Establishing good communication lines with your tenants is key to ensure success as a Spokane Valley rental property owner. But how will you know if it’s the best method of communication? Landlords can choose to text, email, and call their tenants. But how do you determine which one to use? The answer does not solely rest on which makes the tenants comfortable and informed. Rather it is the financial and legal issues that need to be considered.
Texting
Many tenants and property owners love the ease and convenience of texting. For “small talks”, texting is a good way to have your lines of communication open with your tenant. Different messaging platforms are not limited to just text services. Tenants can send you photos that help you assess the problem earlier and then schedule repairs later.
However, there are limits to texting. How do you manage to track and save your conversations? As a property owner, stay on the safe side by documenting your conversations with your tenant to protect you from disagreements or legal issues. That means all your messages should be saved since 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 may set unrealistic expectations and would get upset if you don’t reply right away. Consider these things first before you decide on texting as a way to communicate with your tenants.
Phone Calls
Calling tenants over the phone is quick and more pleasant. Nothing compares to hearing a human voice and having a verbal conversation in real-time. Calling tenants on the phone ensures a good working relationship and you can effectively communicate your desire for their well-being. Your tenants will appreciate this and will most likely stay in your rental longer.
Similar to texting, when you use your phone to contact your tenants, you will have a hard time documenting your conversations. More so if your topic is about liability issues or sensitive information, you need to find out how you can record these should a dispute develop. Add to that, you would be kept on your toes since tenants expect you to answer your phone every time they call. But if tenants frequently find themselves ending up in their landlord’s voicemail, they would most likely stop using the phone to contact you altogether.
Email offers the bridge between texting and phone calls. It is a relatively convenient method of communication, as most people use and are comfortable with email. Email solves the problem of documentation since most email programs can save and organize all communications with your tenants for years. Email lets you think thoroughly and write a better response to your tenant’s question or complaint. With email, you can send documents and other attachments and these are all date-and-time stamped. All this data is essential for record purposes.
But compared to texting, email is slow and some tenants do not find it convenient to use. Most people don’t often use their email so that means their inbox does not get checked that often. Another thing is that the nature of email is not very personal so a warm and friendly tone is not easy to achieve.
You have to remember that communication with your tenants must be frequent, friendly, secure, and properly documented no matter which method you use. Finally, talk with your client and find out which communication method will work best for both of you.
Tenant communication can be a challenging aspect of owning rental properties in Spokane Valley. But Real Property Management Spokane County can help! Just sit back and relax and we can contact tenants for you. Your tenants can rely on us so you can free up your schedule and get that good night’s sleep. For more information, contact us online or call us at 509-462-1042.
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