Teach Them What They Don't Know

As a kid I didn’t think to worry about house fires or earthquakes and I didn’t know how to plunge a toilet. My mother, however, knew better and once a year would take us on an emergency tour of the house (toilet plunging came later). In case of fire she taught us to drop and roll and to not touch the metal doorknobs. She showed us where the fire extinguishers were and pointed out the green ‘yuck’ sticker that told us who to call if we ate something we weren’t supposed to. We knew about the first aid kits in the hallway closet and in the car. My mother recognized that there are lots of things children don’t inherently know and also recognized that she may not be present for every disaster children may find themselves in, so she taught and prepared us the best she could.

In many ways, tenants are the same way. They may not know what to do if they inadvertently start a kitchen fire or flood the bathroom. It’s unlikely they know the exit strategy for your rental properties. They may question why it’s so important to run the water when temperatures are below freezing. And when it comes to easy house maintenance, there’s no limit to what they don’t know - how to plunge a toilet, how to unclog a drain, how to reset a circuit breaker, how to scrub the tub…you get the idea, and likely know what I’m talking about.

How can you help them to know what they don’t know? Follow my mother’s example and teach them. One idea is to have an interactive meeting once or twice a year to demonstrate how to take care of common and easy-to-do maintenance issues and answer questions related to upkeep and emergencies. Make it fun. No, they will not be excited at the idea of having to come to these meetings, so provide an incentive to let them know it will be worth their while. My mother always had a treat ready for us at the end of the ‘emergency tour.’ Your incentive could be a month of free parking or some sort of prize.