7 Things Your Tenants Won’t Tell You
- Tenants want a clean unit when they move in. If your previous tenant didn’t clean thoroughly, tenants expect you to do it (or hire a cleaning company). You might think this is a no-brainer, but from what we hear, tenants have just as many “filthy apartment” stories as landlords have “bad tenant” stories. A few examples: Twinkies in the fireplace, a dirty diaper under the bathroom sink, and cherry stems in the kitchen drawer!
- When they move out, tenants sometimes plug picture holes with toothpaste—not spackle. It’s a common trick that you might have noticed (especially if the apartment smells minty fresh after they leave); but some landlords have never seen it done. Beware!
- Tenants appreciate the small things: a roll of TP (new, of course) and an inexpensive shower curtain, a plant, or a small bottle of dishwashing soap will go a long way to establishing a good relationship.
- Tenants think you don’t want to give them their deposit back. They are waiting for a fight when the lease is up, they move out, and they’re waiting for their security deposit back. They might have been victims of these tricks we’ve heard about: landlords deducting $150 cleaning fees for apartments that were left in immaculate condition, charging $10 for a light bulb, and deducting $50 for “rudeness.” It may sound hard to believe (and illegal) that landlords would do these things, but they’re true!
- Tenants expect an adversary relationship. Landlords have a great opportunity to “wow” every new tenant by treating them with respect and maintaining excellent communication. Many tenants have not had good experiences with previous landlords—and of course, landlords have nightmare tales to tell about bad tenants—but when you consider that tenants are your reason for having a rental business, it can’t hurt to be the ultimate professional in establishing a good relationship. And who knows—you might end up even liking each other!
- Tenants will break things and not tell you. Judy, a landlord we heard from recently, reports that her “great” tenant made sure everything in the apartment looked perfect when he moved out. When the new tenant moved in, she quickly heard that the shower was broken. Judy couldn’t tell by looking at it—and the previous tenant never mentioned it. Lesson learned: Judy now checks the function of all systems during the move-out inspection!
- Tenants will often leave the rental unit better than they found it. Believe it or not, many tenants take pride in their personal responsibility and wouldn’t dream of leaving a dirty apartment or home.
Great tenants are not an extinct species—in fact, you can probably find some for yourself, if you’re willing to be picky and, of course—prescreen tenants carefully.