In a previous post, I talked about setting boundaries and I asked you 3 questions.   Let’s talk about the first one.

  Do you have specific operating hours?

What are your hours of operation?  Do you accept and / or return phone calls no matter what time it is?  I am telling you now that you do NOT need to be available 24/7!

MY OFFICE HOURS

I am in the office from 7:30 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday.  My voicemail message states that and I tell everyone who rents from me that.  I also state that I will return calls and/or texts during normal business hours.  My lease also states what my office hours are and when calls and texts are returned.

If you do not have normal business hours, you really should consider instituting them. That doesn’t mean you can’t contact someone after hours if you so choose, but they shouldn’t expect to be able to talk to you at will.

PROBLEM TENANTS

Problem tenants will “need” to have access to you on demand and will suck the life right out of you.  You will begin to feel like you can’t ever escape or like this person is never going to leave you alone. Have you had one of these?  I have!!!  The stress these tenants cause can be debilitating. Do not allow this to happen to you.

If you have a business phone, make sure that all calls are sent directly to voicemail after the “office closes”.  If you don’t have a separate office number and just use your cell phone, try using a different ring tone for tenants.  Then, exercise your self-control and do not answer after hours.

HAVE OFFICE HOURS

We all need down time away from tenants and the problems of rental properties. It is unrealistic for your tenants to assume you are available at will.  You need to set the tone from the start and stick to it.  As long as you are consistent, your tenants will learn how the “office” operates.

Being able to escape will allow you to decompress and do fun things.  You will be better able to cope with the every day stress of operating a business.