Our world is currently facing a global health crisis due to the covid-19 pandemic. Not only has it threatened our health and wellness, but has also caused a lot of strain to businesses and the economy.
If you are a landlord, you have to make a few changes on how you operate your business to ensure that your tenants are safe and your property is free of the virus. You have to take different measures that would decrease the chances of corona virus carriers entering your area and infecting your tenants.
It can be a bit overwhelming for every landlord to deal with such a huge responsibility considering the heightened fear and worry felt by the community. If you have no idea where to start, here are few courses of action you can take:
Reassure your tenants that you are taking the recommended safety measures to keep the virus at bay. This will help control panic and minimize their anxiety. You will need to show them that you are concerned for their safety because you will need their cooperation to successfully implement necessary precautions.
Related article: Business Operation in the Time of Coronavirus: A Landlord’s Guide
Educate yourself and your tenants. Knowing the enemy that you’re up against will make you more equipped to combat it. Hand out educational materials that contain basic information about the virus like its mode of transmission, symptoms to watch out for, and incubation period. Include suggestions on what your tenants can do to decrease their odds of contracting the virus such as proper hand washing, social distancing, staying at home, and wearing of facemask.
Provide access to emergency hotlines. You and your tenants have to know the agencies to contact in case of emergency or if there are signs of a COVID-19 outbreak in your apartment building or rental space.
Set up communication channels between you and your tenants. This is for you to easily relay important news, the precautionary measures you are taking, and what you require from them. It would also be easier for you to update them if you have new policies in your apartment building so that they will comply accordingly. You can have an online chat group or you can add them in one email list.
Set up hand washing areas with antibacterial soap and sanitizer in the common spaces and entrance doors of your apartment building. Frequent and thorough hand washing has shown to greatly reduce the chances of transmitting the virus from one person to another, or spreading it on surfaces where it can survive for extended periods of time.
Handle positive cases proactively. Every patient has a right to privacy. But knowing if there’s a positive case in your apartment building or units will drive you to double down on the precautionary measures. Assure your tenants beforehand that they can trust you to keep their status confidential if ever they will test positive. If they disclose such information to you, you must also show them genuine concern. In instances when the identity of infected tenant is discovered by other tenants, encourage the latter to take extra caution but to not discriminate the infected.
Strictly ban gatherings and set limits on visitation. As much as possible, limit the people who will enter your units or building. Allow only a certain number of visitors at a time and the reason for visit should be of great importance. Designate one common area for tenants to entertain guests. Also require non-tenants who will enter your property to sanitize and wear face masks while in the premises.
Give access to basic supplies and necessities. This is going to be very beneficial if you are managing an entire apartment building. You can set up a stall in the lobby of your building that can sell basic household supplies and food to your tenants so that they wouldn’t have to go outside to buy essentials. If it’s not feasible for you to set-up a stall, provide your tenants a list of delivery services in the area instead.
If you still have vacant units, give priority to non-locals. There are many people stuck outside their hometowns because of travel bans and lockdowns. Upload a listing to property management platforms like Padleads.com where people like them who are looking for a place to stay can contact you directly. With just a few clicks, they can review the features and photos of your unit so they can easily decide to rent it.