Holding on to Good Tenants

By E-Renter Tenant Screening
Posted on February 15, 2013 under Eviction, Lease and Rental Agreements | Be the First to Comment

Even in a good rental market, it’s important to hold onto good tenants. What defines a “good tenant?” Well, nobody’s perfect, but if your tenant pays the rent on time, follows your rules and doesn’t cause any problems, that’s pretty close!

But good tenants sometimes fall short, and it can be tempting to draw the line and get rid of them in favor of an even better tenant. Or you might just cross your fingers and hope they move at the end of the lease.

Unless a tenant is breaking the terms of the lease by paying rent late, keeping pets that aren’t allowed, smoking or making too much noise (or any of the long list of grievances landlords have against their tenants), it might be worth your while to let them stay or to entice them to renew their lease.

Keeping good tenants is just good business. Turnover costs money. When a unit is empty, it creates no income. In the meantime, you still have associated overhead costs. Taxes, mortgage expense, lawn service and interest will go on after the tenant leaves. It might not take long to get a new tenant, but then again, it could be a month, two months or longer.

Getting new tenants costs money, too. You’ll need to clean the unit, have the carpets professionally cleaned, touch up the paint (or do a complete repaint) and do all the necessary repairs. Plus, you’ll need to advertise the rental, conduct tenant screening on applicants, and take the time to show the unit.

Empty units look bad to existing and potential tenants. Your other tenants may wonder why others are leaving. Prospects may see “for rent” signs in front of your property too frequently and wonder what’s wrong.

On the other hand, stable tenants mean a stable property. Stability is very valuable in the long run, both financially and in terms of landlord sanity!

While no landlord or property manager should ever allow tenants to pay the rent late, break the terms of the lease or walk all over you, good tenants are worth keeping.