When you own a mobile home park, dealing with your tenants can be tricky. Everyone has different personal habits. If their behavior gets to a point where they disrupt other tenants or violate the rules of the mobile home park, they can become insulted when they are told a change is necessary.
If you own a mobile home park, establishing a good relationship with your tenants will make communication easier so that they will be more willing to comply with requests and regulations. Here are some general tips for how you can start off on the right foot and continue in promoting a healthy relationship with your tenants.
Don’t Be So Quick to Take Legal Action
Many times tenants will act in a way that is disruptive to your mobile home park community. If they violate the rules of the park, you may be able to fine them. However, this should always be your last course of action.
Fining a tenant is a hassle and will lead to bad relations in the future. Often, problems can be solved by simply telling a tenant that what he or she is doing is violating regulations and asking them to take steps to correct their behavior. Remember, you catch more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar!
Establish a Personal Connection
It’s also important to establish a personal connection with your clients from the beginning. This will let them know that there is someone there who cares about their well-being.
An owner doesn’t always live on the park property and sometimes they may not even live in the city or state where the property is located. In this case, let your presence be known among the tenants. Sending handwritten thank you notes, making regular visits and holding quarterly, in-person meetings are all good ways to do this.
Managing Community Reputation
Today, the internet is a popular way to find out more about a business or organization and that’s why it’s so important to stay on top of your online reputation.
Bad reviews happen and, while there’s little you can do to get rid of them, there are ways you can handle them to protect your reputation. Always respond promptly so that the tenant knows they are being paid attention to.
Immediately follow up on bad reviews with a personal meeting that is handled as pleasantly as possible. A lot of things are best resolved face to face. If you decide to take this course of action, be sure to comment online to let anyone reading know that you are working offline to get the matter taken care of.
Working with people can be difficult, especially when you are dealing with the way they live their lives. Taking a personal approach and being as caring and friendly as possible are all good ways to create a positive relationship between you and your tenants. This will make for a pleasant, long-lasting situation for everyone involved.
Let us know how you handle your relationship with your mobile home park tenants!