5 August 2016

Why Landlords Need to Communicate

At Triumph, we appreciate the value of excellent communication. It’s this skill that separates good service from excellent service. It’s also a skill that lies at the heart of effective problem-solving, a skill that all landlords should adopt toward their tenants.

Good communication is an essential component of great management. It’s the medium through which decisions are made, critiques are offered, and contracts are acquired. Ineffective communication leads to confusion, inefficiency, and a potential loss of income.

Loss of income, you say?

Yes – bad communication can hamper income potential. Tenants will be the first to admit that clear and committed communication is essential. When they wish to learn about the property, or wish to lodge a maintenance request, landlords need to be receptive to these messages.

A tenant eyed view

Otherwise tenants lose faith in the property that they call home. Tenants are more likely to let the property fall into disrepair, or might even withhold rental payments. Loyal tenants, in contrast, develop a solid relationship with their landlord – one that works for all.

This is a relationship of mutual respect, where both sides honor the commitments of the rental agreement. Bad communication leads to distrust and tension, and those factors are never valued in any legal relationship.

Landlords need to understand the problems their tenants face. They need to put themselves into the shoes of tenants – whether they be existing or prospective – to deal with the concerns of tenants both before, during, and after the rental agreement.

When tenants request a return of their deposit in a timely fashion, landlords need to communicate – within a realistic timeframe – when and how they are to receive it. Should maintenance duties get in the way, this, too, must be vocalized to the tenant.

A landlord eyed view

Landlords also have much to gain from good communication practices. They’ll be in good stead with their tenants, both of whom can be relied upon to deal and manage with any immediate and pressing concerns – whether they be maintenance or otherwise.

Given that communication is valued in every field of management, landlords gain a personal dividend by modifying their behavior. Good communication is also about managing one’s own time, in a manner that allows you to budget your time to deal with tenant queries.

Yet the picture isn’t always quite so rosy. There are circumstances in which you may have to evict a tenant. This could be for any number of reasons – such as a failure of tenant’s to pay their rent on time, to personal vandalism and unscrupulous behavior on their part.

When dealing with the eviction process, landlords need to be measured and to articulate their message in clear, concise, and unambiguous language. They need to inform the tenant of any pending legal procedures in line with local, state, and federal legislation.

There is no room for kneejerk reactions, personal invective, or the imposition of threats. That is never warranted. By keeping cool, calm, and collected, landlords can effectively deal with the problem in a manner that doesn’t compromise your management style.

The team at Triumph value the need for good communication. To learn more about our property management services in Las Vegas, click here for more information – services that build efficiency and savings into your investment.