hi all,
i know there is no sentiment in business and we all hate spending money, but i was thinking of sending my tenants a xmas card with a little voucher in this year. is this the right thing to do, or do you experts have any other ideas or are property investors damn right scrooges.

kind regards richard martin

I am sure they would appreciate a Christmas card with a few kind words in it. Don't know whether I would give them money. A a bottle of plonk is more nondescript feels different and has a more rounded sentiment somehow. You have to be careful as you crossing the friend / business boundary which I think doesn't help with tenant / landlord relations and might get awkward when you forget next year. They will probably be amazed you sent them a tidy card. You have to do what you feels right to you.. instinct is the best judge. if you feel you should you probably should. It is hard not to get involved in your first few properties but as time goes by they end up as four walls, maintenance and income. Everytihing else goes to the side of the road.

I still bribe my students every year with booze. Don't send them a chrimbo card but when the student accommodation list comes out in jan I say the houses have to be spotless and if the properties rent straight away there will be a few crates for them in it. It works well and I don't waste much time signing up new tenants.

John

When I first went to work for a housing management company many years ago an old stager there gave me some advice.
"never get pally with the tenants as too many of them mistake kindness for weakness."
Over the years I've unfortunately realised what good advice this was.
So dont do it. Keep them at arms length and maintain a business relationship.

In my opinion I think a card and small gift (whatever you feel appropriate) is a nice gesture that makes a tennant think that you do care, I have two tennants at the moment who have spent alot of their own money redecorating/carpeting my properties because that want them to feel like homes rather than "stop gaps". This inturn leads to long term rental. These tennants will be getting Christmas cards and small gifts this year. So go on even if it's just a Christmas card.

Richard,

I don't even send my relatives Christmas cards, but I do make a point of phoning them regularly, and visiting them when I can (except my sisters in Australia!).

I agree that generosity can be misconstrued as weakness, so that's also a negative.

When I visit my tenants, if it doesn't take too long, I have occasionally taken them a little present (a cuddly toy for a little girl, for example), but I have only ever visited tenants when there is an important reason to do so (eg. it took me over 3 months to resolve a boiler problem because of a useless agent, so I had to step in and take control).

Think, selfishly, about your own time. In the time it takes you to deliver niceties for your existing tenants, you could be providing adequate housing for another family by using the same time to buy another property. That's how I justify it, anyway.

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hi all,
thank you so much for your replies, i will be sending a card and nothing else. cheers richard

I think well worded Christmas Cards are highly appropriate. I am also a great believer in sending flowers, chocolates and balloons on completion and special occasions (I send at least 1 bunch a week). The impact is priceless.

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I would agree with that Phillip, I send a "welcome to your new home" card to my tenants when they move in. The last lad put it up on display with the others so he was obviously pleased. All I want is for my tenants to feel at home and stay forever (and pay the rent of course) so I think it helps. He'll get a Christmas card too!

having once been tenants ourselfs many years ago,we always send our tenants xmas cards and always look after them all year round,which we pride ourselfs on being good landlords,agree with yvonne we always leave a bottle of wine and a welcome to your new home card

what can i say, thank you all so much for your replies. so maybe on this occasion there is sentiment in business. thank you richard