Setting boundaries is essential for maintaining healthy relationships and managing interactions, especially in professional settings like property management.
But, setting boundaries can be one of the most difficult things for any of us to do. For some reason many people don’t feel that it is fair to limit their access to their tenants. I have been told that tenants need to be able to reach the landlord whenever there is a problem. Or the landlord worries that the tenant won’t be happy and will move if they don’t have instant access to the property manager.
While tenants needs to have “access” to you, I can assure you that thinking that your tenants need unlimited access to you will lead to a lot more stress and anxiety.
What does “having access” mean to you? Really think about that!
Does that mean the tenant must be able to talk to you whenever they want? To me, it doesn’t. As long as the tenant can put in a work order either through a property management system or with a text or email, that is perfectly fine.
I want you to think about what boundaries you have for your business. If you don’t really have boundaries, why not? Remember, this is a business, even if you “only have one property.” Your time and sanity are important. Setting the tone right from the start is very important.
- Do you have specific operating hours?
- Do you have after hours emergency protocol?
- Do you have standard operating protocols to deal with different situations?
We will talk more about these things in another post.