Are you a Good Landlord?

Good landlords are brilliant. They are kind, caring people who make the world a better place while providing a valuable product to people who need it. We don't often hear about the good ones because the bad ones hog all the attention. The bad ones are certainly more interesting to read about.

But lets talk about you, the good landlord! At True Property Management we always assume that you are one of the 'good guys', and if not, then we will try our best to guide you in that direction.

I can't remember where I came across this this is a great simile: "A good landlord is like a bartender!" (A GOOD bartender that is.) Which is so true, they are not hounding you when you don't need a drink. But when you do need one, they are quick at providing you with great service and a great product. 

So what makes a great bartender landlord?

They are easy to deal with:

That means they will answer their phone, they are friendly to talk to, and they will do what they say, when they say it. Tenants won't be waiting around for hours hoping that they will show up sometime today.

This is also important in times of hardship for the tenant, maybe a family crisis means that the rent is late. As long as there's a good relationship - and it's a rare occasion - then working with the tenants to sort it out goes a long way.

Respect

They respect the tenant and the property. A good landlord will keep the property in good condition with regular maintenance. They don't let the little things slide year after year. That cracked tile in the bathroom now doesn't seem big deal, but let enough water get under it, and then it's a much bigger problem for both tenants and landlords.

They also respect tenants time and position. If the tenants have 3 young kids, a good landlord wouldn't scheduled a house inspection at 8am on the Monday after the school holidays. Just like the bartender staying out of your way when you don't need them. A landlord will stay out of the away of their tenants and not just 'pop round' every week.

Up front

An upfront landlord is worth a million. We would all appreciate a landlord explaining previous issues with the house or environment.  In this way if the issue comes up again, no one is surprised and tenants and landlords can work together to resolve it. 

In writing

A good landlord puts it all in writing, the lease, the house inspections, any changes to the lease etc. If it's in writing, then everyone knows where they stand and there are no issues, and it can be enforced later on if needs be.

Fair and reasonable

What's one of the biggest gripes about landlords? Yip the bond, and what is considered 'normal wear and tear'. The bad landlords seem to see this bond as easy money they can use to upgrade or maintain the house, not to use for genuine damage. This is not the case with a good landlord who use the band for genuine reasons.

So do you consider yourself a good landlord? Can you honestly say you can say "Yes I do all of these?" If not, what do you need to work on?