Tenant Retention: #1 Key To Making Money!
One of the most common mistakes we see with investor property owners is underestimating the importance of tenant retention. As someone who has been managing investment properties for over 12 years and a fellow investor, turnover is the biggest expense an investor can incur. Contrary to popular belief, turnover outpaces routine repairs or maintenance, fees paid to your property manager or even property taxes in terms of cost. Every time a home is vacant it is real money lost that you can never recoup. Lost rent, utilities, make ready costs, leasing/marketing fees and the often-overlooked risks that come with having a vacant home.
3 Ways To Minimize Turnover:
Placing the right tenant for your property
Seems simple but it’s truly an art form. While prospective tenants with 800 credit scores are traditionally safe and look great, there are some negatives. Tenants with great credit soon become home buyers. We prefer to look at the whole picture. For example, Tenant A has great credit, stable income, excellent mortgage history and is coming in with a job transfer. Tenant B has a much lower credit score due to say…unpaid medical bills but does possess good income and long term rental history. Tenant A looks like an easy choice, right? Not necessarily…we would most likely recommend Tenant B (with an additional deposit). The reasons are Tenant B will struggle to buy a home soon. Also, they have excellent income with a long history of renting. Through tracking our tenant compliance and longevity, we have learned that prospects like Tenant B not only stay years longer on average, they actually have a lower lease default rate.
Attentive, Concerned, Communication and Responsive
Long term, good tenants expect this. Might seem obvious but it takes an excellent process, well trained, motivated staff and vendors to meet the expectations of today’s tenants. At Camber, we have a great recipe for tenant success while still working for our investors to keep total cost of ownership to a minimum.
Tailored Renewal Strategy
I often see property managers or investors approaching renewals two ways: They either fail to send them out, allowing tenants to auto-roll month to month at the same rent rate, or they fail to consider all factors before offering a lease extension. At Camber, we look at each home focusing on retaining your tenant and evaluating rental rates. Through preparation and analysis of market conditions, we systematically send fair and reasonable lease renewal offers to your tenants.
We also consider the following during our review:
·What would we realistically get in rent on re-lease?
·How long would it take to secure a new qualified tenant?
·Turnover costs?
·We also review the current tenant’s payment history and how they have cared for your property.
Our experience has shown that a combination of all these factors contributes to successfully renewing your tenants.
At Camber, our core strengths always include matching the proper tenant to your property, ensuring your tenants have an excellent rental experience and working tirelessly towards meeting your goals for the property and keeping your total cost of ownership to a minimum.




