The majority of renters are pretty reasonable and don’t ask for too much. They understand the contract between the two of you and only make reasonable requests such as for repairs that are needed.
However, there are some tenants who ask for things beyond what would be considered reasonable. Their requests can range from a fresh coat of paint to new flooring or a new light fixture when there is nothing wrong with the old one. While you can be a kind and fair landlord, you are not in the business of being a people pleaser. So how do you manage keeping your tenants happy without giving them everything they ask?
It’s important to make decisions first and foremost that make sense for your rental business. This could mean giving in to some requests to keep quality tenants from leaving, but could also mean saying “no” to other more unreasonable or absurd requests.
The art of saying no.
Saying “no” to a tenant shows them that you’re in control of your business, but be sure to turn down their requests respectfully, clearly and with a solid explanation. Being wishy-washy will leave the door open to them asking again and you’ll just have to keep saying no. Also, keep the focus on the request and not on the tenant so your tenant doesn’t take the “no” personally.
And when you do say “yes” to reasonable requests, your tenants will appreciate it. They will soon understand that they may have been asking too much if their previous requests were turned down.
