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When you’ve been managing your own rental properties for a while, you understand the importance of tenant communication and responsiveness. As an independent landlord, you need to be on call for your tenants 24/7. It can be difficult to step away from that responsibility once you begin working with a professional Atlanta property management company.
However, it’s essential that you let your property managers communicate with your tenants. It’s the only way to keep expectations and systems consistent. And, it will keep you out of potential legal trouble.
Property Management Roles and Tenant Relationships
One of the main benefits to working with a management company is that you don’t have to worry about responding to tenants when they have questions, concerns, or complaints. You shouldn’t communicate with your tenants when you’re working with a property manager because you don’t have to. You are paying your management company a monthly fee to take care of developing and maintaining a professional and respectful tenant relationship. Trust your management company to communicate openly and transparently with your tenants. Let them handle the relationship. It gives you extra peace of mind and a nice buffer between you and the people who are renting your home.
Property Managers Understand the Law
There are also legal implications to communicating with your tenants outside of your property management company. Let’s say a tenant needs to move a service or support animal into your property. If you tell your tenants this is not allowed or you insist that they begin paying a pet fee, you can get into some pretty serious trouble with fair housing laws and other laws that protect people with disabilities. Your property manager knows how to handle pets and service animals. They understand fair housing laws and they stay up to date with the changes in those laws. You might tell a potential tenant that your property isn’t appropriate for people who have kids. That’s also a fair housing violation.
Let your property management team protect you. Leave all the communication with tenants and potential tenants to those professionals.
Consistency and Expectations are Important
The most important reason not to communicate with your tenants is because it could undermine the processes and procedures that your management company has in place. To effectively manage your home, your property manager has to follow systems. Your tenants have to follow those systems as well. If you begin changing things, tenants are going to be confused, and it will be hard for your property managers to hold them accountable. A good property management company will establish expectations for your tenants and be very clear about what they’re responsible for doing while renting your property. Don’t send mixed messages; it gives them a good reason to ignore the lease and the rules.
With the right management company, you won’t have to think about your tenants or your rental property. Everything will be taken care of for you.
If you have any questions, or you’d like more information about how you can benefit from working with a professional Atlanta property management company, please contact us at Property Services of Atlanta, Inc.