Renters: Good Neighbors or Second Class Citizens?

During my twenty years work in the community association management field and as a homeowner and board member in a condominium community, I have found that the general attitude toward renters in a community association is often less than welcoming. You have heard the comments – “oh, those people, they are just renting” or “there are three single guys living in that house, don't they know that this is a single-family neighborhood”, and my personal favorite “they are renters, so we cannot expect them to take pride in our community.” If this attitude is portrayed to renters consistently, over time, they will become what they are expected to be – second class citizens.

I recently spoke to a condominium owner about her desire to improve the reputation and status of her community. Of course, I encouraged her to become involved and to encourage others to become involved. She inquired about volunteer projects and told me that her best prospect for a good volunteer to help with community projects was “just renting” and went on to tell me how unfortunate that was. I immediately explained that accepting help from renters is very important and serves to give them a sense of pride in their home and community.

Most renters are not informed by the owner or landlord that the association even exists at the time they lease a home, much less that there are rules and restrictions that they are required to follow. I don't know about you, but I find it impossible to abide by something that I am unaware of, and few among us are clairvoyant! Let's face it: even some informed homeowners must receive constant reminders about their responsibility to follow the rules.

Changing attitudes about renters often results in improved relationships that produce good neighbors and long-term residents in community associations. After all, if a property owner plans to sell his or her rental property, where better to start than with the tenants. An association can be ahead of the game if it has made the tenants feel welcome and part of the community. And, as we all are very much aware, active home sales are paramount to maintaining property values within a community.

Below are some tried and true ideas that I have passed on to association board members that should help your board foster good participation by renters in your community:

Develop a list of rental properties within your community

Ask your welcome committee to visit those homes and introduce the association by delivering a set of community rules, restrictions, maintenance responsibilities and a welcome letter from the management company

Ask your manager to add names of tenants to the database so that tenants receive notices of community events

Be sure that you and your manager are in agreement that tenants are welcome to report issues involving the association

Ask owners of rental property to keep you informed of occupancy changes

Ask your manager (with the unit owner's permission) to copy tenants on deed violation letters so that they are aware that something that they are doing violates the deed restrictions or community rules

Invite renters to attend the annual meeting (although association meetings are typically for members only, the business is seldom of a nature that would require exclusion of renters)

Accept help from renters for special community projects such as work days, community event planning or service on social or recreation committees, etc.

Unless your bylaws prevent service on the board by non-members, allow renters (with the unit owner's permission) that want to serve the community to hold a director or officer's position on the board

To some, these tips may seem foreign and the idea of implementation a bit scary. But trust me as one who has put them into place, these tips work to reverse the generally accepted attitude that renters are second class citizens.

Sherrill Schafer, PCAM®
Vice President
Alliance Association Management
Austin, TX