Property Management Wisdom: Pass That Peace Pipe with your Tenant

If you're feeling mad as a wet hen,
Mad as you can possibly get, then
Pass that peace pipe, bury that tomahawk
Like those Chichamecks, Cherokees,
Chapultepec's do.
That cold shoulder never solved a single complaint.
When you're older, you'll wipe off all of that war paint.

(Hugh Martin - Pass That Peace Pipe Lyrics | MetroLyrics)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCNa-AT9hOQ&feature=player_embedded

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.

Proverbs 3:13-17 NIV

When I was a younger property manager starting out in Charlotte, I was all about the letter of the law (or in this case, the lease).  “Follow it, or else!”  “According to section 7.6, you are in breach of contract!  Better get a lawyer!”  “No payment yet?  I’m sick of excuses!”

Property management can turn you into an ugly person.  It’s really set up in a way that promotes divisiveness.  Property managers are in one corner sparring for the owner’s (their client’s) interests.  The tenant is fighting to protect their interests.  Who pays to replace a burned out light bulb?  You do!  No!  The thing was already burned out when I moved in!  You should pay!

What I’ve found over the years is that being a stickler and jerk isn’t effective.  It’s bad policy, both professionally and personally.   

Through the years (much like King Solomon’s advice above), I’ve found the wise path is to take actions that promote pleasantness and peace, whenever possible.  It’s more profitable and much less stressful!

To keep the peace, keep the following in mind:   

1.  When e-mails start getting negative, stem the tide and pick up the phone.  The game of “who is smarter/snarkier” in e-mails with your tenant is a game of LOSERS played by LOSERS.  If you must, save your “clever writing” for a novel (or your property management blog).  

2.  “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” (Stephen Covey).  We argue about problems.  Problems need solutions.  Listening to the tenant’s needs and thoughts provides more information to formulate peaceable solutions with.  Enough said.

3.  Real professionals come up with compromises that can work for both parties.  This is where property management becomes art, as opposed to robotic, Draconian ruthlessness.  No one said property management has to be a zero sum game where one party loses and the other wins. He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

So, bury the hatchet and try to work issues out nicely.  Pass the peace pipe with your tenant and enjoy the rewards!

Brett Furniss is the head property manager of BDF Realty (Charlotte Residential Property Management), the trusted real estate advisor for Charlotte landlords & Home of $100 Flat Fee Property Management.   BDF Realty utilizes their innovative Pod System for exceptional customer service in residential property management, home repairs, and home sales for single-family homes, condos, and town homes in the Charlotte-Metro Area.  Contact Us Today!