We are always telling owners why it’s better to work with a professional Tampa property management company than trying to self-manage the home. We’ve made that case in many blogs and informational articles, and today we want to talk about tenants and why the best renters in Tampa would prefer to rent a professionally managed home.
It really comes down to trust.
You’ve probably had run-ins with your share of bad tenants, and you never want to repeat those experiences. Remember that tenants have their own horror stories of terrible landlords, and they’re hesitant to rent from someone they’re not sure they can trust.
Professional Tampa property management companies provide peace of mind to tenants as well as owners. Let’s explore why professionally managed homes are more attractive to good tenants.
Efficient and Transparent Leasing in Tampa
Tenants will often know a property is professionally managed just by looking at the advertising. For starters, there’s usually a logo or contact information that’s attached to a professional office.
At Hoffman Realty, we are often asked by prospective tenants about our management practices. They want to know if we’re responsive to maintenance emergencies and whether they can pay rent on time. They can also tell by our well-written listings and our professional photos that we are a serious business that can be trusted to provide outstanding service.
Tenants Value Responsiveness and Availability
Many tenants have had at least one landlord in their past who could not be reached when there was a plumbing disaster in a bathroom in the middle of the night or a tree that came down through the roof during a windstorm. Individual landlords have trouble being available 24 hours a day, and tenants know that. They’d prefer to work with a company that is available around the clock.
There’s also a better response when these emergencies occur. A new landlord won’t necessarily have the tools and resources required to find a vendor at the last minute. Professional managers have trusted lists of preferred vendors who can respond immediately and do excellent work.
A few years ago, our team got a call from a tenant at 2:00 in the morning on a Sunday. She had been out with friends on Saturday night and when she opened her door, she watched her shoes float down the hallway. There were six inches of water in her condo, and it all came spilling out when she tried to get inside.
We also managed a unit in a building where an air conditioning contractor was on the roof and stepped on a sprinkler, causing water to rain down on all of the units in the building.
Professional property management companies know how to respond quickly, and tenants feel better about that.
Tenants and Trust: Customer Service Matters
While tenants often prefer property management companies, they want a company that’s responsive and trustworthy. A large corporate management company might be off-putting to some tenants who fear they’ll just be a rent check and not an actual person. A good management company will develop and maintain a professional and respectful relationship with their tenants, providing the security and the resources that private landlords don’t have.
Beware of Tenants Who Don’t Want Professional Management
If you come across a tenant who would prefer not to work with a professional Tampa property management company, it’s probably for one of these reasons:
- They have past evictions.
- They have terrible credit.
- They plan to violate the lease (aggressive breed dogs, drug activity, smoking, unauthorized residents, etc.)
- They don’t have any positive rental references
Private landlords are less likely to screen thoroughly and their rental standards aren’t often as strict as those of a management company. Bad tenants know they can’t get away with anything when they rent from a professional manager.
If you’d like to talk more about this topic or anything pertaining to Tampa property management, please contact us at Hoffman Realty.