“Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a
while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.” (Kim Hubbard)
I sometimes feel that the same could be said of landlords
about their rental tenants. Landlords love to
tell stories about how they outsmarted their tenants in their latest
dispute. And, conversely, renters love
to do the same.
Example:
Landlord: So my tenants say they want to paint a room…
they can’t even change a light bulb without calling me, and they want me to
trust them to paint my house? Yeah,
right!
Envious Landlord Friend #1: (excitedly) So what did you
say to them?
Landlord: I told them I would graciously allow them to
paint (self-congratulatory pause), but would need to see their handiwork
afterwards; if it’s not up to snuff (and, as you know, I have high standards!),
I would reserve the right to fix their painting and take the cost from their
security deposit. And if a drop of paint
even hits the carpet, I let them know I’d add some new carpet and padding to
their tab. (smug laugh)
EL Friend: Wow!
You really laid down the law!
Landlord: In cases like this, you don’t have a choice;
business instinct just takes over. I
mean, the last time I was inspecting the house, I saw the tenant’s daughter
coloring a picture… her crayon scrawls were completely outside the lines! I hope this isn’t passed down in the genes!
EL Friend: Ha, ha!
I can’t wait to get a rental property so I can have clever stories to
tell at parties like you!
And from the tenant perspective:
Tenant: My landlord is crazy! I want to paint a room and she is giving me
the 3rd degree!
Tenant’s Non-Envious Friend: Well, two can play that game;
call her about changing a light bulb again the next time she goes on vacation…
Tenant (laughing): Right!
And I have a feeling my toilet may be stopped up around midnight
sometime this week…
TNE Friend: Too funny!
But are you sure you want her back in the house after the weird way she kept
staring at your daughter last time?
The landlord-tenant relationship is like any other
relationship. If the landlord chooses to
be vindictive and disrespectful, it will usually become a two-way street
producing unnecessary stress and anger.
And, sadly, it is usually a more expensive venue to take as house
maintenance is then often ignored by the tenant and leases are not renewed.
But what if landlords choose peace and harmony? It’s certainly more profitable! But I know it’s not as sexy and it can make
landlord party stories sort of boring:
Landlord: I sent my tenants a Ruby Tuesday gift card for
renewing their lease again!
Non-Envious Landlord Friend: Hmmm… that’s great, really
great.
And
Tenant: A gift card!
How thoughtful of her! I need to
remember to pick up air filters on our way to Ruby Tuesday’s tomorrow because
it’s about time to install new ones.
Envious Tenant Friend: I wish my landlord showed that he
appreciated me…
There’s a reward for being nice! Unfortunately, it’s not payable by great
stories. But all is not lost! The weather changes all the time so there’s
always something to talk about at parties.
Brett Furniss is the President & Owner of BDF Realty (Charlotte Residential
Property Management), the trusted real estate advisor for Charlotte
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