Communication is very important for landlords and tenants

On Behalf of | Apr 17, 2020 | Landlord/Tenant Matters

Want to make a landlord/tenant relationship go smoothly? No matter which side of the equation you’re on, there is one simple key: communication.

So many issues happen just because of a lack of communication. Say there is a problem with the property that the tenant thinks is dangerous. They don’t communicate what it is until someone gets hurt, and then they’re frustrated about it, but the landlord never had any idea there was an issue and was never given a chance to fix it. They feel like they couldn’t have done anything differently.

Or, say that the tenant does not pay the rent on time. The landlord is angry and begins wondering if they’ll need to evict them, when it turns out that they never communicated the manner in which the rent was supposed to be paid. The tenant wanted to pay but didn’t know if they should mail a check, pay through an app with a credit card or just hand the landlord cash the next time they saw them.

When considering effective communication, honesty and transparency need to be the focus. Respect is also important, as is treating people fairly, and that goes both ways. Landlords and tenants may even want to sit down and have a conversation about the best ways to communicate that work for both of them, whether that means phone calls, text messages, social media messages, physical letters, emails or something else entirely.

Communication can help, but it will not prevent all disputes and issues between landlords and tenants. When these crop up, those involved need to know their legal rights.

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