Landlords can sometimes be easily blamed for not caring about their tenants and they often even  get a bad rap for being tough to deal with. There’s always two sides to the story though, and most likely your tenant does not know what you have dealt with in the past.

Much too frequently this “hard to deal with” reputation is a result and a reaction to actions of previous tenants, that were perhaps too demanding, destructive to the property, or who failed to make rent payments on time as they should have. Turns out that as a landlord, you  may have just learned from past experiences that sometimes being too lenient or friendly with the tenants only ends up causing more headaches. 

Here’s a few ways to be a good landlord without getting burned.

Communicate With Your Tenants

If you are a landlord managing your own rental properties, then you already know that emergencies can arise at any given moment. As a landlord, your response to the said given emergency will be what sets you apart from the rest of the pack. 

Tenants can be extremely frustrated if they have a hard time getting ahold of the landlord to express their concerns about an issue they may be facing. The issue could be a maintenance problem, financial hardship, or they may be having neighbor issues with one of your other tenants. 

Equally frustrating to not being able to get a hold of you as a landlord, would be speaking with you about the present concern of the moment, but then not having any follow through for a solution. If you tell your tenants you will do something, do it.

Setting “office hours” may help create a necessary boundary to maintain a working relationship. Make sure that all of your tenants know up front when your office availability is and be sure to answer your phone and return calls within these set hours. If you want your tenants to respect your separation of personal and business time, then you need to be respectful of their time as well.   

Keep Privacy Boundaries

In the same way that you want boundaries and set office hours, you have to remember that although you own the property, this rental is your tenant’s home for as long as they are leasing it. 

We all want to get off work, go home and unwind and refresh ourselves for whatever we have scheduled next on our calendar. If you randomly drop in on  your tenants, it may be hard for them to fully relax and enjoy the space. If you need to go by the property, show your tenant’s that you respect their privacy and make sure to give them proper notice that you will be stopping by. 

Legally, you will also want to check the local laws to make sure that you are abiding by your state’s requirements. Common landlord procedure is giving your tenant’s 24 hour notice. You can call them, but even better would be to put the heads up in writing so that you have proof that the notice was given.

Keep Your Property Properly Maintained

Another way to be a good landlord is to make sure you are keeping the properties you rent out in good living order. Proper upkeep is one of the main reasons that tenants enjoy where they live. Keep a toolbox close by, or the phone number of a reputable handyman, to follow up quickly on any maintenance calls.

Listen To your Tenant

Everyone goes through tough times every now and then. If your tenant comes to you with an issue that may affect their ability to pay rent, listen closely to what is going on with their change of circumstance. 

Showing you care will create and build a better trust bond in your landlord/tenant relationship. As long as their delay is reasonable, it will probably be in your best interest to show some compassion.

Don’t Price Gouge

Market rates will fluctuate and it could be tempting to raise rent rates when there’s a hot rental streak in your rental market. But finding good quality tenants can be hard, and if you have no complaints about yours, it would be best to only raise the rent in reasonable increments.

Your tenants will notice you are being fair to them and they will appreciate this last way you are being a good landlord. 

Referencing these ways to be a good landlord, and putting them into action, will help keep your tenants' vision of you positive and will keep them more satisfied in the long run.



If you’d rather entrust your properties to a property manager to oversee, contact Thousand Hills Realty at (417) 337-8081. We are the premier property management company for Branson apartments and homes in the rental market and we will be happy to build and maintain good relationships with your tenants on you behalf.