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Buy Your Tenant Something Nice This Christmas

Written by The Landlord on 20 Dec 2007

Christmas Present I’m a firm believer in treating good tenants like they’re good tenants, otherwise what’s the point of them being a good tenant?

I’ve spoken about this before; i’ve mentioned how precious good tenants are; this article is just an emphasise on the point. Good Tenants shouldn’t be taken for granted. Trust me, I know, because i’ve dealt with some complete and utter dipshit tenants before, and the only positive I managed to squeeze out of them was that they truly made me appreciate those tenants that stand on the other side of the spectrum.

It is incredibly easy to end up with tenants that:

don’t pay rent on time
don’t pay rent. period
don’t report important maintenance problems e.g leaks
don’t treat your property like a home e.g keeps the place messy, eats off the carpet

Have you ever stopped to think about how lucky you are to have tenants that don’t do any of the above? Well, you should.

I’ve spoken to a few other landlords about this, and they think it’s unnecessary and somewhat unprofessional to buy a tenant a Christmas present, regardless of how good they are. I, of course, completely disagree.

The general arguments opposing my beliefs are:

a landlord and tenant relationship should be strictly platonic, and by buying a present you go that little bit too far.
the money will be wasted. If your tenants are good, they won’t stop being good if you don’t buy them a Christmas present.

Granted, I do agree, that a truly good tenant will remain a good tenant even if you don’t buy them a present. However, that’s besides the point- it’s Christmas, afterall. The point is that it’s nice to make someone realise you’re aware of their decency, and you do appreciate their prompt payments and cleanliness.

People should get rewarded for good deeds. If my tenant is acting as a good tenant, I see no reason why I shouldn’t show a little appreciation, even if it is just once a year. If I work my ass off during my full-time job, it would go a long way if my boss noticed and consequently rewarded me. I think tenants deserve the same kind of recognition.

You don’t have to spend a fortune, a little something will go along way. Remember, it’s the thought that counts.

I have a really good relationship with 2 of my tenants. We have good conversations on regular occassions, and as far rental payments goes- never been a day late. Most importantly, they treat my property like a home.

I purchased a bottle of Moet for each of my 2 appreciated tenants. They cost £30 each. Is that expensive? Not at all considering what they’ve done for me. I see it as an investment. Employees are valuable assets to a company, and that’s exactly what tenants should be to landlords. Invest in people.

What are the potential benefits of showing appreciation to your tenant?

your tenant will continue to treat your property like a home
it will improve your relationship with your tenant, which is never a bad thing
you’ve given your tenant more incentive to continue renting from you
your tenant will respect you that little bit more
your tenant will be made aware of the fact you recognise that they’re good tenants

So my advice is, reward your good tenants this Christmas with something a little bit nice. If you decide to splash out on your tenants, I’d love to hear what you’ve got them, no matter how big or small. If you’re unfortunate enough to have the bottom of the barrel, useless, freeloaders as tenants, then you can similarly send them what they deserve, a bag’o'shit:

Bag of shit
Have a great Christmas everyone!

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2 Comments - join the conversation...

Dr Nogood2009-03-03 23:28:11 Hum, I satisfy the credentials of a good tenant (quite right too!), but I must admit I would find a gift from my landlord inappropriate (he is like a lawyer, policeman, dentist: I don't care what you do just do it right and don't screw me!). I would compare him to an estate agent but that would be too easy and probably insulting.

He probably can't afford one now anyway given his mortgage arrears and negative equity... 1

Rob Stott2010-11-21 13:44:43 we are good tenants .repaired the some faults with the property fixed the fence put light back up in the bathroom ,keep our daft dog in a cage ,only every asked for the chimmney to be opened to sole the major damp issues ,now all we get is abuse recorded it now may put on you tube if you like neibours rung enviromentle heath on land lord ,what can we do ,moaning at how i park me car now, 2