To ensure your success as a Coconut Grove rental property owner, you need to have good communication lines with your tenants. But how will you know if it’s the best method of communication? Landlords can now text, email, and call their tenants with so much convenience, but which of these is the best? You have to tackle this question since it is not only about making your tenants comfortable and up to date. There are financial and legal factors that come to play.
Texting
Many tenants and property owners love the ease and convenience of texting. For simple “hello’s” and “how do you do’s”, texting is a great way to keep the lines of communication open with your tenants. Some messaging platforms offer services beyond the text. It would be convenient for tenants to take photos so you can see them ahead then schedule repairs for later.
But there are disadvantages to texting. How do you manage to track and save your conversations? As a property owner, it is important for you to keep a record of your conversations with your tenant. This will be valuable when there are disagreements or legal issues that could arise. Never delete even one message since the time you started texting.
In addition to saving messages, some tenants may lack the consideration and text you anytime they like. If you use a personal or business cellphone, some tenants would expect you to reply to them right away to a text they sent even beyond office hours. Consider these things first before you decide on texting as a way to communicate with your tenants.
Phone Calls
Phone calls to tenants are straight, pleasant, and personal. There is no better way than hearing someone’s voice and having a verbal conversation in real-time. If you talk to your tenants over the phone, you establish a solid working relationship with them and you will be able to communicate your concerns more clearly. This would translate to a longer stay for your tenants on your rental.
Just like texting, when you use your phone to call tenants, it would be difficult to document your conversations. You will need documentation especially when disputes happen such as when liability issues or sensitive information is discussed. It would also be a hassle since tenants would expect you to answer the phone every time they call. On the other hand, when tenants find themselves constantly relegated to their landlord’s voicemail, they might not call you anymore, thus rendering this communication option useless.
Email offers the advantages of texting and phone calls. It is a relatively convenient method of communication, as most people use and are comfortable with email. Email offers ease of documentation as all conversations with your tenants are saved. Email also lets you think through your responses before answering your tenant’s question or complaint. With email, you can send documents and other attachments and these are all date-and-time stamped. All of these bits of information are crucial for record-keeping.
The downside of email however is that it’s not as fast or convenient as texting and some tenants prefer not to write everything through email. Most people simply do not like writing through email so your message just gets dumped in their inboxes leaving you without a response. Also, a warm and friendly tone won’t be easy to achieve through email.
Whatever methods you choose, you must remember that tenant communications should be frequent, friendly, secure, and properly documented. It would be best to agree with your tenants which communication method you both prefer and could use consistently.
Tenant communication can be a challenging aspect of owning rental properties in Coconut Grove. But Real Property Management Dade can help! Leave the hassle to us. We can contact your tenants so you can free up your schedule and you can relax and get a good night’s sleep. For more information, contact us online or call us at 305-501-1511.
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