As a landlord you need to be comfortable dealing with tenants on a regular basis. If you are not suited to communicate with tenants you may want to consider another type of investment. This does not mean that you will be speaking with them day in and day out, but from time to time you will need to call on them for payment, to gain access to your property, etc.
Although it may sound scary at first, you will find that most tenants are more than willing to be friendly and respectful at all times. And since you get to select your tenants (for the most part), you can make sure that they are the type of people who you like to associate with.
There will be times when you have to become authoritative in order to get what you want. Remember, you own the property you are renting, not the tenant. Are you willing to play the role of collection agency if this situation comes about? How about starting the eviction process? Some landlords say yes, others hope that they never have to deal with similar situations.
Over time you will become more comfortable with how to best communicate with your tenants. With each problem you encounter you will learn more about how to act in the future. This does not mean that you should search for problems, but you should learn from every experience, both good and bad.
If you want to become a successful landlord you will want to learn how to comfortably deal with every aspect of the tenant relationship. You do not have to communicate with your renters on a daily basis, but every so often you will need to get together in one way, shape, or form. Are you ready to deal with any situation that comes up? If so, you are well on your way to investing in property and managing it with success.
