Can Landlords and Tenants be Friends?

Pride of ownership has many benefits for landlords and owners of apartment buildings.

1. It shows tenants you care about the property and the apartment building they rent.
2. It sets a standard and encourages tenants to also care for the property.
3. It sets a standard of cleanliness and pride in the community.
4. It builds positive relationships between tenants and landlords.

Robert Barbera, owner of Barbera Property Management in Monrovia, California, sees greater possibilities for people living in the 26 apartment buildings and single family houses that the company provides to renters in Pasadena, Arcadia and nearby cities.

"It's always been my concern to be on an equal footing with the people renting an apartment," said Robert who offers units in eight cities of the San Gabriel Valley including: Alhambra, Temple City, and South Pasadena.

"I've never wanted to encourage the idea that I'm the landlord and they're the tenant. Rather, they're the person who wants a nice apartment and I want to listen to their needs. I want to encourage them to rent from us so we can have a long relationship and they can enjoy living in the apartment."

Pride of ownership is the goal for Robert Barbera. He, his office staff and professional maintenance crew, understand the value of building a long-term relationship with those who rent his units. Robert decided to showcase his apartments on YouTube as well.

"We start off with the basic philosophy doing the best we can, in the quality of the apartment we can give that person. We want to fill their need to rent from us."

That includes responding quickly to maintenance calls from tenants.

"If there's something wrong with maintenance, leaky faucets or a loose light fixture, the maintenance problem will stay until you correct it," said Robert.

"So I felt why not correct it now as opposed to a week from now or month from now.

"It works so much better for us to be on the ball and get over there and correct the situation. We're satisfied that we've made the relationship equal again. The person felt they had a complaint, it's taken care of and now its out of the way," said Robert.

The same effort is put into making the outside of the apartment buildings look nice using appealing landscaping while the inside is painted with up-to-date colors and fixtures such as counter-tops are carefully selected.

"Interiors should be unique to the person. We want them to see we've taken our time with the colors and the amenities."

Even with the professional support tenants receive, Barbera Properties keeps the properties at a competitive rate for the local market.

"In the final analysis I'm looking for pride of ownership, and I feel I can encourage people to stay with us and both Barbera Properties and the tenant can benefit," said Mr.