Best way to communicate with Tenants and Property owners
By Cliff Hockley with help from Elisabeth Helder and Gemini AI (for research)
Communicating with property owners and tenants has become multifaceted challenge.
Trying to figure out that works the best should to some extent be logical, but it never is.
When challenged by texting, emailing, mailing letters, posting doors or meeting face to face we must make decisions every day to ensure the highest rate of communications being opened and read. Of course, this issue has been studied. You will find a summary of these studies below.
Property Management Matrix: What Works vs. What Fails
Rules for Property Managers
1. Text for Speed, Email for Paperwork, Phone for Solutions: Text message logs are great for tracking vendor updates, but they are a poor substitute for formal communication. If an operational or financial conflict occurs, pivot to a phone call to establish an empathetic solution, then immediately follow up with a written letter or email summary to document the resolution. Commercial tenants in particular need to be communicated with via letter. In most states communicating rental delinquencies for both residential and commercial tenancies need to be accomplished by letter mailed first class.
2. Establish the “First 5 Minutes” Rule: Rental listing platforms move lightning fast. If a potential tenant submits a lead, do not make a cold phone call that will go straight to voicemail. Instead, trigger an automated SMS follow-up within 5 minutes containing a calendar link to schedule a tour, Then follow up with a phone call.
3. Set Off-Hours Boundaries Early: Because texting feels casual, tenants will message at midnight about a clogged drain. Use an automated SMS platform that explicitly states your business hours, out-of-office automated boundaries, and details what to do if the tenant needs a quick response to an emergency.
Phone calls reign supreme, but preferences vary by age
Phone calls remain the most preferred method for contacting businesses, with 35% of Americans selecting it as their top choice. However, generational differences highlight shifting communication habits. Older generations strongly favor phone interactions—52% of Baby Boomers and 39% of Gen X prefer calling. In contrast, younger consumers show a declining preference for phone communication, with only 25% of Gen Z and 30% of Millennials choosing it as their go-to method.
Email is the second preferred option at 23%, with a relatively balanced distribution across generations. However, it is moderately more popular among Gen Z (28%) and Millennials (24%), who are less inclined to make a phone call. Live chat (10%) and in-person visits (8%) are also utilized, though they trail significantly behind phone and email. https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/51802-how-americans-prefer-to-contact-businesses-for-customer-service
Below chart at this address (https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/51802-how-americans-prefer-to-contact-businessesfor-customer-service)
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Despite the proliferation of digital communication tools, only 1% of Americans prefer chatbots when reaching out to businesses. Social media as a contact method also remains niche, with just 4% selecting it, though Gen Z (8%) and Millennials (6%) are more inclined toward this option. Website forms (5%) and mobile apps (2%) also have relatively low engagement.
Unfortunately, this means that you still need to staff the office with people to answer the phone calls. The larger the company and the number of tenants the higher number of phone calls you receive, especially with residential, manufactured housing and condominium tenants/owners. Some of the basis calls can be handled by offshore English speaking staff , to lower overhead and still deliver a sold service standard.
Summary
Automation is having a significant impact on property managers and their dream to be efficient. Challenges still exist with automated acceptance. With all of the notification methods a second or third try might be necessary to reach out to a tenant, because with all cases messages can get lost in the overwhelming clutter of communication. Property manager’s biggest challenge is to reduce the missed messages and get problems communicated, resolved and documented on the first touch.
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Clifford A. Hockley is Principal Broker at SVN | Bluestone, as well as the managing member of Cliff Hockley Real Estate Consulting, LLC. As a Certified Property Manager & Designated Managing Broker, Cliff has 42 years of experience in the brokerage and management of Real Estate companies. Bluestone and Hockley Real Estate Services managed condominium associations, multi-family, and commercial properties in the greater Portland area. He was focused on running the company and involved with investment property brokerage. He worked with financial institutions, governmental agencies, private investors, and not for profit organizations. He also has vast knowledge in budgeting, organizational management, and building structures. His previous experience includes over five years in accounting, production supervision for a manufacturing company, and work for state agencies in California.
Cliff grew Bluestone and Hockley Real Estate Services into a 100 employee company that managed over 2 billion dollars of real estate assets before he sold the company in 2021. He also supervised a sales team of over 15 real estate brokers for over 35 years. His monthly newsletter, QuickFacts has over 2,300 subscribers. He has been involved in numerous real estate transactions that include industrial, retail, office, and multifamily properties. Cliff has also written a book called “Successful Real Estate Investing; Invest Wisely, Avoid Costly Mistakes and Make Money” published by Morgan James Publishing in 2019.
Cliff has successfully coached real estate investors and CEOs located throughout the United States since 2015. He has acted as a sounding board to help untangle knotty issues that need an experienced outside opinion. He guides leaders who find it is “lonely at the top” and need an experienced hand to help set a strategic direction, sort out operational problems and want to talk through challenging business decisions.
He has served as an adjunct professor at Portland State University from 2028 – 2021, teaching classes in: Intro to Real Estate, Basic Real Estate Finance, Property Management as well as Real Estate Investment Fundamentals. He has instructed hundreds of students and believes that substantial preparation and active student engagement are crucial for learning and appreciating the field of real estate. Students appreciate his candor and real-world experience.
Among his many civic activities, Cliff served on the Board of Directors for the Portland Chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and the Rental Housing Alliance of Oregon. In 2014 he was recognized by IREM as board member of the year, and in 2015 he earned an achievement award in brokerage from SVN International. In the years 2000 & 2003, he was recognized by IREM as Certified Property Manager of the Year.
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