I was just thinking last night and got to wandering how you guys and gals with several properties keep track or remember your tenants names and in which properties they reside in?

Do you just have good memories or do you pull the property folder and look at who is living there?

Do you ever talk to a tenant and confuse them with someone else or call them another tenants name?

Have you ever had them get mad at you for this?

If I don't remember their name, it's probably a good thing. I think I do pretty good, but will admit I don't always remember. The ones I don't talk to often is the ones I don't remember. All calls go to voice mail or they text, so I typically get their name from them first before I have to talk to them.

I have no idea what some of my tenants look like. I tend to see them once: during personal interview before renting to them, and maybe the following year at annual inspection. I recognize them in situ, but I'm not sure I would know them somewhere else (at the grocery store or Walmart, for instance.) If they stay a long of course I remember them better.

I know all the names because I read the preview questions, the rental application, I fill in the lease database and I merge the leases. They are also in my Contacts as "House&Unit# Name."

DH tends to know their faces because he is more often on the properties for minor repairs and such, but he has to sometimes call me to get their names before going in.

When I save tenant names into my Contacts List (which is also accessible via Google Voice), I make the entry like this:

Smith, Bob - 123 Anywhere Ave

Happens all the time to me, and we only have 6 units! I have to write the names down of my Airbnb guests and post on my refrigerator, especially since only one of a couple will rent the listing.

But, it gets worse. Yesterday I was working at our apartment building. A strange man drove up, parked in the back lot, said hello to me and walked into one of our units! I snapped a photo of his car showing his license plate. (monitoring the parking lot is the best way to find unauthorized tenants) When he walked out a few monemts later with his wife and daughters, I realized he was the man I had rented the apartment to last summer. He had just grown a beard. I am so glad I did not confront him!

I do repairs and maintenance, including weekly lawn maintenance, so I know the tenants. But, I can see the day coming soon the properties don’t need so much work where I won’t know tenants on sight. Then, having the property addresss with tenant’s name in my phone will help.

But, earlier this month, when filling out a rent receipt, I almost put the wrong woman on a rent receipt. Had the right man for the unit , but, for just a moment, thought of the wrong woman’s name to go next. Oops!

I put them in my phone as Prospect [mm/yy] [address] [name]. We talk and text enough for me to have their names drilled into my memory to start with, so if we end up signing papers, they get rewritten as [address] [name] in my contacts. And I get reminded about their names every month when I go over my deposits.

With over 4,000 students, and probably two hundred tenants over the past 10 years, sometimes I forget my OWN name. At my peak I had 20 rentals and probably 50 occupants. I remember maybe six tenants. Interesting enough I don't remember the bad ones, just the good, longer term ones.

Whenever we go out to eat someone is always coming over to chat us up. I'm thinking, "Who the h*ll is that?" Last week a nice couple said hi at lunch. I was polite in my response but totally clueless. "How ARE you? GREAT to see you!" Then afterward I realized it was the owners of my storage unit. MY landlords if you will. LOL

My "mentor" Marshall Reddick taught me this. Even when he had no idea who he was talking to he would make the person feel welcome, appreciated and important to him. I try to emulate that.

There are tricks to remembering names, but I forgot them. Sigh.

I don't even try and that's poor on my part. Then I ask-- why should i remember I've got 63 SFH's?

Thank you every one for the responses.

LTD, that is a funny story.

My mind works like this:

I manage my 15 units (3 multi-unit buildings) and make a point of knowing and remembering all tenant names. I usually have 20 - 25 names to remember at any given point.

I feel mastering names gives me a level of control over the tenants since they are aware that I know who they are and where they live. Also good for customer service. I'm selling a service and, like any good sales person, names are important to remember.

I have names tagged in my phone (Bldg, apt #, name) so I can easily remind myself if I forget someone's name. Monthly checks, seasonal letters and annual lease renewals keep all of the names fresh in my mind.

6er,

We keep a spreadsheet by address, names, phones, animal?, emails, lease anniversary date, utilities across the top.

Easy to sort by lease annivsary date to send rent increase reminders by text.

Easy to mail merge for sending out notices.

Like WMH we only meet them at the IN Home Visit and at lease signing. I really don’t want to know their names. Too many and we lease them alone. The COMPANY is friendly and good to them, my helper does Resident Relations, but we all keep a profesional arm’s length - friendly but not friends. Friends expect favors like dropping late fees or allowing rent to slide.