Angela Aeschliman: Tenant Relations in Unstable Times

BY: ANGELA AESCHLIMAN

Now more than ever, as landlords and property management companies face challenging times and changes in building operational protocols, tenant relations remain paramount. There are key strategies property management professionals should remember when navigating through uncertain times:

Communicate quickly and often:

Communicate to your tenants often during this time of uncertainty; provide helpful tips and resources when they become available.  If tenants reach out to you, respond more rapidly than you normally do.  Even if you do not have the answer to their questions, acknowledge their request and let them know you will get back to them.

Continue to build trust, be transparent, and show compassion:

When you communicate to your buildings and tenants, tell them what you are doing differently to minimize risks to both them and the building. Tell them honestly how they can help and let them know they are essential to you.  Open the lines of communication by asking if there is anything else they can suggest, showing them that you are willing to listen.

Express respect and understanding:

Just because the lease calls out that the rent is due on the first, does not mean the tenant doesn’t have the right to request special arrangements in this environment. Show respect for their situations. You may find this tenant is continuing to pay their employees benefits, and/or salaries. Additionally, you may find they have extended lines of credit and have applied for relief, and they simply are asking for a delay in the payment date. 

For you to know more about their situation, ask questions.  Do not simply state the rent is due, and that is final. Once you compile what the tenant is doing to combat the situation, you might find the owner is more willing to delay the payment. When we show understanding of their position, the same comes back to us typically two-fold. First, in mutual respect and understanding, and secondly, in longer tenancy.

Be flexible:

One script does not fit all.  Keep in mind the tenant you are talking with, Is this the first time they have ever asked something from the Landlord?  Does the tenant have validity in the request they are making?  Sometimes just by listening and not stating your typical script, you can uncover alternate solutions to the problem with the tenant.

Many times you can and will find the solution is much less about the Lease language and more about the flexibility that is being requested.

Follow-up:

Pick up the phone and set a time to talk uninterrupted. An email is not enough and rarely gets the true tone and sentiment across.  After talking directly with your tenant, follow up with a letter or email recapping and confirming the next steps or agreed-to items.

Use technology for productive and needed services:

If you have a work order platform, online rent payment platform, or online invoice submittal platform, overly communicate this to your tenants.  Now is the time when those tech investments can give back the most.

Let the tenants know you are on the other side of the request and submission and that these platforms go directly to the appropriate person to handle their needs. Additionally, these platforms allow the tenants to access their information 24/7.

In stable times, good tenant relations are important, but in these times more than ever, tenants need you to be there for them.  Make yourself and your team available to the tenants, and continue to be honest and transparent. Give what you can when you can, and be sure to let them know you care about them.

These are the times the tenants will remember and appreciate. Keep in mind, we are all just people navigating these waters together.