4 Benefits And Value In Creating A Great Tenant Experience

By Phil Schaller

A strong support system for your tenants can translate to a more profitable rental property. Here at RentalRiff, we believe in providing a great experience for tenants. To us, rental properties are not a commodity; they are someone’s home. Our focus on the tenant experience and how we’ve structured our service may be our biggest differentiator.

There are many benefits to creating a fantastic tenant experience. Aside from the human elements (and we think these are the most important), there is tremendous value to be captured as a landlord and rental property owner.

As we’ve discussed in other blog posts, there are certain things you can control as a landlord and certain things you can’t. Tenants moving to a new city is out of your control, as is a tenant purchasing a home of their own. Tenants moving out because of poor maintenance support or a general lack of communication is definitely in your control. If you can optimize the elements of your rental business that are within your control, you will be better off for it.

Here are some of the main benefits to creating a great customer experience:

No. 1 – Higher tenant-retention rates

This one’s a bit of a no-brainer.

If your tenants like renting from you and feel supported they are more likely to renew their lease, plain and simple. J Turner Research did a large study on residents recently and found that 35 percent of tenants that felt unsupported and underserved moved out. With vacancy rates in the Seattle area currently sitting around 7.5 percent, this can mean thousands of dollars lost.

No. 2 – Better treatment of your property

Not only are unsupported tenants more likely to move out, they’re also more likely to treat the property poorly.

Security deposits exist for a reason, but tenants will treat the property better if they don’t feel neglected by their landlord. Obviously, this means less wear and tear on the property and fewer large, avoidable repairs needed down the road.

No. 3 – Tenants are more accepting of higher rents

Increasing rents at a steady clip is an important part of running a successful rental property business.

Another important element is retaining good tenants. When you’ve created a strong support system for your tenants you can both increase rents and retain good tenants. Again, this goes back to controlling what you can control, but if the tenants feel taken care of they are more likely to accept the higher rent and stick with your property.

No. 4 – Higher likelihood of collecting rent on time

There are many property management tools out there that automate the rent-collection process (we definitely recommend using these tools) but, again, happy tenants are more inclined to make their rent on time. Tenants will want to stay and be more proactive in keeping up their side of the bargain.

There are many important components that go into running a successful rental property, and maintenance and tenant support are just two of those. They can be major pain points for landlords, and it’s easy for the property-level needs of your tenants to slip through the cracks. If you can optimize your processes and create a positive environment for your tenants, in the long run, you’ll have more success as a rental owner.

Happy landlording!

About the author:

Phil Schaller is an experienced landlord and the founder/CEO of RentalRiff – an alternative service to traditional property management that provides ongoing oversight and upkeep of rental properties, while serving as the main point of contact for tenants. If you are interested in learning more about RentalRiff’s rental property maintenance service you can reach him at 541-600-3200. Maintenance and repair costs are included and property specialists are licensed/insured. Phil is a Pacific Northwest native, father of two, and fly-fishing addict.