Often times, we mistakenly refer to people that we have cordial relationships with or are friendly towards as friends. The truth is that the relationship between a community manager and a resident should never turn into a full-blown friendship. Blurring that professional line is asking for trouble and there are so many reasons why you should not make friends with your residents.
Keep your personal life and your work life separate
What if the line between work and home is a little blurred? In property management, often times you live where you work. You run into residents while checking your mail or bringing in groceries. We’re not robots. It’s only natural to want to chat with your neighbors. I’m not saying you should never talk to your residents outside of the office but remember that you are always expected to be professional. You want to be a friendly because you don’t want angry neighbors but you don’t want to be friends because you don’t want angry residents.
Nothing you say is secret
I talk to my friends about every aspect of my life. They know about my family and my romantic relationships, good or bad. My friendships aren’t perfect and we’ve had arguments, but I never have to worry about a friend emailing my boss. At most, maybe we don’t talk for a few days. Not only will it make required business interactions uncomfortable, but a small disagreement can be reason enough to feel like they can go to your boss. And now you have your boss involved in your personal life and that’s the last thing you want.
Uncomfortable conversations will happen
Navigating the intricacies of friendships is hard enough but throwing money into the middle of any friendship can really complicate things. And if one of those friends happens to be one of your residents, you’re in for a world of trouble.
At some point, you will need to have an uncomfortable conversation with your residents. They may be late on rent, break a house rule or their rent is due for an increase. Those conversations are much harder when the person is your friend. Mainly because it’s not the usual conversations we have with friends. I’ve never told my friend that her rent is going up or that there are unauthorized items in her parking spot. The best thing to do is to avoid that awkwardness altogether.
Expectation of favoritism
Not only will conversations be uncomfortable, but you may be expected to make exceptions for your new friends. Maybe they feel the increase you gave them is too high? Or maybe they want you to waive a late fee for them? And why wouldn’t you – you’re friends right? No matter what it is that they expect from you, remember that you are legally obligated to treat everyone the same.
Which brings us to the number one reason you why you shouldn’t be friends with your residents….
Muddy fair housing waters
If you’ve been in the property management industry for more than 10 minutes you know that favoritism is a big no-no. It’s not only expected that you treat everyone the same, it’s the law. Fair Housing laws are very serious and should be followed closely. The issue with being friends with some of your residents is that just the perception that you’re treating residents differently can get you in hot water. Another resident who is unhappy with their increase or is about to be put in eviction and sees you laughing it up with your friend (who happens to be their neighbor), can very easily file a claim stating that they are being discriminated against. You may not be trying to do it intentionally but from the outside, it will definitely look like you’re favoring one person over the other.
Friends are amazing and enrich our lives in so many ways. If you’re in need of a few new friends, please look outside of your community for the sake of your sanity and career.
Have you been in this situation before?
Have you made the mistake of being too friendly with your residents? Or do you have a tip on how to create clear boundaries? Let is know in inthe comments.
