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Text, Phone, or Email – How Should You Contact Tenants?

Tenant Texting Landlord in Her Mundelein HomeGood communication with your tenants is an important attribute to being a successful Mundelein rental property owner. Though with an awful lot of options within reach, which is the best method of communication? Landlords are, nowadays, finding new convenience in the ability to text, email, and call their tenants, although are all of these options the best thing to go about staying in touch? It’s a perfect question since it is true that the way you contact tenants isn’t just about keeping them relaxed and well-informed. There are likewise real financial and legal issues involved with your chosen method.

Texting

Various tenants and property owners enjoy the ease and convenience of texting. And for minor things or just for maintaining contact, texting can be a suitable way to keep the lines of communication with your tenant open. Depending on what messaging platform you use, it is now quite possible to send more than just text messages back and forth. Tenants can send photos to help you schedule repairs, and you can send links and attachments back.

There are troubles with texting, on the other hand. Included as the most important one is the ability to track and save your conversations. As a property owner, it’s imperative to document your interactions with your tenant in the event of disagreements or most especially when legal issues occur. You’ll need to ensure that you save the entire history of your messages back and forth while texting.

On top of saving messages, other tenants may similarly abuse the privilege of texting you whenever they want. If you use a personal or business cellphone for your conversations, tenants may assume that you will immediately respond to them at all hours and get upset if you don’t. These matters should encourage you to think and plan carefully just prior to making use of texting to contact tenants.

Phone Calls

Calling tenants on the phone is a good method to be more direct and personable with them. There is no substitute for hearing someone’s voice and holding a verbal conversation in real-time. By communicating to your tenants on the phone constantly, you can help promote a positive working relationship with them and more opportunely communicate your care and concern over their comfort and benefit. This, in turn, could lead to tenants staying longer in your rental.

The same with texting, the major drawback to taking advantage of the phone to contact tenants is the real hassle in documenting your conversations. Mainly if you discuss liability issues or sensitive information, you will ask for a way to record your discussions if a dispute arises. You will likewise need to be always making sure to answer your phone at any time your tenants call. Getting a landlord’s voicemail whenever they call will discourage your tenants from contacting you in the future, making phone calls a less useful communication mode.

Email

Email grants a middle ground between texting and phone calls. It is a fairly convenient method of communication, as many people take advantage of and are comfortable with email. But most especially, it moreover extends you a hassle-free strategy to document your entire conversation with your tenants owing to the fact several email programs allow you to save email chains for months or even years. Another added value of an email is that it permits you time to think and write carefully before responding to a tenant’s question or complaint. You can send documents and other attachments more simply with email, all of which are date-and-time stamped, so you know what was sent to whom and when. This can all be very useful if you need records of your messages at another time.

But unfortunately, email isn’t as fast or convenient as texting, and tenants may not choose to write out every message in email. Certain people don’t favor using email or may not check their inboxes often, resulting in delayed responses. Email is furthermore more impersonal, and it can be hard to manage your tone so that you sound warm and friendly.

In the end, you may need to employ various methods to make certain that your tenant communications are frequent, friendly, secure, and effectively documented. However, it’s always right to work with your and your tenant’s communication preferences to perceive a way to stay in touch that you both enjoy and will put into service often.

Tenant communication can be a challenging and even burdensome detail of owning rental properties in Mundelein. But, we guarantee, Real Property Management Northwest Chicago Suburbs can help! We can contact tenants on your behalf and make sure your tenants have someone they can rely on when issues arise – without disturbing your daily schedule or your good night’s sleep. For more valuable information, contact us online or call us at 847-892-4040.

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