Creating a Summer Welcome Kit for Your New Tenants

Whether you’re welcoming a subletter solely for the summer or a new full-time tenant is moving in this summer, it’s a great time to create and give a summer welcome kit! A welcome kit will help make your new tenant feel right at home and prepare them for their life there, however long they plan on staying. Plus, moving in the summer can be difficult! The temperatures are high, and you can help ease the pain by supplying helpful items.

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Important Papers

First, you should include any important papers and documents that your new tenants will need access to. This includes a copy of the lease, as well as a reminder of the property’s policies and rules, and a move-in checklist so that they can document the property’s condition before moving their furniture in to make note of any damages done before their time living here.

You can also consider writing a welcome note to include in the kit. This adds a personalized touch and makes your tenant feel appreciated. Include important contact information for yourself and for other emergencies.

Guide to Utilities

Next, you should include a guide to help your new tenant set up their utilities and potentially save money. If many of your other tenants use certain services and seem happy with them, recommend those and include contact information.

Considering that it’s the summer, your new tenant will be eager to get their electricity set up so they can turn on their fans and air conditioning and stay as cool as possible rather than sweating all over their new place. Any information you can provide to allow your tenants to set these utilities up quicker will be greatly appreciated, such as where your area gets its power, websites, and phone numbers to use that will help streamline the process.

Household Necessities

With all the stress that comes with moving and making sure all the most important objects are packed, such as furniture, some basic items inevitably slip through the cracks. A welcome kit is a great opportunity to give them some of those items they may have forgotten! Good examples of these necessities include cleaning supplies, paper goods such as paper towels and toilet paper, an emergency kit, and a flashlight. These are common items people quite often forget to buy when moving, but definitely need. If you include these in the welcome kit, you’ll help save your new tenants from an awkward situation where they realize they don’t have it until they need it!

Snacks and Drinks

Moving in is a lot of work, especially when the summer sun is shining down on your new tenants. Consider adding a couple of snacks and drinks to this welcome kit to help keep them well-fed and hydrated while moving in. While full meals can be up to them, a couple of bags of chips or pretzels and bottles of water or sports drinks are a great addition to any welcome kit. You definitely don’t want anyone passing out from the heat as they’re trying to move in! This is especially useful if their water isn’t quite set up yet or they don’t have some type of filter in place.

You might also want to include ice as one of these items, but make sure you keep it somewhere it won’t melt right away, either a cooler or the freezer, if plugged in and working! Most new tenants won’t have their ice machines set up quite yet, nor will they have bought ice to help keep them cool. Be proactive so they can drop a couple of cubes into their drinks.

Add Local Information

Summer is a time filled with fun community events outside in the nice weather. If your tenants are completely new to the area, they might not know what kind of markets or fairs your area has. If you’re not sure, do a little research so you can provide your new tenants with information on how they can best spend their summer and don’t miss out on anything they might like to do!

You can also use the opportunity to tell them about local restaurants and stores. If you ask around, many local restaurants and shops may be willing to offer some kind of coupon or gift card to new tenants, as they see it as free or cheap advertising to get customers to come in and try their place. Try and strike up a deal with these local small businesses that you can always offer to new tenants.

When you create a summer welcome kit for your new tenants, you’re not only providing them with necessary information, but you’re making them feel very welcome and helping ease moving in the summer heat. These items will ensure they have a nice, fun, and relatively cool summer in their new rental!