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How to be a landlord tenants love with these 5 tips

Jul 8, 2019 10:00:00 AM Share this:

Renting is the smart financial choice for many consumers, but a ‘difficult’ landlord can easily make it feel like the wrong choice, and cause tenants to leave as soon as they possibly can.

It’s definitely worth having a meal or a gift delivered to your tenants on the day they move in and taking the time to provide them with some useful information about their new area.

On the other hand, landlords who are able to establish a good working relationship with their tenants will have much easier time when it comes to organising any repairs necessary and retaining those tenants or showing the property to prospective new tenants, says Gerhard Kotzé, MD of the RealNet estate agency group.

And this applies whether you manage your rental property yourself or through a managing agent, he says, so here are the five top tips for becoming the landlord that tenants love to rent from:

1. Be transparent and honest

Everyone expects honesty when it comes to dealing with tenants’ deposits and rental payments, but you and/or your agent should also be transparent when answering prospective tenants’ questions about things like noisy neighbours, traffic in the area, cell phone coverage and the availability of public transport.

2. Make your tenants feel welcome

It’s definitely worth having a meal or a gift delivered to your tenants on the day they move in and taking the time to provide them with some useful information about their new area.

“Once they know where the nearest shop, bank, gym, bus stop and school is, they will feel much more at home and be able to imagine themselves settling down in your property for a long time,” says Kotzé.

3. Provide clear lines of communication

You obviously don’t want your tenants calling you or your agent at all hours of the day or night for every little thing, but you don’t want them to feel cut off either.

“So when they move in, give them the right number to call during business hours, and better still, an email address where they can reach you or your agent. This will have the added advantage of helping to keep a written record of all communications with your tenant for future reference,” he says.

4. Be quick to respond

As a landlord you no doubt expect your tenant to be prompt when it comes to paying the rent, so you and/or your agent need to extend the same courtesy to your tenant when it comes to dealing with their concerns about urgent repair, noise or security issues.

“Of course, they should only call you or your agent during business hours unless it is a real emergency, but when they do, the matter should be dealt with as fast as possible. And if an outside contractor is required to fix any sort of damage, you need to monitor progress to see that the work is completed properly and on time,” says Kotzé.

5. Be a bit flexible

While it may be written into the lease that rent is due by no later than noon on the first of every month, your tenant should be able to approach you for a little leeway in the event of an emergency.

No one is suggesting that you tolerate repetitive late payment, but good tenants who usually pay on time and in full will appreciate some kindness when they have a genuine problem - and are most likely to return the favour when it comes to renewing their lease or accepting a rent increase.


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Topics: Property Management, Landlords, Harcourts Real Estate

How to determine the rental price of your investment property

Apr 8, 2016 11:18:27 PM Share this:

Buyers looking to purchase an investment property to rent out often have difficulty determining the accurate rental price. There are many factors to consider and if you don’t assess your property value correctly you could end up over- or undercharging and neither are a situation you want to be in.


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Topics: Property Management, Harcourts, Investment Property, Rental Price

How to steer clear of rental property scams

Feb 26, 2016 9:05:00 AM Share this:

Searching the internet has become the norm for consumers looking for homes to rent, with classifieds websites recording huge traffic increases in this category over the past few years.


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Topics: Property Management, Harcourts South Africa

What to do with your home when you have to relocate

May 5, 2015 11:31:44 PM Share this:

The offer of a lucrative contract in another country or a promotion to a position in another town or city is usually cause for celebration – but can present problems if you have to move in a hurry.

“If you’re a homeowner, for example, you will need to decide whether to sell and be ‘free’, or whether to become a landlord and bank on having a home to come back to in a year or two that may also have appreciated in value,” says Richard Gray, CEO of Harcourts Real Estate.


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Topics: Press Release, Property Management, Residential, South Africa

Get Your Lease Right

Apr 21, 2010 8:34:19 AM Share this:

Whether you’re a landlord or a tenant, you should have a written lease, and make sure it contains certain essential clauses.


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Topics: Property Management, Residential, South Africa