What's the best way to manage tenant requests?

1 Set clear expectations

One of the best ways to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts with your tenants is to set clear expectations from the start. Make sure your lease agreement covers all the essential terms and conditions, such as rent, security deposit, utilities, repairs, maintenance, insurance, subleasing, and termination. Explain your policies and procedures for handling tenant requests, such as how to submit them, how long it will take to process them, and who to contact in case of emergencies. Communicate regularly with your tenants and update them on any changes or developments that may affect them.

2 Use a tenant portal

A tenant portal is a web-based platform that allows your tenants to access information and services related to their lease online. It can also help you streamline and automate the management of tenant requests. With a tenant portal, your tenants can easily submit requests, track their status, pay rent, view invoices, download documents, and communicate with you and your staff. You can also use a tenant portal to store and organize tenant data, generate reports, send notifications, and collect feedback. A tenant portal can save you time, money, and hassle, while enhancing your tenant experience and retention.

3 Prioritize and delegate

Not all tenant requests are equally urgent or important. Some may require immediate attention, such as a broken pipe or a security breach. Others may be less critical, such as a minor cosmetic issue or a preference change. To manage tenant requests effectively, you need to prioritize and delegate them according to their nature and impact. You can use a system of categories, labels, or statuses to sort and assign requests to the appropriate staff members or contractors. You can also set deadlines and reminders to ensure timely and quality completion.

4 Follow up and follow through

Managing tenant requests is not only about responding to them, but also about following up and following through. You need to make sure that your tenants are satisfied with the outcome and that the issue is resolved. You also need to keep track of the progress and performance of your staff or contractors who are handling the requests. You can use a tenant portal or other tools to update your tenants on the status of their requests, request feedback, and confirm completion. You can also use a tenant portal or other tools to monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of your request management process.

5 Learn and improve

Managing tenant requests is also an opportunity to learn and improve your commercial leasing business. By collecting and analyzing tenant feedback, data, and metrics, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your request management process, as well as the needs and preferences of your tenants. You can use this information to make adjustments and improvements to your policies, procedures, systems, and services. You can also use this information to anticipate and prevent future issues, as well as to create and offer value-added solutions that enhance your tenant satisfaction and loyalty.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?