Information Your Tenants Need Up Front
Successful relationships are built on trust, respect, and good communication. This is true whether the relationship is between family members, employer and employee, friends, or landlords and tenants. As landlord, it’s your responsibility to be sure you are sufficiently communicating with your tenants.
There is nothing wrong with over-communicating. In fact, you might find it necessary to maintain smooth landlord/tenant relationships. It’s like the formula for essay-writing or speech-giving: tell them what you’re going to say; say it; then tell them what you said. People generally need to hear information a few times to understand and retain it.
When it comes to communicating the information you want your tenants to know, understand and follow, there’s nothing like a basic information sheet or brochure to help you in this task. Even if the lease your tenant just signed contains everything they need to know about living in your rental property, it’s not reasonable to expect a tenant to pull out their lease each time they have a question about your rules and procedures.
Make it easier on everyone—and improve your landlord/tenant relationship—by providing a “New Tenant Guide” to each tenant. Make sure it includes the following info, at minimum:
- Rent due dates, whether it’s the same for everyone, or customized to each tenant
- Cleanliness requirements, including trash pick up days and location of recycling and trash dumpsters
- Emergency procedures and fire escape routes. Include locations of fire extinguishers and water main shut-offs, as well as contact numbers for reaching you or your designated agent or handyman 24 hours a day. Tenants must know what you want them to do in case of an emergency.
- Quiet hours
- Parking regulations
- Smoking/No-smoking policy
- Pet policy, if applicable
- Repainting policy and window treatment requirements
- Basic info regarding heating/ac and plumbing systems, location of appliance manuals
Remember, it’s up to the landlord to set the tone for good communication with tenants. Over-communicating might take more effort, but it is worth it when issues are avoided instead of becoming major problems!