Smart Ideas to Keep Your Residents Happy (and Renting!)
By Jennifer from Rent.com

You know the basics of keeping your renters happy: respond to their needs and concerns in a timely fashion, don’t promise actions you can’t perform, and always follow through on what you say will you do for them. Sometimes, in addition to these standards, however, offering the smallest of kind gestures can go a long way toward retaining your residents — and spreading the word for new ones! Read on for some simple yet memorable ways to wow your renters.
Amp up your professionalism

Tenants, like any customer, like to know that they’re being taken care of by people who know what they’re doing. Make up photo ID tags for member of your team, from property managers to repairmen. Make sure they all have a unified look with the name or logo of your business. That way, when a member of your team comes to their home, tenants feel more comfortable about who they’re dealing with. Also, be sure to have members of your team leave a business card with the tenant, whether they came for a service call or to discuss any other issue.

Practice clever courtesies

For new residents, leaving behind a personally-signed welcome card with takeout menus from local restaurants for their first night starts your tenant relationship off on a very positive note.

A long-standing and successful habit that property owners have used is to leave a bag of microwaveable popcorn on the kitchen counter after a service call with a sticker on it that says, “Just popped in to fix the problem.”

You can also make moving in a little easier by placing sticky notes on areas that a newcomer might have trouble with. You might post instructions on how to operate the microwave, for instance. Anticipating tenants’ questions shows them that you are tuned in to their needs and comforts.

Think about the kids

Doing something for families with kids will always be appreciated. Let the thoughtfulness start in your office. Subscribe to kids’ magazines to keep prospects’ youngsters happy and entertained. You can promote your own properties with floor plan coloring pages that kids will be happy to take home.

When it comes to communications with your tenant, try to include a small toy or game. A deck of cards or other little token is a nice gesture not only to the kids, but also to their parents.

Remember silly holidays

There are as many silly “official” holidays and month-long observances for obscure reasons than you can imagine. You could make use of them by creating gestures around occasions like Triple Ice Cream Scoop Day with a small gift card to a local ice cream shop. June, alone, has National Yo-Yo Day, Upsy-Daisy Day and Eat an Oreo Day. What could be easier? Leaving a card with any one of these small items attached will give your tenant a smile and a warm feeling that someone (you) thought about them.

Say ‘thank you’!
No one likes to be taken for granted—neither landlord nor tenant. Ideally, most all of your tenants are good ones. Be sure to let them know it. No matter what method you employ, be sure to include a ‘thank you for being a tenant’ message in your communications. Nothing creates loyalty like knowing that you are appreciated.

Working hard to get a good tenant doesn’t stop once they’ve signed the lease. To encourage tenants to stay, create a plan to make the small gestures above, or ones that you think of, on a regular basis. Your reward will be a happy, long-term renter who thinks you’re the best landlord they’ve ever had!