Many landlords ask themselves one question- should they gift the tenants. It has some pros and cons, but it depends mainly on the specific situation.
It is December again and very soon the Christmas spirit will fill our hearts. At this time of the year people start making plans for the holidays and consider the gifts they will give their beloved ones. We buy presents for our sweethearts, for relatives, for friends, but what about tenants?! For some of you this may sound strange, but why not to give them gifts, too? Some lessors find this odd as they do not think it appropriate to gift a person who is basically your customer. On the other hand, Christmas holidays are the perfect time of the year to show our gratefulness for our business relationship. It doesn't have to be something huge- a small gift or a card will make them feel happy. It makes sense to buy something, especially if you have found proper tenants, which are paying the rent on time, not making you any troubles and so on. Let's now see the pros and cons and you can then decide whether to add one more present to your shopping list.
Around Christmas we buy presents not only to our wives or girlfriends, but also to colleagues from work, business partners ... and why not tenants. Buy the renters something small and show you appreciate them. One of the benefit is that this simple step may break the ice and promote warmer feelings between you. In the future this will be helpful in case of disputes. Also if the tenant has any doubts about whether to continue living in your rental unit, one nice gift will definitely make him feel better and tip the scales in favour of staying with your instead of leaving. The last tenants I had in my rental property were really adorable. Each time I visited the place, it seemed like they've used professional cleaning services such as exit cleaning. Each rooms was in flawless condition and they were very friendly, too. So, I just felt I should give them something, even if it is something small and to show I respect them as tenants.
Let's now see the other side of the coin and why it may be smart to skip this procedure. In some situations you will have tenants which you don't get on too well with or something in the past left you with bad feelings. So, in this case one gift is very unlikely to improve the situation. But even if there are not any issues with a lessee, some landlords find it inappropriate to buy their tenants presents. The main reason beyond this is the perception that gifts are only for close friends and relatives and not for acquaintances. Other lessors don't want to create the wrong impression and prefer to leave the landlord-tenant relationship only to a business level.
All in all it is up to you to decide what's the best thing to do. So, let me know what are your plans and what is your approach to this situation.
5 Ways to Retrofit an Old Home to Make it Warmer
If you live in an inadequately-insulate old home, you will definitely struggle during the cold winter nights. That's why I am going to help you by sharing 5 ways to improve the ambiance in your property.
How to Notify Tenants that you Plan to Put your Home Up for Sale
If you decide to sell your rental property, but there are tenants currently living in it, you can still show the unit to potential buyers, but first have to inform the renters in advance.
Is it OK to Sign a Month to Month Rental Agreement when Lease Expires
A standard lease contract is signed for one year. When it expires there are two main options for landlords- to renew it or to leave it like this and it will automatically transfer to a month to month lease.
