Are you doing anything for your tenants over the holidays? Any gifts? Holiday card? Etc... Or nothing

What a bunch of scrooges here! I do at least a small card that says I appreciate you. Takes me less than an hour or 2 and a couple bucks from the dollar store to bang out 30 of them for the apts. I receive a few texts of genuine gratitude for that little card every year. The houses get a little nicer 2/$1 card with the same message that I appreciate them. They pay me over $14k/yr to rent my houses and give me little trouble. Least I can do. The tellers and Mgs at my favorite little bank get a nicer card and treats. They keep a stack of deposit slips for my people to walk in and pay rent and other things like notarize for me or cut me cashier's checks for free. That's $11 for another year of great service and it puts a smile on their faces. Scrooges!

@Dassi Lazar No holiday gift. I tend to do the opposite. I send a letter out in mid to late November reminding the tenant that the best gift they can give their family this Christmas is a roof over their head and remind them to pay on time. I do file evictions in December as if they can't pay in December, they usually have a harder time paying in January when all the cash has been spent on gifts for family. I do send small gift cards to tenants who have been very courteous and helpful during large maintenance issues that are no fault of theirs like a tree partially fell on a property last June. I gave the tenant a $20 gift card to Walmart as a thank you for assisting me to the point I didn't have to go to the property except to meet the insurance agent.

We give $25 gas cards. I've gotten hugs, baked good, sweet text messages, and quite a few referrals. One tenant, four things went wrong in a month, roof leak, electrical, washer stopped, and sink leaked. They just rolled with all of it. Maybe they would anywhere but I think it's because we have a friendly relationship. Even if I got nothing, it pleases us to do it. To each his own. Why people get so polarized over this I will never understand.

Some of us can do both. As Woz told Steve Jobs in about 1997: "It's not binary. You can be both decent and a genius. Don't have to be an a$$hole and a genius." I guess a simple card that says we appreciate them means we must be ignoring maintenance issues and are a crummy LL the rest of the year. Surprised at how polarized this subject got!

It's a token of our appreciation. We don't expect anything in return. We share smiles and receive smiles. :-) The gifts enhance the landlord-tenant relationship. Longer tenancies and less turnover may result. Also, we don't do the exact same thing every year, so the tenants are generally surprised and appreciative of whatever we do. Not only during the holiday season, but also at other times of the year as the spirit moves us. This past summer, during the hottest week of the year, we handed out a cold six pack of flavored sparking water to each tenant household. At the time a nearby forest fire was raging, we checked on our tenants and handed out respirator face masks. When a tenant's beloved cat died and he didn't know what to do, we drove him (with his cat in his arms) to the Humane Society for help. It's a matter of seeing our tenants as people first, recognizing their individuality and being there not only as a landlord, but being neighborly as well. This is just one part of our management style that has proven successful over the years. We also are keen on open and honest communication and providing a housing service that meets our customers' needs. We even have a mission statement that we stand behind.... "We strive to provide safe, clean, affordable, comfortable, and quiet housing for responsible renters in the neighborhoods of west Vancouver." We have 17 rental units, but set aside one as a short-term furnished rental. Our longest term tenant has lived in the same apartment for 30 years. Our second longest term tenant - 24 years. Several have passed the 15 year mark and 10 year mark. Rarely do we have a tenant who resides at one of our houses, duplexes, or apartments for less than 5 years. Some keys to reducing tenant turnover are: offering units at a value that remains affordable and appealing (below the top of market), keen tenant screening, a solid rental agreement (we favor month-to-month instead of fixed-term leases), respectful communication, ongoing property maintenance, periodic inspections, swift attention to enforcing the terms of the rental agreement if problems arise, and negotiating with tenants to save tenancies when possible or facilitating a smooth move-out plan when that is the best option.

I have an elderly section 8 tenant in one of my apartment buildings . I wouldn’t ordinarily do this but She’s pretty destitute so I had the ( stupid) idea I’d give her my Christmas ham that I receive from my w2 job each year since I only like spiral honey Hams. when I went to my triplex to my dismay I saw where she had slithered into the basement and confiscated all three snow shovels and was keeping them to herself in her unit but when questioned she was a adamit they were all hers that she bought -all three lol I just shook my head ,laughed to myself how I got robbed by a little old lady ,and remembered why I don’t give out gifts !! I guess I’ll eat that ham after all ! No good deed goes unpunished

We typically acknowledge our tenants during the holidays. Often in mid-November just prior to Thanksgiving, but if we miss that date, then in mid-December. We give a greeting card with a $15 gift card to a local grocery store/merchandise store (Fred Meyer, which is a Kroger store). This year we are adding a box of biscotti too.

My goal is to keep tenants happy. I think if they see we care about them they will stay longer, especially if they look forward to these presents. I'm leaning toward giving them a box of cookies with a card...

No, but I would be open to it. Maybe Christmas 2019 if they resign their lease during the summer of 2019.

Tenants + Holidays = ?Tenants + Holidays = ?

Back

Resources & Media

Resource Hub Bookstore Blog Guides Pro-Exclusives PRO Podcasts Pro Partnerships Property Management Toolkit

Events & Training

BPCON2025 Webinars Upcoming Events Free Courses

Strategies

How to Manage Your Rental Property How to Operate a Short-Term Rental How to Passively Invest in Real Estate How to House Hack How Does the BRRRR Method Work How to Flip a House How to Invest in Commercial Real Estate How to Invest in Real Estate How to Invest in Multifamily Real Estate How to Build Wealth

The BiggerPockets Conference

This is your chance to learn from the best, network with the best, and become one of the best in the game.

Discover BPCON2025

The Podcast Investors Trust

No fluff. Just deals, strategies, and lessons from the front lines of today's market.

Listen Now

Back

Pick Markets

Market Finder - NEW PRO Picking a Market Workshop PRO Picking a Market Worksheet Top 100 Cash Flow Markets Market Insights - Sunbelt Region

Market finder

Pinpoint the best real estate market for your specific goals with expert recommendations and real-time data on appreciation, affordability, rent-to-price ratio, and more.

Pick Markets

Pro membership

Get unlimited access to tools and resources that make it easier to find, analyze, and manage deals with confidence!

Upgrade to Pro

Back

Find Deals

BiggerDeals NEW Off-Market Deal finding PRO Real Estate Syndications Investor-Friendly Agents Find Foreclosures Community Listings (FSBO) Business Directory

NEW! Find Cash-Flowing Deals Fast

Search nationwide listings with built-in cash flow analysis.

Find Deals

Invelo - off market deals

Scale your portfolio with off-market deals.

Explore Now

Back

Calculators

Rental Property Calculator PRO Rehab Estimator PRO Rent Estimator PRO BRRRR PRO Fix & Flip PRO Short-Term Rental PRO Sell vs. Keep PRO Landlord Insurance Calculator by Steadily All Calculators

Rental property calculator

Is it a good deal? Run your numbers like a pro with this simple yet powerful calculator.

Run the Numbers

Rent estimator

Understand how much rental income you can expect based on recent reports and data for your specific property.

Run Report

Back

Manage Properties

Managing Properties 101 Find a Property Manager RentRedi Property Management Software PRO Baselane Automated Bookkeeping & Banking PRO Property Management Tools Ask a Management Question Finding Tenants Screening Tenants PRO Leases + Landlord Forms PRO Property Insurance Property Maintenance / Rehab PRO

Property management software

Manage tenants, tasks, and your entire portfolio with one simple tool.

Activate Now

Property manager finder

Find reliable property management partnerships that last.

Find a Property Manager

Back

Plans & Pricing

Pro Membership Business Membership

Try PRO for 7 days completly free

Avoid mistakes and make informed decisions with Pro.

Start Free Trial

Grow your business

Promote your business on BiggerPockets and make quality connections with the right investors.

Sign Up Now

Back

For You

Newest Unanswered My Discussions Followed Discussions Followed Categories Followed Locations Followed People

General Real Estate

General Real Estate Investing Starting Out Deal Analysis Buying & Selling Business & Marketing Landlording Property Management Reviews & Feedback

Real Estate Strategies

House Hacking BRRRR Short-Term Rentals Mid-Term Rentals Multi-Family Fix & Flip Other Strategies

Finance & Financing

Lending Creative Finance Personal Finance Taxes & Legal Issues

News & Announcements

Official Site Announcements Market Trends & Data Real Estate News & Current Events Pro Exclusive Area PRO

Events & Networking

Events & Meetups Classifieds

Back

All Books

Best Sellers Browse All New Books & Pre-Orders Bundle & Save Books for Beginners

Unlock hidden potential in every property and maximize returns

This is your creative breakthrough guide to escaping investment paralysis and unlocking hidden profit in any market.

Pre-order now

Build a Cash-Flowing Glamping Business with High Equity Upside

Whether you're starting from scratch or expanding existing hospitality operations, learn the practical frameworks needed to capitalize on the growing demand for upscale outdoor experiences.

Learn More

Tenants + Holidays = ?

Most Popular Reply