How To Respond To Student Resident Requests

By Francine Fluetsch on September 4, 2015

As property managers and homeowners, you are bound to get a special request now and again from your student residents.

While the request needs consideration on your part, also keep in mind how much the student probably agonized over sending you the email for a plea in a rent extension or letting them stay an extra week past the move out date.

image via www.wikihow.com

They probably had a literature major glace it over to check for typos, had three drafts that they decided to toss, and are now anxiously awaiting your reply. While you want to stick to your rules that you have in place, why not hear the student out before simply denying their request?

What’s their story?:

If a student sends you a request, it might be best to meet with them in person so you can get more information and show them that you are willing to listen. Don’t make any promises to them, but let them know that their concerns are important to you and you will try to accommodate them to the best of your ability.

Students are under a lot of stress constantly from classes, relationship drama, and their parents, so simply knowing that you are willing to hear them out will make the whole process much smoother than if you had just denied it and then they had to retaliate with multiple emails.

Let them hear you out:

If their request is out of the bounds you want to cross, you need to tell them why and explain it to them. If their request is to have a dog in the house for three weeks while their friend is away, simply saying you have a “no pets” policy isn’t going to satisfy them.

Instead, you can explain to them exactly why you cannot allow them to have the dog there, be it for allergy reasons, liability, their contract, what have you. Explain it rationally and with compassion, showing them that there are certain bounds that you can’t cross but you do feel for them and hope they can resolve the issue some other way.

They may not like your answer right away, but if you can talk it out with them you can salvage your renter/owner relationship and not have it be awkward for the rest of the time that they are living there.

Offer them other options:

If your renter has a request that you yourself cannot accommodate, why not help them find an alternative? This will show that you really do care about them, and want to help in whatever way that you can. If they are having some money issues and want to keep sending the rent late, you could tell them about some jobs that you know are available or some banks that would allow students to borrow money.

It may not seem like much, but the little extra time you take to help them will go a long way. Remember that residents will tell others about your place if they like it, resulting in you having guaranteed residents when the current ones move out, so it is in your best interest to show you care and let them see it.

It’s the exception, not the rule:

A lot of owners may be afraid to make exceptions for late rent or other requests because they don’t want to have to be obligated to the do those exceptions all the time. The thing is, you are making the rules, and within reason, you are always able to say what can and cannot be accepted. By listening to the student’s situation, you will be able to make a safe judgment on whether or not you should allow their request to go through.

Let them know that if you do allow them to give you the rent late, that they can’t make a habit of it. If you want to keep it fair to all your residents, you could implement a strike system or something, where after three leniencies they will have to figure something else out.

There are many ways for you to go about this, but don’t feel like you have to all of a sudden cater to every little thing your resident requests from you. At the end of the day, you are doing them a favor, and this should only go as far as you feel comfortable letting it. Don’t go against a policy of yours, but don’t be afraid to give some slack depending on the situation.

In the end, it is going to be your call, but I promise it will really help to hear the student out and see where they are coming from. If you keep an open mind, it will work out so much better both for you and for them. Good luck!

This article was inspired by Rachel Jefferson’s article on Appfoilo. Check hers out for more great tips!

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