No matter how you interact with your tenant and receive property payments, COVID-19 has disrupted many business exchanges. People all over the world are now highly advised to keep contact as minimal as possible. This can pose a challenge for many businesses. Although we’re advised to make more cautious decisions, companies are finding many ways in which they can continue workflow and productivity. These innovations apply to the realm of property management. We discuss and provide some tips and solutions that we deem will be helpful for both landlords and tenants. Let’s take a look!
First Things First: Set a Plan
No one can predict when worldwide disruptions are going to happen. Albeit, we can contribute to properly managing property and collecting mortgage by making a plan of action. Forming an actionable, specific plan that can be enacted at your property(s) can be helpful to your situation. This plan can include information regarding what to do when a health emergency is affecting your asset, some of the best practices for sanitation, who establishes official decisions and contracts, and an overview of what resources are available and operation hours (if they have been altered). Being as specific as possible, a plan is guaranteed to provide your tenant with the information they need.
Stay On Top of Communication
In a time where it feels like everything is out of control, you can ease your tenant and customer relations by consistently touching base with them. Check your email, your text messages, your invoice as much as possible throughout your workday. With many businesses having to move their services online, this means that business personnel are expected to stay on top of their communication with clients. Minimizing potential issues can easily be taken care of when you communicate with your tenant and professional team as much as possible.
Clean Your Facility Regularly
If you are meeting with your tenants at your office, it is important that you reinforce cleanliness and sanitation within your facility. This is for the safety of both the tenant and your work team. You can make it a part of your daily tasks for your employees to wipe down tables, doorknobs, and other frequently touched surfaces to make both you and the tenant more comfortable during business interaction. If the show must go on, it should be done the right way!
Move Showings to Online Viewings
Many property managers have been reconsidering the ways in which they go about the property showing process to prospective tenants and interested renters. To be extra safe, it might be a good idea to move viewings online and assist your clients accordingly. You can host virtual meetings, upload photos and videos, or even conduct self-showings to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Technology has made a rise in all businesses, but we think that as it plays out in the real estate industry, this can further help landlords to feel safe while displaying property to prospective tenants.
Consider Changing Renewal Policies
Now more than ever is the time where we need to stay at home as much as possible and this includes tenants. If you want to keep your tenant from moving out of the property so quickly, you might want to extend renewal policies and hold off on rent increases so that they have more time to consider their options. Furthermore, it might be best to handle renewals remotely. You can send forms to your tenant through email or through any other digital form that way you don’t have to exchange documents in person.
Perform Emergency Repairs Only
If your tenant is asking you to permit them to have repairs done within their home, you might want to discuss only have emergency repairs to be conducted. This is all in the effort to keep everyone safe, healthy, and to suspend all non-essential repairs for now. If you have to enter a unit, consider asking your tenant to kindly step into a separate room to have the emergency repairs done. Some emergency repairs classify as:
- Leaking pipes
- Broken furnace or AC
- Broken washing machine or dyer
- Roof leak
- Gas or noxious fumes
- Growing mold
- Broken kitchen appliances
- Plumbing and sewage draining
- Power outage
- Fire or smoke damage
Work With a Safe and Precautious Team of Professionals
Here at Reliant Property Management, we are taking up extra efforts in order to further eliminate COVID-19 from the homes of our tenants and from our facility. Contact us today to learn more about how we are continuing business through the shelter-in-place order.
