28th May 2019
Some people think that the best way to be a landlord is to make friends with their tenants. Wrong! They think there might be less problems with the tenant if they considered them a friend as opposed to an authority figure.
In our experience it is always best to keep things professional and at arm’s length. We had a situation a few months ago where a landlord had become close friends with his tenants. He’d been invited round to dinner, and even went to the pub with them. Now in the landlord’s eyes this made for a great relationship because the tenants were nice and friendly, and the landlord never had any issues with them. Until!!! the tenants unfortunately missed paying the rent one month, but didn’t mention anything. After much deliberation, the landlord asked in a friendly way when the rent would come in, and was met with a ‘don’t worry, I’ll sort it out soon enough’ response. After two months of no rent, and a mortgage to pay, the landlord didn’t know how to broach the subject. After much anguish he tried to raise the subject again, but was met with a very non-committal response, and no explanation.
After three months of no rent, and no meaningful communication with the tenant, the landlord contacted me and explained the awkward situation he found himself in. He went on to explain he was having trouble addressing the issue because they had become friends. He asked us to get involved, which we were more than happy to do. As the relationship had broken down, the landlord asked us to become involved long-term.
If you need help with any aspect of your tenant or property management, do get in touch to see how we can help you.
