Property Management Blog

Effective communication with your tenants is the key to a successful rental business. After all, this can help you foster a better relationship with your renters, address concerns promptly, and deal with maintenance and repairs more efficiently. It can also help you in the long run by helping you retain long-term tenants. 

Nowadays, there are various communication channels you can use, from texting to phone calls. However, it’s important to take into consideration your tenants’ preferences and the situations. The experts at SGI Property Management Dallas have written this article to help you learn when it’s better to email, text, and call your tenants.

The Benefits of Communicating with Tenants

Being able to seamlessly communicate with tenants is crucial to a stress-free occupancy and has the following benefits:

• Build Trust: An open and honest communication will help you foster a sense of trust and transparency with your tenants, building a positive landlord-tenant relationship and retaining renters for the long term. 
• Address Concerns Promptly: Keeping open lines of communication will help you address tenant concerns more quickly, helping you prevent minor issues from escalating.
• Retain Tenants For Longer: By being an attentive landlord with open communication, your tenants will be more likely to renew their leases, greatly reducing turnover costs for you.

• Legal Compliance: Effective communication in instances such as notices for repairs or inspections ensures compliance with local laws and regulations and helps foster better landlord-tenant relationships.
• Efficient Problem Resolution: Keeping open lines of communication during an issue can help you and your tenants find a solution faster, contributing to a positive living experience for tenants.

Emailing Tenants: When and How to Do It

Emails are great for communicating with tenants as you can send the same information to all tenants in your apartment complex at the same time. Moreover, most mailing platforms allow you to schedule emails, which is great for sending tenants automated reminders. 

Emails are great for: 

• Routine Announcements: A simple email is a great way to remind tenants of upcoming maintenance schedules, policy updates, or even community events.
• Lease Renewals: Emails are great for discussing lease renewal terms since every interaction is automatically stored and more formal than text messages or phone calls.
• Official Notices: Emails are great for sending legally required notices, such as entry notifications or changes to lease terms, as they are a documented and traceable method.
• Rent Payment Reminders: You can use your email to send automatic reminders for this such as the upcoming payment dates, overdue rent, and even upcoming renovations. 
• Invoices:  Emailing your tenants their rent invoices can help you prevent misplacing important documents. It will also help you keep a paper trial which can come in handy in case of potential misunderstandings. 

When emailing tenants, it’s important to keep things clear and concise. Additionally, it’s crucial that you maintain a professional tone, helping you convey the seriousness of the message and foster a professional relationship with your tenants.

Texting Tenants: When and How to Do It

Texting via mobiles is a great way to communicate with tenants because of its convenience and ease. So, whenever you send your tenants a quick text, you can rest assured that they’ll receive and answer it in no time. 

Texts are great for: 

• Urgent Matters: Texts are a great way to communicate with tenants about urgent matters such as maintenance emergencies.
• Appointment Reminders: A quick text is a great way to remind tenants of scheduled property inspections, maintenance appointments and other time-sensitive events.
• Quick Updates: Use texting for brief updates such as confirming the receipt of a maintenance request or letting tenants know when a handyman is coming is quite beneficial.
• Tenant Inquiries: Communicating through text messages is quick and simple. This makes this a great way to address any inquiries or concerns your tenants might have.

When sending a text to your tenants, you should keep your messages short and professional, avoiding non-urgent texts during late hours to respect tenants' privacy and implied covenant of quiet enjoyment. Finally, avoid discussing serious or sensitive information over text such as late rent notices, lease terminations, or even evictions.

Calling Tenants: When and How to Do It

Phone calls allow you to go over more serious topics and help you avoid potential misunderstandings. This can be especially useful when addressing tenant concerns or dealing with emergencies. Other advantages of phone calls are:

• Complex issues: If you can’t meet the tenant in person, calling them is an effective way to discuss complex issues or concerns that may require detailed explanations.
• Sensitive matters: When addressing sensitive matters such as lease violations or personal conflicts, a phone call allows for a more empathetic conversation than a text or email.
• Emergencies: Phone calls are great for dealing with emergencies. Whether it’s an emergency repair or a safety hazard, it’ll be easier to communicate the next steps with your tenants through a phone call. 

When phoning your tenants, avoid calling outside business hours. Also, try to schedule calls in advance and if a tenant doesn’t answer, simply leave a voicemail telling them why you called. This will further increase the likelihood of a callback. 

Bottom Line

Effective communication is crucial for managing a rental successfully. By keeping open lines of communication with your tenants, you’ll be able to foster a better relationship with your renters and be able to solve problems promptly. 

It’s important to remember that email, text, and phone calls each have their advantages and are best suited for specific situations. For instance, calls are better for urgent situations, while emails are great for communicating serious but long information. Now that you know when it’s best to email, text, and call tenants, you are better suited to maintain a respectful relationship with your tenants.

Do you need help communicating with tenants or managing requests? Contact SGI Property Management Dallas today! Our team of experts will help you keep your renters happy and your investment in good shape through our property management services.