If you have decided to purchase a home that is able to accommodate more than one family and live in one section while renting the other sections out, you are going to have a steady form of income while you have these tenants. This is an awesome way to make sure that your standard of living remains comfortable and that you are able to offset the price of the building. However, it can also be stressful living in the same home as your tenants because you will have a variety of their concerns to address and they will be able to reach you at pretty much any time. Here are some tips for setting boundaries with your tenants in a multi-family home.

1. Set Specific Hours That You Can Be Reached and Stick to Those Hours

The first thing that you need to do is set your working hours. You don't want your tenants to have the option to call you at any time, day or night, to report a situation that is not an emergency, such as a leaking toilet. You want to have the same hours as any other company and have time when you do not have to be on-call or working.

Have a separate phone for your tenants to call you and have it on your person at all times during the hours that you have said that you are available. Otherwise, turn off the phone and allow your tenants to leave messages. Make sure that you respond to the messages that your tenants left you within a short period of time.

2. Create a Box For Requests

Another common problem is that your tenants might come to your door and report issues after hours. To avoid this happening, create a form that tenants can fill out and deposit into a box near your door. Having these forms, pens, and the box available by your door will help you deter your tenants from knocking on your door at any point and still get their needs met. Post the times at which you will check the box on the box itself so that your tenants can get an idea of when you will get back to them.

3. Respond to Requests in a Timely Manner

Finally, make sure you respond to your tenants' requests in a timely manner. This will build a culture of trust in the building, and they will not feel the need to cross your boundaries to get their needs met.

For more information, talk to a real estate agent that specializes in selling multi-family homes like Prime Realty.