Jingle Bells: Tenant Christmas Gift Ideas

Rolanda Eldridge

Investor/Realtor · Hoover, AL · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 459 votes

11y

Great ideas!

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Nik S.

OH · Member since 2014 · 454 posts · 227 votes

11y

@Troy Fisher GREAT suggestion. Incentives always helps facilitate positive motives, at least we hope for that!

Thanks again

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Brant Richardson

Investor · Santa Barbara, CA · Member since 2013 · 658 posts · 315 votes

11y

I remember reading a survey somewhere and the gift preferred by tenants was cash, by a long shot. So my feeling is that something as close to cash as possible,like a grocery store gift card, is the way to go. I like the "Turkey is on us" idea, makes the grocery store gift card a lot less generic.

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Jennifer T.Pro Member

Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes

11y

For those of you talking about Target gift cards, they are having a Black Friday sale...both in stores and online...where you can buy Target gift cards for 10% off between 6AM-noon.

I have given Costco boxes of chocolate in the past...1 lb. box of truffles for $11 ;)...but I like the suggestion of a grocery gift card for a Thanksgiving turkey/Christmas ham. I might do both this year.

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Pavel Sakurets

Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2014 · 332 posts · 74 votes

11y

Originally posted by @Stephen E.:

Well, we are getting around to the most wonderful time of the year and that means tenant Christmas gifts. I know some Scrooge like landlords skimp on this but I am convinced that Christmas gifts build good will and are appropriate. Besides it gives me an opportunity to visit with the tenant and build the relationship. So Christmas gifts are here to stay. But then there is the question of what to give. In the past I have given gift baskets from Costco, the ones that are a wrapped collection of coffee, chocolate, cookies or similar. Costs range from $20-30+. I have also given wine, iTunes gift cards (for younger tenants) but none seemed to have been as successful as the one I came up with last year: movie tickets. Everybody loves movie tickets and when they are used to go to the theater the experience causes the tenant to think positively of the landlord as providing something nice. Costco Canada has two adult movie tickets with pop and popcorn included for around $25. A kid's ticket with a kid's combo of pop and popcorn is around $10. Lots of advantages to these: they are affordable, they can all be bought in the same place all at once, and the vouchers are easy to carry around. No car full of gift baskets or similar.

So that is how I plan on doing it but I welcome other good ideas. How many BPers are planning on providing their tenants with Christmas gifts? What are you planning to give? I was going to buy the movie tickets in a couple of weeks and start setting up visits shortly after but if there are ideas that are much better I will go with them.

BTW, for any complaining about Christmas coming too early and other bah humbug sentiments, I sing in a church choir and we are rehearsing Christmas music now and have been for a couple of weeks. The efficient landlord thinks ahead in all things and that includes preparations for the holiday season.

Maybe spending $50 for a gift to a tenant is Ok when you have several properties and good tenants. When you have 100 tenants I would rather spend the money and took my wife for a short 3 day vacation :-) The size of the gift is not as important, in my opinion, as the fact that you remember them and want to do something nice for them.

We send them $15 pizza gift cards and they are very thankful for that.

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Sam Leon

Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes

11y

For those who give gifts - gift cards, baskets, etc...what is your method of delivery? Hand delivered or mailed in?

For those who sends a grocery store gift card and indicate it's a turkey, I assume you send it in Nov and not Dec?

...and is it tacky to send a $50 gift card, only to be followed by a notice that there will be a $50 rent increase on the lease renewal next Feb?

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Troy Fisher

Specialist · Kirkland, WA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 817 votes

11y

Originally posted by @Sam Leon:

For those who give gifts - gift cards, baskets, etc...what is your method of delivery? Hand delivered or mailed in?

For those who sends a grocery store gift card and indicate it's a turkey, I assume you send it in Nov and not Dec?

...and is it tacky to send a $50 gift card, only to be followed by a notice that there will be a $50 rent increase on the lease renewal next Feb?

While I was planning on going to Las Vegas soon, I think my time would be better spent meeting with investors and the craps table then it would be knocking on doors and handing out gift cards.

I think a more tacky approach would be to include the giftcard with a letter stating, due to recent cost increases your lease will be increased by $5/mo beginning Feb.

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Patrick L.

Real Estate Investor · Saint Petersburg, FL · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 951 votes

11y

Originally posted by @Nik S.:

Examples: $100,150,200,250? .....Despite the dollar amount confusion, do I give CASH from my pocket OR do I write a business check to her? I don't want it to look tacky. I am not too worried about the 'tax write off"...I am more looking for the appropriate situation.

Could my manager work harder, sure who can't..regardless, everyone should be noted on their work.

I have a full time maintenance guy who handles many PM related duties for me and works pretty darn hard. He'll answer his phone 7 days a week when the tenants call him. I always give him a card with cash ($500+) in it as a Christmas bonus. I consider it to be a gift rather than a bonus so I give him cash.

As for the tenants my gift to them is providing a well cared for place to live in, taking care of their issues in a timely manner, and treating them fairly.

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Stephen E.

OP

St Thomas, Ontario · Member since 2013 · 575 posts · 408 votes

11y

I did not think it would take long before the cheapness that afflicts some small landlords would surface. Bah humbug indeed.

@Roy N. 's approach to accounting for this makes the business case best, Christmas gifts are akin to promotions, in this case promoting a good relationship with your tenants. It is good to be seen to be generous even in some small way, and it is a good thing to do in itself that is in keeping with the season.

As for delivery, I go round to see each of my tenants one evening near Christmas and we have a chat. They like to deal with an efficient and engaged small landlord rather than a faceless and indifferent corporate landlord. This is one way of adding to that difference and maintaining a relationship. I have under ten units, if it got to be much more I might either have to start the visits earlier in the year (late November?) or get down to mailing their gifts, but I really would prefer not to. I find tenants are a lot easier to deal with if you have made efforts to build a relationship with them, rather than have the odd exchange of email and receipt of monthly checks. BTW I was sympathetic to Roy's discussion of non religious people or those of different faiths but I just have to add that the true story that one of my tenants is muslim and he started celebrating Christmas, so deep is it in the culture here in North America. He went out and bought a Christmas tree and everything. He says he likes the look of it in his living room. But of course one size does not fit all.

I should add that I would be very wary indeed of handing out grocery store gift cards. The fact is that many renters are of modest means, often living pay check to pay check and food security can be an issue. I don't think that they want to be reminded of this by their landlord; handing out cards for free food would be such a reminder in my view even if they are depicted as representing free turkeys. When he came round and saw the light Scrooge famously gave the biggest turkey he could find but that is different I sense than handing out a general purpose grocery card that could be washed in with other food needs and simply used to make ends meet. It looks too much like charity to me, and of a type that underscores the financial gulf between landlord and tenant. Far better to give something that represents enjoyment or aspiration. Movie tickets fit that bill. I have seen other ideas here and there are some good ones, but I am not yet persuaded that other gifts will bring greater enjoyment than movie tickets, especially for young families.

But I am open to being persuaded otherwise. Any more ideas?

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Dylan W.

Investor · Harmony, CA · Member since 2013 · 33 posts · 20 votes

11y

For my good tenants, I give them a gift card to Home Depot or Lowes and encourage them to get something for the house. I have found this to be pretty effective.

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Dawn AnastasiPro Member

Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes

11y

If a tenant is lower income, a gift card to Toys R' Us so they can buy extra things for their kids can be appreciated. That and Wal-Mart, Target, or the local grocery store.

I go to Card Cash, a website where you can get gift cards for a discount. I don't have to run all over the city to get cards, and this way I can pick out different things for tenants with children and tenants without children. (Example: JC Penney or Kohl's)

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Brendan Spaar

Atlanta, GA · Member since 2013 · 42 posts · 13 votes

11y

There are some good ideas here. If you're on a limited budget, what about a small plant in a festive pot? If they aren't into plants they can always share it with someone else. You have acknowledged that they are important & that's what really matters.

I like the gift card idea because it can be used for what's needed. How about a pre-paid Visa card? Even if it's $25, it can be used almost anywhere for anything. Just get a card & deliver it. If they're good tenants you can always steal the Mastercard Priceless slogan & say something that reflects your situation then end with "having great tenants... Priceless".

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Marcia Maynard

Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes

11y

What do you think your tenants will most appreciate? Will they take it for granted when the gift basket of fruit arrives year after year, or the grocery store gift certificate is hand delivered every Thanksgiving? We have 15 units and have heard tenants make comments of gratitude and also comments of "Oh, yeah... another gift certificate...." or "We never saw the previous owner, but we always got a gift basket for Christmas."

"Peace on Earth and Good Will Towards Others" need not be a sentiment reserved for the holidays. Move-in gifts (to help settle into a new home), Spring Time gifts (a colorful plant bowl), and Holiday gifts (food or entertainment) can nurture relationships. Treating tenants with respect and serving their needs with prompt and courteous service also helps sustain good landlord-tenant relationships. Go the extra mile all year round, not just during the holidays!

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Marcia Maynard

Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes

11y

When I receive movie tickets, they are rarely used. When I receive a gift certificate to a store or restaurant that is not of my choosing, it is one more card to try not to lose and to eventually get around to using, or to re-gift. When I receive a gift certificate to the local grocery store, I can immediately put it to good use, but it doesn't stand out as a gift.

So, for these reasons, tangible items are sometimes the best .... they can sometimes spark a smile or warm a heart on the spot... especially the ones with a personal touch.

Gifts of service as well.... Is there something you can do for your tenant that they need help with? Elderly tenants are often in need of help with something they no longer have the strength to do. Tenants without a vehicle sometimes need a ride somewhere. Tenants with young children sometimes need a break and would love someone to watch their kids for an afternoon. I'm not suggesting you take on extra liability; you can hire a service professional to meet a real need. Tailor the gift to the tenant.

Then, of course... the tried an true.... a greeting card with a thoughtful handwritten personal message with a little cash tucked inside.

But my favorite? A good deed done anonymously. There are elves afoot and magic in the air!

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Ursula B.

Involved In Real Estate · Winston-Salem, NC · Member since 2013 · 277 posts · 188 votes

11y

Originally posted by @Stephen E.:

I sense than handing out a general purpose grocery card that could be washed in with other food needs and simply used to make ends meet. It looks too much like charity to me, and of a type that underscores the financial gulf between landlord and tenant.

You make a great point about being sensitive to the socio-economic situation of your tenants.

I think the perceived intent behind the gift depends on the type of landlord you are the remainder of the year. If you're never anywhere to be found except when it's time for the rent, then go around handing out turkeys once a year...yeah, that looks like charity.

As for me, I personally meet my future tenants at open houses and showings, and they know I'm the owner. They know it only takes one call to my cell phone to have emergency repairs handled immediately. For non-emergency repairs, 9 times out of 10 I am there when the repair is completed. Tenants are always amazed and appreciative that their new home has new toilet seat covers because we replace them between tenants.

They know their landlord has a personal interest in their health, safety and well being by my actions throughout the year. They don't need me to give them anything (and don't expect anything), but seem appreciative that the gift is thoughtful and something they can actually use.

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Stephen E.

OP

St Thomas, Ontario · Member since 2013 · 575 posts · 408 votes

11y

@Ursula B. I am an involved landlord and stay in touch with my tenants. I do all the leasing and they know it is me that owns their unit. But I am still wary of grocery gift cards. Giving something that truly seems to be a gift, something people might like or might not ordinarily get for themselves seems to be better to me that a gift card to buy food at a grocery store. I think my original point stands. Tenants like to think of themselves as being on the same plane as the landlord and certainly not as dependent, in need of support, charity, etc. These relations are delicate and must be handled with care. A gift basket, a gift card for a toy store in the tenant has children, or my favourite, prepaid movie tickets, all seem more aspirational and less like help in getting through the daily grind. You make good points though.

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Ursula B.

Involved In Real Estate · Winston-Salem, NC · Member since 2013 · 277 posts · 188 votes

11y

@Stephen E. There's no one right answer, and I do think it depends on the tenants and how involved one is as a landlord that determines how the gift is perceived. Personally I think it would show I was out of touch if I gave a tenant movie tickets knowing they could probably use help with groceries. Regardless of our personal views, I think we both can appreciate the great ideas that have been posted to this thread thus far. As someone else said, even if you only send a greeting card, you're way ahead of any other landlord they've had in the past.

Happy Holidays!

Ursula

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Stephen E.

OP

St Thomas, Ontario · Member since 2013 · 575 posts · 408 votes

11y

I read some academic research on this and the basic finding is that gift cards can be more motivational than cash, and the gift cards that are most motivational are ones with hedonic (pleasurable or fun) associations. Hence gift cards for book stores, movies, spas, restaurants, electronics stores etc. all score highly while gift cards for grocery stores, hardware stores or mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart would have less of an effect. I think that is what I was trying to get at in my earlier posts.

There is a multiplier effect in that if you give gift cards with pleasurable associations they have been shown to give a greater effect than if you were to give a comparable amount of cash. Among gift cards the focus should be on stores with hedonic associations, not utilitarian ones. So a gift certificate to Toys R Us would be good for a tenant with a child, but a gift card for Wal-Mart would be bad even though they sell toys and often for cheaper prices - the Wal-Mart card has a general rather than specific focus which weakens hedonic associations and simply is not pleasurable or fun. Simply put dollars on a Wal-Mart card can get mixed in with general purchases that would be routinely made, while dollars on a Toys R Us card have a specific pleasurable and fun association. The idea is to get away from utilitarian purchases and give the tenant something that they would not ordinarily get for themselves. That's what the research shows.

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Marcia Maynard

Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes

11y

Originally posted by @Stephen E.:

I read some academic research on this and the basic finding is that gift cards can be more motivational than cash, and the gift cards that are most motivational are ones with hedonic (pleasurable or fun) associations. Hence gift cards for book stores, movies, spas, restaurants, electronics stores etc. all score highly while gift cards for grocery stores, hardware stores or mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart would have less of an effect. I think that is what I was trying to get at in my earlier posts.

There is a multiplier effect in that if you give gift cards with pleasurable associations they have been shown to give a greater effect than if you were to give a comparable amount of cash. Among gift cards the focus should be on stores with hedonic associations, not utilitarian ones. So a gift certificate to Toys R Us would be good for a tenant with a child, but a gift card for Wal-Mart would be bad even though they sell toys and often for cheaper prices - the Wal-Mart card has a general rather than specific focus which weakens hedonic associations and simply is not pleasurable or fun. Simply put dollars on a Wal-Mart card can get mixed in with general purchases that would be routinely made, while dollars on a Toys R Us card have a specific pleasurable and fun association. The idea is to get away from utilitarian purchases and give the tenant something that they would not ordinarily get for themselves. That's what the research shows.

My Insurance Agent must have read the same research, he sends each of us a postcard on our birthday that is good for a free ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins. :-)

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Marcia Maynard

Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes

11y

I used to love getting a turkey every year from my employer, a few days before Thanksgiving. When the truck arrived with the frozen turkeys, they would be handed out and employees who didn't have cars to take them to would stash them where they could until quitting time. The employer was REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) and turkeys could be seen "hidden" under cashier counters, in sleeping bag bins, under clothing racks, behind the ski display... it was hilarious! Eventually they switched to giving us a gift certificate instead to buy our turkey. Good sentiment and well received. The vegetarians were much happier with the gift certificates. :-)

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Frankie Woods

Investor · Arlington, VA · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 491 votes

11y

These are some great ideas! Thanks to all of you for providing these examples! Happy Holidays!

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Sam Leon

Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes

11y

I am trying to decide between Regal movie cards versus Starbucks cards.

What about the equivalent of the Monopoly "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" card? You send your tenant a card which contains a voucher. The voucher can be used one time only to either extend the grace period for rent due date by five days, or a $50 late fee waiver LOL?

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Vicki Gleitz

bennett, CO · Member since 2014 · 225 posts · 122 votes

11y

We have only one rental [it is my son who is hoping to retire by 35 from investments] and we brought our tenants a card with a message of extreme appreciation and $100 cash on Sunday.

I noticed that there were a number of suggestions for gift certificates to movie theaters. There are so many people, like myself, with extreme sensory issues. The last movie I saw in a theater was "Raiders of the Lost Ark," which came out years before most of you were born. With the overpowering smell of "fake butter" popcorn, the explosive sounds, all of the light flashes, and being expected to just sit there for 2 hours, barely moving, made me vow "Never again." Sensory issues are not uncommon, but most people with them keep them a secret from others, because they do not wish to come across as "weird." Please keep that in mind before giving a gift to, what many people consider a torture chamber.

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Sam Leon

Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes

11y

I just got a bunch of the Regal theaters gift cards then this terrorist threat on the Sony movie...so may be bad timing and sensitivity? I might switch to Panera Bread instead.

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Kendall T.

Real Estate Investor · Fort Pierce, FL · Member since 2014 · 132 posts · 57 votes

11y

I knocked 225 off their rent on December.

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Jingle Bells: Tenant Christmas Gift Ideas

Jingle Bells: Tenant Christmas Gift Ideas

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