Part of managing a rental property successfully is serving as a good landlord. The best way to get things off on the right foot with new tenants is to begin with a landlord introduction letter.
If you’re not sure what should be included in such a letter, there are some tips to follow to help you form an excellent letter that tenants will appreciate.
What Is a Landlord Introduction Letter?
Starting a good landlord-tenant relationship can make a world of difference during the time a renter occupies your property. This is especially true if you are managing the property yourself, without a property management company.
There’s quite a bit of information that should be included in this type of letter, much of which has to do with contact information and specifics about how the tenant should go about paying rent. A letter should be sent whether tenants are new to your rental property or you are new to it.
Why Write a Landlord Introduction Letter?
One of the main reasons for sending this type of letter is to make sure the tenants know that you, as their landlord, care about them having a good rental experience. The introduction shows that you are making their peace of mind a priority and are happy they are with you.
You can also use the opportunity for a variety of other purposes, including:
- To introduce new management
- To give notice of upcoming maintenance
- To provide a tenant update form
- To direct rent payments
- To verify lease information
In addition, you can use the landlord introduction letter to relay news of any upcoming community events, as well.
What to Include in Your Letter
There are some things that, above all else, should be included in your letter. Make sure that your letter contains these things:
- A warm greeting with your name and contact information
- An introduction to the new management company, if applicable
- Identification of who is in charge to contact in regards to the property
- An explanation of rental payment options
- An explanation of how to submit maintenance requests
The tone of the letter should be one that is warm and welcoming. Let tenants know that you really are excited about building a healthy, transparent business relationship with them. Begin with a personal introduction in which you tell them a little bit about yourself.
A Request for a Short Meeting
Your landlord introduction letter should also indicate that you would like to perform a first-time inspection to meet them in person (if you have not already met them) and to see if they have everything they need.
During this initial meeting, you can see if they have any questions for you, and go over any of the finer details of the lease agreement with them.
A Tenant Update Form
It’s also a good idea to attach a form to the letter to allow tenants to give you the most recent contact information they have, as well as additional information such as pets, vehicles out in the lot that they own, and emergency contacts, as well.
Instructions for Paying Rent
This is the perfect time to include information tenants need to know about paying rent. Provide them with various payment method options, and if you have an online payment portal they should use, make sure to provide clear instructions on how they can use it.
An online payment portal provides many benefits for tenants, which you may want to point out. It’s instant, convenient, allows for access to their account at the touch of a button, and they can even set up automatic payments.
To further encourage tenants to use the online payment system, you can bring to their attention any incentives and rewards they can earn for paying rent online. These might include reporting on-time rent payments to credit bureaus to help boost their scores, earning the ability to waive late fees, and gaining access to small loans to help with rental payments if they get in a pinch.
It’s important that you don’t discredit the importance of a landlord introduction letter and that you take the opportunity to use it both for the tenant’s benefit and for yours.