Landlord Holiday Tips: How to Handle the Holidays With Your Tenants

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Landlord holiday tips usually start and stop with one question: should I give my tenants a gift? That’s a fair question, and we answer it. However, the holidays bring a lot more than gift cards. Tenants travel. They host parties. They string lights and light candles. Meanwhile, your vendors take time off, and you probably want a few days off too.

So in this shorty episode, Kevin and I share how we handle the holidays with our tenants. It comes straight from what we do at our own rentals, along with a few lessons we learned the hard way.

First, though, Kevin and I talk about our own holiday traditions. You’ll find out when the Christmas lights go up at our house, and why Kevin is counting on Kid 2 to climb the ladder this year.

The Landlord Holiday Tips We Start With: One Written Notice

Most holiday problems are either prevented or created by communication. That’s why we send one friendly, written notice to every tenant before the season gets busy. Everyone gets the same information, and we have a record that we sent it.

I walk through exactly what goes in it. That includes your availability, who to call while you’re away, and what counts as a real emergency. Then I share what happened while we were in Hawaii for 10 days. Our tenants knew to call Jim, our contractor. And, as it turns out, Jim was busy.

Holiday Safety, Guests, and Renters Insurance

Next, Kevin covers safety. Christmas is a peak day for home candle fires, according to the NFPA. In addition, decorative lights start a share of Christmas tree fires every year. Kevin shares the short reminders worth adding to your notice.

Then I jump in with a power strip detail that I think many landlords overlook. It might even belong in your lease. Plus, I share why my grandmother’s house came close to burning down.

We also cover the post-holiday trash pile, guest parking at multifamily properties, and why the holidays are a perfect time to talk about renters insurance.

Decorating Rules, HOAs, and Fair Housing

Decorating is where landlord holiday tips get a little tricky. After all, nobody wants a deflated snowman on the lawn in March. So we talk about what your lease should say about decorations and how to share HOA rules your tenant has probably never read. Most importantly, we explain why your decorating rules must apply equally to every tenant, whatever holiday they celebrate. And yes, Kevin shares whether we decorate our own rentals. His answer may not surprise you.

Tenant Gifts and the IRS $25 Rule

Finally, we get to gifts. We share what we give, how our Sacramento and Idaho tenants respond differently, and a few tips to keep gifts fair and professional. After that, I explain what the IRS lets you deduct for tenant gifts. You may be surprised how long that limit has stayed the same.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What to include in your pre-holiday tenant notice
• Why you need a backup contact before you leave town
• What is, and isn’t, a holiday maintenance emergency
• How holidays can affect rent payments
• The travel reminders that protect your property
• Why a tenant’s travel plans aren’t permission to enter
• The fire safety reminders worth sending every December
• The power strip detail many landlords overlook
• How to handle guests, parking, and the post-holiday trash pile
• How to set decorating rules that are fair to everyone
• Whether you should give tenants a gift, and how to keep it fair
• What the IRS really allows you to deduct for tenant gifts

Key Takeaways

1. Send One Friendly Holiday Notice

Put your availability, backup contact, emergency definitions, rent reminders, and travel tips in one written message. Send it in mid to late November, before everyone gets busy.

2. Never Disappear Without a Backup

If you leave town, tell your tenants who to call. As a result, small problems get handled before they turn into big ones.

3. Make Fire Safety Part of Your Landlord Holiday Tips

Trees, candles, lights, space heaters, and overloaded outlets all peak this time of year. A short, friendly reminder costs you nothing.

4. Apply Decorating Rules Evenly

You can set reasonable rules on size, location, and timing. However, those rules must apply to everyone. Religion is a protected class under the federal Fair Housing Act.

5. Keep Gifts Simple and Consistent

Gifts are optional. If you give one, give every tenant the same gift or one of equal value. Also, keep your receipts, because the IRS caps the deduction.

These landlord holiday tips take a little time now, and they can save you a lot of stress in December. Listen to the full episode for our stories, our checklist, and what we really do for our tenants. Then stay tuned, because in a couple of weeks we’ll share the tenant gifts we actually buy.

Links & References Mentioned in This Episode

Episode 146: Winterize Your Rental Property Before the First Freeze — last week’s episode, which pairs perfectly with this one

Episode 27: Fall’s Checklist: Rental Property Maintenance for a Hassle-Free Winter — our complete fall maintenance checklist episode

Episode 109: Fall Maintenance Recap — our quick fall reminder shorty

Episode 35: Showing Kindness Over the Holidays — our first holiday gift-giving episode, with the follower survey

Episode 2: Improving Tenant Retention and Renewals — where we first talked about renewal incentives

NFPA Winter Holiday Safety: Holiday fire safety tips and statistics

IRS Publication 463: The IRS rules on deducting business gifts

DoorLoop: The landlord management software we recommend for larger portfolios

TurboTenant: Great landlord management software for newer landlords

Avail: Free Landlord Software

Innago: Free landlord software with online rent collection

EZ Landlord Forms: State-specific lease documents, notices, and addendums, including a decorating or power strip addendum

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Legal Disclaimer: Nothing in this episode constitutes personalized legal or financial advice. Always consult a licensed real estate attorney or CPA for guidance specific to your state, city, and situation.