Best Ways to Communicate With Tenants: Email, Text, or Call

To successfully manage property, effective communication is critical. 

When managing one rental unit or a large portfolio of rental properties, a property manager or landlord relies on communication to coordinate maintenance and repairs, explain lease terms, collect rent, handle disputes, and establish strong relationships with tenants.

Technology has greatly expanded the options for communication. Email, text messaging, and phone conversations have become the primary means of communication within rental housing. 

Determining which method of communication will be used in any one instance is neither a one-time-only decision nor a decision that can be made only after the fact.

This article, by C&C Property Management discusses the advantages and disadvantages of email, text messaging, and telephone in managing a rental property, as well as the best ways landlords can communicate with their tenants. 

The Importance of Communication in Property Management

Communication plays an important role in virtually every aspect of the landlord-tenant relationship. 

Good communication will:

• Avoid misunderstandings.
• Enhance tenant experience.
• Promote compliance with lease agreements.
• Help resolve maintenance issues more quickly.
• Establish lives of trust and professionalism.



Advantages of Using Email

Creates a Dependable Written Record

Documentation is one of the greatest strengths of email. Email will be able to provide a written record of conversations related to lease terms, maintenance requests, payment arrangements, and notices/agreements to refer back to if there are any disputes in the future.

Ability to Provide Detailed Explanations

Email is particularly well-suited to dealing with any complex issues that might require explanation and/or one or more documents to be attached. 

Some examples of these types of issues include lease renewals, move-out instructions, maintenance policies, and inspection scheduling. In most cases, longer emails tend to provide better organization and comprehension than longer text messaging.

Professional Tone

Emails lend themselves to a more formal style of communication. This formal tone can help landlords establish and maintain professional boundaries, which should lead to less emotionally charged conversations.

Disadvantages of Email

Slower Response Times

Younger tenants tend to check their email less frequently than older tenants do. Email is not a great way to communicate urgent issues, as they may go unnoticed for hours or even days.

Messages Can Be Missed

Emails can often be sent to the spam folder or become lost in a large volume of other communication. If there are no established follow-up procedures, the potential of missing critical information could also exist.

Less Effective in Emergencies

In general, email is an ineffective means of communicating urgent maintenance issues (e.g., flooding, power outages, air conditioning failure in extreme temperatures, safety/security issues). All of these situations require a quicker method of communication.



Text Messaging Advantages

Fast Response

Messages sent via text have been shown to have a quicker read rate compared to emails. Because of this, text messaging has proven to be so effective when being used to deliver quick reminders, appointment confirmations, maintenance updates, and time-sensitive notices.

Convenience for Tenants

Most tenants prefer to communicate via text because using text messaging appears to be an easier and more conversational method of communication. 

Frequently asked questions and other quick questions can be answered quickly, efficiently, and informally, and don’t require a long-form email exchange or lengthy phone conversation.

Great for Short Messages

Because of the nature of text messaging, it works particularly well for short, quick pieces of information. Text messaging is often a more efficient way to send short updates than emailing.

The Challenges of Using Texting

Lack of Formality

Due to the informal nature of texting, it is important to create a structure and guidelines for proper use. When you use this style of communication, the recipient can misinterpret what you are saying.

Difficulty in Tracking Information Over the Long-Term

Most people tend to have long-term conversations via text message. Unlike e-mail systems, it is difficult to track conversation threads with text messages over the long term. Therefore, important information can be lost among large conversation threads.

Difficulties with Maintaining Boundaries

Some property owners feel obligated to respond immediately to text messages at any hour. Without an agreed-upon structure for communication, texting is likely to make professional boundaries unclear and increase pressure and anxiety for the property owner.



Benefits of Phone Calls

Emergencies

Phone calls can often be one of the quickest and most effective means of communication in urgent situations due to their ability for floods, fire, security issues, heating, and cooling failures. Real-time communication also allows for immediate clarification and quicker decisions.

Emotionally Sensitive Situations

While written communication has its place, certain subjects are better suited to face-to-face discussion, as in the case of lease violations, payment problems, neighbor disputes, and conflict resolution. 

Tone of voice is also an excellent way to alleviate misunderstanding and show empathy better than with a written message.

Immediate Clarification of Questions

A phone call reduces the amount of time wasted in “going back and forth” over an issue because you receive an answer to your question immediately.

Disadvantages of Phone Calls

Limited Record Keeping

Unless calls are documented after being made, verbal conversations can lead to discrepancies regarding what happened during them.

Difficult Scheduling

Tenants and landlords often have conflicting schedules. Therefore, phone calls may not be the best way to communicate in many situations, whereas email or text messaging provides a method of communication not in real-time.

Emotional Escalation Risks

When there is disagreement or emotion involved, phone calls may escalate emotionally if either party is not able to maintain their cool.

Choosing the Best Communication Method

Successful landlords do not always utilize only one method of communication. Rather, they strategically utilize multiple methods of communication based upon factors such as urgency, complexity, need for documentation, tenant’s preferred method, and professionalism.

Final Thoughts

Although landlords and tenants communicate through email, text messages, and phone calls, all are valuable means of communicating with each other. There is no single best means of communicating with one another. 

However, by understanding how to provide multiple modes of communication in a manner that meets the needs of both parties, landlords will effectively utilize their various means of communication.

 If you want more information about landlord-tenant communication contact C&C Property Management today!