03/28/2026
My tenant gift baskets over the years! In honor of sharing a video of me showing a tenant welcome basket which I made for a family that I had to evict six months later for nonpayment (and owe me $6k in back rent and damages!) here are all the new tenant welcome baskets (and one new baby welcome basket) I’ve made over the past six years of landlording (4 units).
I like doing these to start the landlord tenant relationship off on a positive note and encourage them to care for the place. They always contain some basic cleaning supplies like dish soap and sponges, toilet paper, shower curtain liners, etc. and generally a handful of comforts like a blanket or candle, candy, dog toy if they have pets, etc.
I’ll admit I’ve gone a little ham in recent years, I like shopping for gifts, and will likely be less generous/ excessive in future baskets. They won’t stop completely though! (I also give Christmas gifts 🎁)
While it sucks that I had my first eviction, it’s a known risk of real estate investing and people who will be great tenants shouldn’t be penalized for the few bag eggs. The $30-40 I spent on that basket wasn’t much in comparison to the amount they owe, almost negligible really.
And in comparison all but that one tenant who have received these have treated my units wonderfully and were well worth the effort and investment! I have great relationships with my current tenants, but can also see how if I was a landlord with many units this might be untenable.
Do you think a gift like this muddies the waters or invites being taken advantage of? Or would it encourage you to care for a rental more? Have you gotten or made a tenant gift basket?
