Master Communication: Housing Officers and Tenants Working Seamlessly

Imagine how different Harry Potter’s journey would’ve been if as early as book one he’d asked Professor Dumbledore about the time turner? Nip back in time, prevent Voldemort from killing his parents, and prevent a lifetime of tragedy and suffering. Just one conversation could’ve changed the entire story drastically.

Communication is vital, not only to move things along swiftly but to help resolve issues, build trust and help avoid misunderstandings. It’s a key component to managing expectations on both sides and promotes better tenant experiences.

Relationships between tenants and landlords or social housing officers can degrade at the speed of light when communication isn’t regular and open. In this article, we explore ways you can keep the channels of communication flowing between you and your tenants.

Be transparent and clear

Critical to maintaining a good relationship, ensure that you’re using clear, concise and familiar vernacular to your tenants. Nothing can stop a conversation faster than being put on the back-foot.

Establish omnichannel communication

Your tenants should know that you are available to them to talk to. Ensure that you have shared your contact information and that you have omnichannel communication in place for your tenants. It’s important that your tenants can reach you when needed using the platform that they prefer. Make it easy for them to contact you.

Keep your tenants informed

There’s nothing more disruptive than having one of your services interrupted due to maintenance or repair. Ensure that you have shared your repair schedules and contractor information with tenants in advance and that you remind them of any repairs or maintenance a few days ahead of time. This will go a long way to mitigating any problems and minimise inconvenience to your tenants.

Check-in regularly

A great way to build trust is to check in periodically with your tenants without needing to inform them of policies or repairs. This can be done through holiday greetings or season changes. You could start a circular for the community or implement an email campaign. These steps show your tenants you’re available, invested and care about their community.

Respond to questions quickly

Your tenants should be treated respectfully and with empathy. This means keeping them informed when things go wrong, and ensuring that they have the information needed to rest assured their problem is being resolved. Likewise, questions or general enquiries should be responded to quickly.

Get feedback regularly

Use tenant feedback surveys to get regular input from your tenants. This is not only essential for tenant retention but also for proactively solving problems such as community safety (particularly around antisocial behaviours) or maintenance issues before they become issues.

If you’re unsure of when the best time to survey is or even what to ask, Smoke Customer Intelligence can help you by reviewing your tenant journey and identifying key touchpoints for interactions. Our personalised approach enables us to give you expert advice and deep insight into your tenant's needs and the data you need to keep the conversation flowing like butterbeer.