4 key ways to keep your tenants happy and retain them long-term

Article by Melissa Henricks Marketing Specialist 14 May 2021

The process of leasing a property is lengthy and sometimes tedious process. So once you have secured a new tenancy, it’s important to keep your new tenants happy to retain them long-term.

As there are so many elements that go into the job of a property manager, it’s possible that retaining your tenants isn’t at the top of your priority list. However, putting time and effort into keeping your tenants happy, will help to minimise your workload in the long run. 

Happy, long-term tenants means fewer follow-up emails, less back and forth between what the tenant wants and your understanding of it, easier lease renewals, easy access for routine inspections and maintenance—the list goes on. Let’s dive into our four tips to keep your tenants happy and retain them long-term. 

Stay on top of maintenance

We don’t need to tell you that maintenance issues are going to be your tenants’ top priority. The important thing to remember is that people just want to feel heard. Few things are more frustrating for a tenant than having unaddressed maintenance requests. Ensuring you respond promptly and acknowledge their repair requests is going to quickly show your tenants that you are hearing their request and are doing your best to rectify it on their behalf. 

Communicating with your tenant and being transparent throughout the repair process is going to make it easy for them to trust you. When you give them all of the information that they need, they don’t aren’t going to check up on the status of their requests. This not only makes it easier for the tenant but minimises your workload.

Quick and easy features like SMS in PropertyMe, will allow you to quickly send a text to your tenant straight from your PropertyMe account. This is an excellent way to zip through your tasks fast, whilst still maintaining a relationship with your tenants.

Understand what your tenant’s wants are

It’s no secret that the majority of people view their home as their own private space. Therefore it’s really important to your tenant that access to their property is minimal. Do your best to minimise the amount of access required into their space. If the tenant maintains the property in immaculate condition and you know that, there should be no reason to inspect the property more than twice per year.

Of course, there are circumstances when minimal access is unavoidable. This could be emergency or ongoing repairs in the property, but as long as you provide the proper amount of notice and are respectful of the tenants’ time and space, you shouldn’t come across any issues. 

Let them know they can rely on you

As a property manager, you want to deal with a tenant who is reliable, respectful, and responsive, so it goes without saying that your tenant wants the same in return. Aim to strike a balance of being professional whilst still being just a regular person that they can relate to.

If you think about it, the only reason your tenant is likely to reach out is because it is your job to help them resolve any issues. Therefore being prompt in your responses is an important way to show that their concerns or issues are important to you. Make it a priority to answer their calls, or return them promptly, get back to their emails or texts within a reasonable time frame. A general rule of thumb is to get back to them within 12-24 hours from the time they contacted you.

Give them renewal incentives

This can be a big deciding factor when your tenant is considering a lease renewal. Small cosmetic incentives like carpet cleaning, updated blinds or curtains, updated appliances, or maintaining the current rent can be very attractive to long-term tenants and encourage them to feel appreciated, without having to break the bank.

Thanks for reading this blog on the 4 key ways to keep your tenants happy and retain them long-term! You might also be interested in:

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Let us know your thoughts on 4 key ways to keep your tenants happy and retain them long-term by emailing [email protected].