and intop shape maintenance wise.
Before that tenant moves in, weare going over every single
thing that could potentiallygive them issues to make sure
(05:13):
that our new tenants will haveminimal things that they have to
deal with after takingpossession.
We are checking the stove andthe oven to make sure they're
working.
If it's a gas range, we'redouble checking the gas
connection for leaks.
And I say we, but it's reallyour right hand general
contractor named Jim who has apunch list of items to check on
(05:37):
our units during turnover.
So, he's the one who is checkingthe water lines for leaks and
the mechanicals and the HVAC tomake sure that they're working
well.
That the lights and the switchesand the plugs, especially GFIs,
which have a tendency to fail ifthey are used a lot.
Because if the previous tenanthad a bunch of countertop
appliances, like an air fryer,blender, toaster oven, or coffee
(06:01):
maker, you know, you guys getthe point.
Having multiple items plugged incan pull a higher draw, and it
causes those GFIs to failquicker.
At least that's what we've beentold by our electrician.
Kevin (06:13):
Well, it came from our Sacramento electrician, as well
as your cousin who does somework for us here in the Bay
Area.
So, I think we're pretty correctin saying that.
Stacie (06:22):
All right.
Well, I don't want to getcomments saying we're incorrect
by saying that.
So, I'm just trying to cover mybutt a little here.
All right.
But getting back to what we doat turnover.
You guys, it's not rocketscience.
Go through the unit, especiallyif it was occupied for a long
period of time and make sureeverything's in good working
order.
Service your mechanicals if it'sbeen a while.
(06:45):
Clean the gutters.
Change the filters.
And get your rental in tip topshape so it's ready for that
next tenant to come in.
Partially, because you want yourtenant to have a good experience
living in your units, and to behonest, if they have to call you
every month to get somethingfixed, then that decreases the
chance that they're going toenjoy living in your unit.
(07:06):
If you're not aware of this,living in a property that is
well maintained is one of themost top desires of tenants.
They don't want to call you withissues any more than you don't
want to receive that call.
Kevin (07:19):
Which leads me to the next task, and that is, if a
tenant does call you to addressa problem they are having with
your unit, please respondpromptly to their call.
As we always say, communicationis the key, you guys.
If you don't have an answer, letthem know you'll be working on
it.
(07:40):
Keep them up to date when thereare any changes and follow up to
make sure they are satisfiedwith the work completed, and to
make sure everything is okay.
If you are meeting a repairperson out there ask the tenant
if they would like to bepresent.
Now for us most of the time theydon't want to be there and
prefer that we just handle itourselves.
(08:01):
And on that note, I want toremind you not to be a creeper
and be in the unit too much.
I mean this is their home andunless you have a valid reason
to be on the property, justdon't.
Do not enter without approvalunless, of course, it's an
emergency either.
Stacie (08:19):
Right.
All right, I want to go back tocommunication here because, yes,
it's important to make it clearthat you are actively working on
the maintenance issue.
But it's also important tocommunicate well on all aspects
of their tenancy.
You want to clearly explainlease terms, expectations, and
procedures.
Maintaining open lines ofcommunication will allow your
(08:42):
tenant feel comfortable aboutreaching out when they need
clarification or if they have amaintenance request.
And even if that answer to theirquestion is written plain as day
in the lease or is right therein their unit binder notes, I
shouldn't have to say this, bekind, be patient and be
respectful.
If you'd like to learn moreabout what methods of
(09:03):
communication are best for whichrental property situation, check
out episode 87.
I think it's called EssentialCommunication Methods that Every
Landlord Should Know.
You can find it atyourlandlordresource.
com episode 87 and we'll alsolink it in the show notes.
(09:24):
All right, we've gone overmaking sure your property is in
good working order before thetenant moves in, being prompt
when responding to maintenancerequests, having clear
communication.
And now we want to discussrespecting your tenant's
privacy.
And listen, we know you own theproperty.
So does your tenant.
(09:44):
But when you lease your home tosomeone, you sign a contract
giving them the right to livethere, to make your property
their home and live therepeacefully without intrusions.
You guys, we seriously limit ourtime at our properties.
Now, as you know, right now, weonly own multifamily units.
(10:06):
We sold off our last singlefamily home rental this year.
And the difference here is thatyou may find yourself on
property for maintenance issuesmore often given the higher
number of units.
If you own a single family homeunit, unless you have been
notified by the tenant there isan issue and made previous
(10:27):
arrangements to go to theproperty, you need to stay away.
You should not be showing up tocheck on the sprinklers or do
any maintenance to the propertywithout notifying your tenant.
Unless you have a set time andday each week or month to go by
and do stuff like landscaping,you do not show up unannounced.
(10:47):
And even if you have aprearranged time, send them a
quick reminder text so that theyknow you're coming by.
Kevin (10:54):
You, you know, we have some tenants who are very clean
and conscientious about howtheir units look.
We also had others where itseemed like they never cleaned
and the unit was just anabsolute mess whenever we went
in.
But most of our tenants arereally good and especially if
they know we're coming by.
So when we go in and they havecleaned up, we really appreciate
(11:17):
it.
Stacie (11:18):
Right.
And the last thing I want to sayis, you guys need to know about
the law about notifications foryour city, county, or state,
because most are 24 hours, butsome notices are 48 hours in
advance.
Kevin (11:32):
Unless, of course, there is an emergency, like you can
hear the smoke detector goingoff or water is flowing out the
front door, I mean, then you canenter the property without
notice.
But you better be pretty damnsure it's an emergency.
So, we have discussed these indetail before, but make sure you
have fair rules in your leasesthat you are consistent with.
(11:56):
If you have a multi familyrental, and you allow one tenant
to park their motorcycle on thepatio, but tell the others they
can't, that is not fair andconsistent.
If you allow them to pay rentlate without any fees or
penalties once, they will expectit the next time they get into a
bind.
And I hate to say this, buttenants are kind of like kids,
(12:18):
and they need to know the rules,and they need to know that you
enforce them.
You have rules in place for areason, and believe it or not,
your tenants usually do want toplease you.
If you tell them one thing byway of rules or an addendum, and
then you don't enforce it, theywill think that you really don't
(12:38):
care about following any of therules, and will try to take
advantage of you.
Be firm, but fair and overall,please be consistent.
Stacie (12:48):
Yeah.
And again, you guys, none ofthis is rocket science and much
of what we're discussing today,we have talked about on other
episodes.
One being using incentives toget tenants to renew their
leases.
Everyone likes to get somethingfor giving something.
And when you offer a leaserenewal to a tenant, incentivize
it, you know, with somethingthat can benefit your unit.
(13:12):
Something like a unit cleaning,carpet cleaning, or new carpets
if they're really bad.
We have offered new LEDefficient lighting or installed
ceiling fans in the bedrooms aswell.
Basically what we do is we lookat what we have to do by way of
improvements to the unit if thattenant decides to move out.
And then we create a few ofthose items as incentives should
(13:36):
the person renew.
We see landlords giving awayfree rent for renewals all the
time.
Don't do that.
All that does is lower yourrental income and you get
nothing out of it.
When you add new lighting or anew refrigerator, that is
something that you can, one,expense off your taxes as an
improvement.
And two, if you have to put themin to make your unit more
(13:59):
attractive to a potentialapplicant, just do it before so
your current tenant can enjoyit.
Then it's done and when youeventually come up to your next
renewal, if your tenant decidesto move on, that's one less
thing that you're going to haveto deal with.
And guess what?
Tenants love when we give themoptions.
(14:19):
It's like a bonus they didn'texpect and they get to pick
what's best for them.
Kevin (14:24):
That was a piece of advice that was given to us, I
mean, many, many years ago andit's paid us back in droves with
renewals and happy tenants.
Stacie (14:34):
We remember when we told our property manager back in
Idaho that we wanted to do thatand they had a hard time
wrapping their head around theconcept.
Kevin (14:41):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it was really the concept
they had trouble with, more justhow to implement it as it's not
something they do for otherowners in our complex.
And we did do an episode onrenewal incentives.
You can check it out atyourlandlordresource.
com episode2.
And as always, it'll be in theshow notes.
Stacie (15:04):
Yeah.
You know what?
That was the very first subjectthat we ever talked about.
Kevin (15:09):
Yeah, I guess that makes sense, cause episode one was
about who we are and why westarted Your Landlord Resource.
So, that shows you how importantrenewal incentives are for
landlords to know about.
Okay, one more small detail togo over.
Consider checking in with yourtenant from time to time and
making sure all is going well.
(15:30):
I mean, often we do inspectionstwice a year, so we don't
usually need to check in asoften.
If you're only doing inspectionsonce a year, maybe check in one
or two other times to see ifthere is anything that needs
attention.
Because sometimes people arebusy and they keep saying, Oh, I
need to let them know that thefaucet is leaking.
(15:50):
But it's not a huge deal tothem, so they put it off.
But as we've said before, smallproblems can lead to bigger ones
down the line.
Another way to check in is tolet them know you're thinking of
them.
I mean, usually we send outbirthday cards, sometimes with
the gift certificate to a localdeli or coffee shop, not much,
(16:12):
maybe like 15 bucks.
And we also send a littlesomething during the holidays.
Again, it can be as simple assome homemade baked goods or
gift certificate for a turkey orlike us, we send them a gift
card to go have a nice meal at amom and pop restaurant.
We like to support smallbusinesses when we can.
(16:33):
But honestly in Idaho, we have afamily living in one of our
units and they do seem to bestruggling a little bit this
time of year.
So we did a nice gift card fromWalmart.
Last year we did Target and theyear before I think we did a
local grocery store.
So consider what you think yourtenants would enjoy, and if it's
(16:53):
affordable to you send them anice holiday gift.
Now I want to follow that upwith you can deduct up to$25 per
tenant as a goodwill expenseagainst your income taxes.
So don't go crazy here, but ifyou have a family living in your
unit with both parents on thelease you can spend up to$50.
(17:16):
I mean, that's at least the waywe read it because per the IRS,
it is one gift per person forbusiness gifts.
So if you want to give them$50in gift cards, maybe buy two$25
cards, so you can say it was oneper tenant in the unit.
Stacie (17:35):
Yeah.
Well, I'm sure if we're wrong,someone's going to call us out
on it, but I will say we do haveAmanda Hahn slated to be a guest
on the podcast in 2025.
So, we should actually start alist of questions for her so we
can make sure that we haveclarification on these things.
Kevin (17:51):
That is a great idea.
I mean, she's the queen bee CPAfor rental property taxes.
Stacie (17:56):
Yeah, well every once in a while I come up with a good
idea.
All right, you guys These areall the things that a tenant
wants in their landlord.
They want someone who caresabout their unit and their
tenant enough to do inspectionsto keep on top of preventative
maintenance so that the tenantdoesn't have to call you and bug
(18:17):
you or do it themselves.
They also want fair rules thatare consistent with societal
norms.
They want to feel appreciatedwhen they renew their lease,
even with a small rent increase.
And if they complain, listen,acknowledge, and then address
the issue as best you can.
Speak to your tenants withrespect and kindness, and be
(18:39):
compassionate if they call it aproblem that should not be
happening.
Kevin (18:43):
Exactly.
And our final word of advice, ifyou do not think you can handle
these tasks, hire a professionalproperty manager to do it for
you.
I mean, we get it.
There are just some landlordswho get so emotionally involved,
they lose sense of treating therental as a business.
(19:04):
There's also some who don't wantto know their tenants.
They don't want to deal withthem at all.
Just fix it and send me the billkind of situation.
And if that's you great.
Honestly, it's good that youacknowledge that and value your
time enough to hand your rentalmanagement off to someone else.
And if you are not sure how togo about hiring a property
(19:25):
manager check out episodes 39and 40 where we discuss the 50
plus must ask questions whenhiring a property manager.
Start with part one atyourlandlordresource.
com episode 39.
Stacie (19:43):
Yeah, those ones are filled with great information.
You guys, we even created aquestionnaire you can purchase
with all the questions that youshould be asking a property
manager when you interview them.
And we'll link those in the shownotes as well.
So what do you get when yourtenants are happy?
Well, you'll get less calls formaintenance.
(20:05):
Simple things like a cloggedtoilet, you know, they might
just try to handle itthemselves.
Your tenants will pay their renton time, which means you can pay
your bills for the property ontime and it reduces stress big
time for you.
You'll get lease renewals ifthey enjoy living in your unit.
And lease renewals mean noturnover expense, no lost rent,
(20:26):
no having to take time to find anew tenant and hope they're as
good as the last one.
And more often than not, whenyou're fair, you can raise your
rents just so you can remainaround the market rate for your
area.
You will also, usually, getsomeone who respects your unit.
When you care about how yourrental is operated, so does your
(20:47):
tenant.
They feel valued and want tokeep that good mojo going.
So set your tenants up forsuccess by presenting them with
a maintenance free unit, bybeing kind and respectful of
their privacy, have clear linesof communication and a solid
lease with fair rents, and youshould do just fine.
(21:09):
And I know this might seem likea lot to absorb, but bottom
line, aim to please and treatyour tenants as you would expect
to be treated if you wererenting a home.
All right, you guys, that is theend of the podcast today.
Thanks so much for tuning in andlistening to how you can make
your tenants have an awesomeexperience living in your units.
(21:32):
If you like what you hear, wouldyou do us a favor and subscribe
or follow on your favoritepodcast platform?
That way all our episodes willbe there waiting for you each
week so you can enjoy everythingwe have to say about owning and
self managing rental properties.
And we would be superappreciative if you could leave
(21:52):
us a kind review.
Those reviews really help otherlandlords, like you, know we're
the real deal.
We have links to the reviewsites in our show notes.
If you have a question or youwanna suggest a subject for a
podcast, you can text us at 6 50 4 8 9 4 4 4 7 or email us at
(22:15):
stacie@yourlandlordresource.com.
That's Stacie with an IE orkevin@yourlandlordresource.com.
And you guys feel free todownload any of the forms or
templates that we offer, or ifyou wanna sign up for our free
newsletter, you can access thosein the show notes as well.
(22:35):
If you'd like to follow along onthe daily you can find us on
Instagram and Facebook and wealso have a private Facebook
group as well.
You can find all the links foreverything that we do in our
show notes.
Thanks again for taking the timeout of your day to listen to our
podcast.
We really appreciate you guysand until next time, you've got
(22:56):
this landlords.
Okay, you guys, this week we want to talk to you
(00:02):
about the benefits of creating agreat tenant experience.
And we're going to be coveringwhat to do before the tenant
even moves in, dealing withmaintenance requests,
communication, tenant privacy,making sure that your rules are
fair and consistent, incentivesfor renewals, and a few other
(00:24):
little small items that coverwhat you can do on your end to
help your tenant enjoy theirtime living in your unit, as
well as what you get back inreturn when you do these things.
Welcome to your landlordresource podcast many moons ago.
(00:44):
When I started as a landlord, Iwas as green as it gets.
I may have had my real estatelicense, but I lack confidence
in the hands on experienceneeded when it came to dealing
with tenants, leases,maintenance, and bookkeeping.
After many failed attempts, fastforward to today.
Kevin and I have doubled ourdoors and created an organized,
professionally operated rentalproperty business.
(01:06):
Want to go from overwhelmed toconfident?
If you're an ambitious landlordor maybe one in the making, join
us as we provide strategies andteach actionable steps to help
you reach your goals and thelifestyle you desire.
All while building a streamlinedand profitable rental property
business.
This is Your Landlord Resourcepodcast.
(01:29):
Hey there, landlords.
You're listening to the YourLandlord Resource Podcast, where
we are dishing out tips andadvice on owning and operating
rental properties.
I am your host, Stacie Casella,and I'm here with my co host,
business partner, partner inlife, Kevin Kilroy.
Kevin (01:49):
How's it going landlords?
And thanks for you all beinghere today.
Stacie (01:53):
Now you may be an owner who self manages your rental
property or maybe you have aproperty manager or maybe you're
like Kevin and I and you have acombination of the two.
And I'll say that for theproperties that we manage, we do
our damnness to make sure thatour tenants are happy and
satisfied with their experienceof living in and calling our
(02:16):
units their home.
I mean, we absolutely spend moretime on preventative maintenance
for our rentals, you guys, thanwe do our own personal home.
Kevin (02:27):
I, I know what you mean.
I mean, what's that about theshoemakers kids?
Stacie (02:31):
I don't know the whole thing off the top of my head,
but basically the shoemakerskids always had holes in their
shoes, but they
Kevin (02:38):
spent all the time working to repair everybody else
in the village.
Yep.
Stacie (02:42):
Yeah, exactly.
So,
Kevin (02:44):
But here's the bottom line you guys, making sure that
your rental property is alwaysbeing cared for and being
improved upon is what tenantswant.
Now many landlords have thefalse sense that if I just leave
the tenants alone they will behappier because I don't want
them to think i'm being nosy orintrusive.
(03:05):
Yeah, there is a fine linebetween caring for the property
and showing up unannounced what,like on a Saturday evening to
check something.
But guess what?
Tenants have been surveyed and amajority of them want their
landlords to do inspections andperform preventative
maintenance, so that they canhave a more positive and worry
(03:26):
free experience living in theirrental.
I mean, they actually expect it.
And you know why?
Because they believe they'repaying for that as part of their
rent.
Now I realize most renters haveno idea what goes into the
maintenance of a rentalproperty.
That most are renting at anecessity and not by choice.
(03:46):
So they really don't know, youknow, as a property owner, what
needs to be checked on, on aregular basis or updated or
changed to keep that propertyrunning smoothly.
And some people just rent sothey don't have to worry about
stuff like that.
But regardless, renters whochoose to live in our units
should receive regularmaintenance and upkeep, or at
(04:08):
least be guided on how to do itthemselves.
Stacie (04:12):
Okay, you guys, this week we want to talk to you
about the benefits of creating agreat tenant experience.
And we're going to be coveringwhat to do before the tenant
even moves in, dealing withmaintenance requests,
communication, tenant privacy,making sure that your rules are
(04:32):
fair and consistent, incentivesfor renewals, and a few other
little small items that coverwhat you can do on your end to
help your tenant enjoy theirtime living in your unit, as
well as what you get back inreturn when you do these things.
So let's start with before thattenant moves in.
(04:52):
One thing we really emphasizewith landlords and make sure
that we do with our ownproperties is to make sure that
our units are maintained and intop shape maintenance wise.
Before that tenant moves in, weare going over every single
thing that could potentiallygive them issues to make sure
(05:13):
that our new tenants will haveminimal things that they have to
deal with after takingpossession.
We are checking the stove andthe oven to make sure they're
working.
If it's a gas range, we'redouble checking the gas
connection for leaks.
And I say we, but it's reallyour right hand general
contractor named Jim who has apunch list of items to check on
(05:37):
our units during turnover.
So, he's the one who is checkingthe water lines for leaks and
the mechanicals and the HVAC tomake sure that they're working
well.
That the lights and the switchesand the plugs, especially GFIs,
which have a tendency to fail ifthey are used a lot.
Because if the previous tenanthad a bunch of countertop
appliances, like an air fryer,blender, toaster oven, or coffee
(06:01):
maker, you know, you guys getthe point.
Having multiple items plugged incan pull a higher draw, and it
causes those GFIs to failquicker.
At least that's what we've beentold by our electrician.
Kevin (06:13):
Well, it came from our Sacramento electrician, as well
as your cousin who does somework for us here in the Bay
Area.
So, I think we're pretty correctin saying that.
Stacie (06:22):
All right.
Well, I don't want to getcomments saying we're incorrect
by saying that.
So, I'm just trying to cover mybutt a little here.
All right.
But getting back to what we doat turnover.
You guys, it's not rocketscience.
Go through the unit, especiallyif it was occupied for a long
period of time and make sureeverything's in good working
order.
Service your mechanicals if it'sbeen a while.
(06:45):
Clean the gutters.
Change the filters.
And get your rental in tip topshape so it's ready for that
next tenant to come in.
Partially, because you want yourtenant to have a good experience
living in your units, and to behonest, if they have to call you
every month to get somethingfixed, then that decreases the
chance that they're going toenjoy living in your unit.
(07:06):
If you're not aware of this,living in a property that is
well maintained is one of themost top desires of tenants.
They don't want to call you withissues any more than you don't
want to receive that call.
Kevin (07:19):
Which leads me to the next task, and that is, if a
tenant does call you to addressa problem they are having with
your unit, please respondpromptly to their call.
As we always say, communicationis the key, you guys.
If you don't have an answer, letthem know you'll be working on
it.
(07:40):
Keep them up to date when thereare any changes and follow up to
make sure they are satisfiedwith the work completed, and to
make sure everything is okay.
If you are meeting a repairperson out there ask the tenant
if they would like to bepresent.
Now for us most of the time theydon't want to be there and
prefer that we just handle itourselves.
(08:01):
And on that note, I want toremind you not to be a creeper
and be in the unit too much.
I mean this is their home andunless you have a valid reason
to be on the property, justdon't.
Do not enter without approvalunless, of course, it's an
emergency either.
Stacie (08:19):
Right.
All right, I want to go back tocommunication here because, yes,
it's important to make it clearthat you are actively working on
the maintenance issue.
But it's also important tocommunicate well on all aspects
of their tenancy.
You want to clearly explainlease terms, expectations, and
procedures.
Maintaining open lines ofcommunication will allow your
(08:42):
tenant feel comfortable aboutreaching out when they need
clarification or if they have amaintenance request.
And even if that answer to theirquestion is written plain as day
in the lease or is right therein their unit binder notes, I
shouldn't have to say this, bekind, be patient and be
respectful.
If you'd like to learn moreabout what methods of
(09:03):
communication are best for whichrental property situation, check
out episode 87.
I think it's called EssentialCommunication Methods that Every
Landlord Should Know.
You can find it atyourlandlordresource.
com episode 87 and we'll alsolink it in the show notes.
(09:24):
All right, we've gone overmaking sure your property is in
good working order before thetenant moves in, being prompt
when responding to maintenancerequests, having clear
communication.
And now we want to discussrespecting your tenant's
privacy.
And listen, we know you own theproperty.
So does your tenant.
(09:44):
But when you lease your home tosomeone, you sign a contract
giving them the right to livethere, to make your property
their home and live therepeacefully without intrusions.
You guys, we seriously limit ourtime at our properties.
Now, as you know, right now, weonly own multifamily units.
(10:06):
We sold off our last singlefamily home rental this year.
And the difference here is thatyou may find yourself on
property for maintenance issuesmore often given the higher
number of units.
If you own a single family homeunit, unless you have been
notified by the tenant there isan issue and made previous
(10:27):
arrangements to go to theproperty, you need to stay away.
You should not be showing up tocheck on the sprinklers or do
any maintenance to the propertywithout notifying your tenant.
Unless you have a set time andday each week or month to go by
and do stuff like landscaping,you do not show up unannounced.
(10:47):
And even if you have aprearranged time, send them a
quick reminder text so that theyknow you're coming by.
Kevin (10:54):
You, you know, we have some tenants who are very clean
and conscientious about howtheir units look.
We also had others where itseemed like they never cleaned
and the unit was just anabsolute mess whenever we went
in.
But most of our tenants arereally good and especially if
they know we're coming by.
So when we go in and they havecleaned up, we really appreciate
(11:17):
it.
Stacie (11:18):
Right.
And the last thing I want to sayis, you guys need to know about
the law about notifications foryour city, county, or state,
because most are 24 hours, butsome notices are 48 hours in
advance.
Kevin (11:32):
Unless, of course, there is an emergency, like you can
hear the smoke detector goingoff or water is flowing out the
front door, I mean, then you canenter the property without
notice.
But you better be pretty damnsure it's an emergency.
So, we have discussed these indetail before, but make sure you
have fair rules in your leasesthat you are consistent with.
(11:56):
If you have a multi familyrental, and you allow one tenant
to park their motorcycle on thepatio, but tell the others they
can't, that is not fair andconsistent.
If you allow them to pay rentlate without any fees or
penalties once, they will expectit the next time they get into a
bind.
And I hate to say this, buttenants are kind of like kids,
(12:18):
and they need to know the rules,and they need to know that you
enforce them.
You have rules in place for areason, and believe it or not,
your tenants usually do want toplease you.
If you tell them one thing byway of rules or an addendum, and
then you don't enforce it, theywill think that you really don't
(12:38):
care about following any of therules, and will try to take
advantage of you.
Be firm, but fair and overall,please be consistent.
Stacie (12:48):
Yeah.
And again, you guys, none ofthis is rocket science and much
of what we're discussing today,we have talked about on other
episodes.
One being using incentives toget tenants to renew their
leases.
Everyone likes to get somethingfor giving something.
And when you offer a leaserenewal to a tenant, incentivize
it, you know, with somethingthat can benefit your unit.
(13:12):
Something like a unit cleaning,carpet cleaning, or new carpets
if they're really bad.
We have offered new LEDefficient lighting or installed
ceiling fans in the bedrooms aswell.
Basically what we do is we lookat what we have to do by way of
improvements to the unit if thattenant decides to move out.
And then we create a few ofthose items as incentives should
(13:36):
the person renew.
We see landlords giving awayfree rent for renewals all the
time.
Don't do that.
All that does is lower yourrental income and you get
nothing out of it.
When you add new lighting or anew refrigerator, that is
something that you can, one,expense off your taxes as an
improvement.
And two, if you have to put themin to make your unit more
(13:59):
attractive to a potentialapplicant, just do it before so
your current tenant can enjoyit.
Then it's done and when youeventually come up to your next
renewal, if your tenant decidesto move on, that's one less
thing that you're going to haveto deal with.
And guess what?
Tenants love when we give themoptions.
(14:19):
It's like a bonus they didn'texpect and they get to pick
what's best for them.
Kevin (14:24):
That was a piece of advice that was given to us, I
mean, many, many years ago andit's paid us back in droves with
renewals and happy tenants.
Stacie (14:34):
We remember when we told our property manager back in
Idaho that we wanted to do thatand they had a hard time
wrapping their head around theconcept.
Kevin (14:41):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it was really the concept
they had trouble with, more justhow to implement it as it's not
something they do for otherowners in our complex.
And we did do an episode onrenewal incentives.
You can check it out atyourlandlordresource.
com episode2.
And as always, it'll be in theshow notes.
Stacie (15:04):
Yeah.
You know what?
That was the very first subjectthat we ever talked about.
Kevin (15:09):
Yeah, I guess that makes sense, cause episode one was
about who we are and why westarted Your Landlord Resource.
So, that shows you how importantrenewal incentives are for
landlords to know about.
Okay, one more small detail togo over.
Consider checking in with yourtenant from time to time and
making sure all is going well.
(15:30):
I mean, often we do inspectionstwice a year, so we don't
usually need to check in asoften.
If you're only doing inspectionsonce a year, maybe check in one
or two other times to see ifthere is anything that needs
attention.
Because sometimes people arebusy and they keep saying, Oh, I
need to let them know that thefaucet is leaking.
(15:50):
But it's not a huge deal tothem, so they put it off.
But as we've said before, smallproblems can lead to bigger ones
down the line.
Another way to check in is tolet them know you're thinking of
them.
I mean, usually we send outbirthday cards, sometimes with
the gift certificate to a localdeli or coffee shop, not much,
(16:12):
maybe like 15 bucks.
And we also send a littlesomething during the holidays.
Again, it can be as simple assome homemade baked goods or
gift certificate for a turkey orlike us, we send them a gift
card to go have a nice meal at amom and pop restaurant.
We like to support smallbusinesses when we can.
(16:33):
But honestly in Idaho, we have afamily living in one of our
units and they do seem to bestruggling a little bit this
time of year.
So we did a nice gift card fromWalmart.
Last year we did Target and theyear before I think we did a
local grocery store.
So consider what you think yourtenants would enjoy, and if it's
(16:53):
affordable to you send them anice holiday gift.
Now I want to follow that upwith you can deduct up to$25 per
tenant as a goodwill expenseagainst your income taxes.
So don't go crazy here, but ifyou have a family living in your
unit with both parents on thelease you can spend up to$50.
(17:16):
I mean, that's at least the waywe read it because per the IRS,
it is one gift per person forbusiness gifts.
So if you want to give them$50in gift cards, maybe buy two$25
cards, so you can say it was oneper tenant in the unit.
Stacie (17:35):
Yeah.
Well, I'm sure if we're wrong,someone's going to call us out
on it, but I will say we do haveAmanda Hahn slated to be a guest
on the podcast in 2025.
So, we should actually start alist of questions for her so we
can make sure that we haveclarification on these things.
Kevin (17:51):
That is a great idea.
I mean, she's the queen bee CPAfor rental property taxes.
Stacie (17:56):
Yeah, well every once in a while I come up with a good
idea.
All right, you guys These areall the things that a tenant
wants in their landlord.
They want someone who caresabout their unit and their
tenant enough to do inspectionsto keep on top of preventative
maintenance so that the tenantdoesn't have to call you and bug
(18:17):
you or do it themselves.
They also want fair rules thatare consistent with societal
norms.
They want to feel appreciatedwhen they renew their lease,
even with a small rent increase.
And if they complain, listen,acknowledge, and then address
the issue as best you can.
Speak to your tenants withrespect and kindness, and be
(18:39):
compassionate if they call it aproblem that should not be
happening.
Kevin (18:43):
Exactly.
And our final word of advice, ifyou do not think you can handle
these tasks, hire a professionalproperty manager to do it for
you.
I mean, we get it.
There are just some landlordswho get so emotionally involved,
they lose sense of treating therental as a business.
(19:04):
There's also some who don't wantto know their tenants.
They don't want to deal withthem at all.
Just fix it and send me the billkind of situation.
And if that's you great.
Honestly, it's good that youacknowledge that and value your
time enough to hand your rentalmanagement off to someone else.
And if you are not sure how togo about hiring a property
(19:25):
manager check out episodes 39and 40 where we discuss the 50
plus must ask questions whenhiring a property manager.
Start with part one atyourlandlordresource.
com episode 39.
Stacie (19:43):
Yeah, those ones are filled with great information.
You guys, we even created aquestionnaire you can purchase
with all the questions that youshould be asking a property
manager when you interview them.
And we'll link those in the shownotes as well.
So what do you get when yourtenants are happy?
Well, you'll get less calls formaintenance.
(20:05):
Simple things like a cloggedtoilet, you know, they might
just try to handle itthemselves.
Your tenants will pay their renton time, which means you can pay
your bills for the property ontime and it reduces stress big
time for you.
You'll get lease renewals ifthey enjoy living in your unit.
And lease renewals mean noturnover expense, no lost rent,
(20:26):
no having to take time to find anew tenant and hope they're as
good as the last one.
And more often than not, whenyou're fair, you can raise your
rents just so you can remainaround the market rate for your
area.
You will also, usually, getsomeone who respects your unit.
When you care about how yourrental is operated, so does your
(20:47):
tenant.
They feel valued and want tokeep that good mojo going.
So set your tenants up forsuccess by presenting them with
a maintenance free unit, bybeing kind and respectful of
their privacy, have clear linesof communication and a solid
lease with fair rents, and youshould do just fine.
(21:09):
And I know this might seem likea lot to absorb, but bottom
line, aim to please and treatyour tenants as you would expect
to be treated if you wererenting a home.
All right, you guys, that is theend of the podcast today.
Thanks so much for tuning in andlistening to how you can make
your tenants have an awesomeexperience living in your units.
(21:32):
If you like what you hear, wouldyou do us a favor and subscribe
or follow on your favoritepodcast platform?
That way all our episodes willbe there waiting for you each
week so you can enjoy everythingwe have to say about owning and
self managing rental properties.
And we would be superappreciative if you could leave
(21:52):
us a kind review.
Those reviews really help otherlandlords, like you, know we're
the real deal.
We have links to the reviewsites in our show notes.
If you have a question or youwanna suggest a subject for a
podcast, you can text us at 6 50 4 8 9 4 4 4 7 or email us at
(22:15):
stacie@yourlandlordresource.com.
That's Stacie with an IE orkevin@yourlandlordresource.com.
And you guys feel free todownload any of the forms or
templates that we offer, or ifyou wanna sign up for our free
newsletter, you can access thosein the show notes as well.
(22:35):
If you'd like to follow along onthe daily you can find us on
Instagram and Facebook and wealso have a private Facebook
group as well.
You can find all the links foreverything that we do in our
show notes.
Thanks again for taking the timeout of your day to listen to our
podcast.
We really appreciate you guysand until next time, you've got
(22:56):
this landlords.
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