Being a Good Landlord for Your Tenants - By: Art Gib

Being a landlord is a stressful and often thankless job. While you are providing housing for your renters, you are also at their mercy concerning many issues, such as collecting rent, providing repairs, and maintaining the property.

If you decide to go at it alone, and not hire a company to deal with your property management, here are some useful tips to being a great landlord. It is easier to keep satisfied, good paying and reliable renters, rather than cycle through unreliable and shady renters and the best way to do this is to be a reasonable and firm landlord in the process.

First, make sure the home or apartment is in good repair before the renters ever move in. It will be easier to complete any minor repairs before there are unhappy tenants in the home, and you can be on top of any complaints they may have about the property. When the tenants move in, ask them to inspect the property thoroughly and voice any initial concerns they may have before their first month is up. This is a great way to clear the air and take care of any potential problems that may arise later on in the partnership.

Make sure the renters know exactly what you expect of them as a landlord. It's a great idea to have some general renter guidelines in writing, and to go over these guidelines in person with the tenants before they move in. For instance, if you have rules pertaining to the noise level after certain hours, you don't want there to be any kind of grey area. Set the rules and perimeters of renting from you out in stone, so that both parties know exactly what to expect, and problems can be resolved quickly and easily in the future.

Avoid becoming very friendly with renters. While as a landlord, you can be pleasant and business like, you don't want tenants taking advantage of you concerning rent or rules later on because the renter considers you a good friend. Keep your relationship with the tenants strictly on business terms, while still being fair and friendly, and you'll find that you'll have an easier time talking to them when it comes to certain affairs, especially with the sensitive subject of money, eviction, and the like.

Naturally, if you simply don't want to deal with renters directly, then using a property management company is always an option.

About the Author

REMS Inc. (http://remsinc.com/) does property management in Salt Lake UT. Art Gib is a freelance writer.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Art-Gib/28726

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