Tenant Communication

It can be difficult to create compromise when there are so many personalities and wants involved in a situation.

• Set boundaries

  • “Since your request is not an emergency, I’ll be able to help you and answer your question doing business hours. I will reach out then. Thank you for reaching out!”

  • “Please do not use inappropriate language or swear at me, I’m working to resolve your issue in a timely manner. I will reach out to you when I have an update.”

• Use policies in place

  • “The lease states if you break your lease you will be responsible for rent and utilities until the property is re-rented. I apologize for any inconvenience.”

  • “The company policy is to start the eviction process if there is more than one month’s rent owed.”

• Don’t be afraid to escalate to management

• “What is our solution?”

How to Say "No"

Using synonyms to “no” is a good way to be assertive while being polite:

• Unfortunately

• Regrettably

• I apologize for the inconvenience

• My apologies, but

Bad examples of saying “no”:

• Maybe

• Never going to happen

• I’ll get around to it

De-Escalating & Listening 

-Deep Breath

-Calm yourself and tone

-Take the Conversation slow 

Tips on How to Talk to Owners

• Follow up email or text message

  • Get the conversation in writing during or after you’ve had the conversation.

    • Pull up a draft email, note, or message while on the phone to jot down everything being discussed and decided while on the phone.

    • Send a message with everything discussed so they have an opportunity to review and you have it on the record.

  • Make sure you take notes to which property they’re referring to

• Make sure you know what objective is the most important to them

• Give recommendations/solutions when you’re addressing challenges

  • Firm, but not disrespectful

• If you don’t know, don’t guess

  • You can always ask and problem solve when given an issue.

• Take ownership. What would you do if it was your property?

Owners can be a bit more demanding with your time. You don’t want to think about portfolio size while talking with the owners. The management income should not dictate the amount of time you put into a portfolio. The more properties they have, the more time consuming the units will be. However, you should not neglect owners with fewer units.

How to Say "I don't know"

Getting comfortable with saying I don’t know, but in a professional manner. You want to make sure you’re conveying confidence without having an 

answer to their questions or solutions to their issues.

“I don’t have an answer for you currently, but I can get back to you with one.”

“Let me reach out to xxxxxx and get back to you”

“I can problem solve internally with Riva Ridge management and have an answer for you today or tomorrow”

“That’s a good question, I’ll work on this and provide an update by the end of the week”

Examples of Bad Communication 

Examples of Good Communication