Landlord welcome letter — How to guide

1. Overview

Successful property management begins with good documentation, and you’ll want to give your new tenants as much information as possible to start your renting relationship off on the right foot. A welcome letter can both provide information about your property’s rules and regulations, and add a human touch to an otherwise formal process. 

Use the enclosed document to welcome your tenant and explain his or her responsibilities (rent due date, manner of payment, etc.), provide building management information, emergency contact information, and maintenance request instructions. You can show your new residents that you and your company are professional and reliable and establish expectations on both sides from the start. In every way, this lays the foundation for a great (and long-lasting) landlord/tenant relationship. 

2. Dos & don’ts checklist

1. The enclosed document addresses some of the more general questions that a tenant may have when moving into a new property (e.g., who should I call for general maintenance issues?). If you have more specific questions and answers that you want to include, feel free to do so. 
2. Consider giving this to each new tenant at the time he or she signs the lease. Having this information immediately available can limit follow-up calls or questions. 
3. You may want to spell out the specific events that you consider emergencies in the welcome letter. For example, an overflowing or clogged toilet in a one-bathroom unit, or no heating or air conditioning in extreme temperatures may be considered emergencies. A dripping sink may not. Include any items that you yourself would consider an emergency.
4. The enclosed letter indicates that a signed copy of the move-in checklist that you completed during your walkthrough is enclosed. If you are mailing this letter, make sure that you include this checklist in the envelope.
5. Keep a copy of all correspondence between you and your tenants. It is important to get all of the important terms of the tenancy in writing, no matter how trivial they may initially seem.