- iStock Positive, honest, open communication is key to any successful relationship. It’s also paramount to maintaining that relationship over time - be it with a spouse, friend, or even a tenant. Yes, there is such a thing as a landlord-tenant relationship. And for a landlord, it’s in their best interest to keep that rapport entirely amicable long after the initial honeymoon phase. “The best way to establish that communication is right at the beginning of the relationship,” says Hunter Boucher, director of operations for the industry association LandlordBC. “Quite often, we find at the beginning of a tenancy that things are going well,” Boucher says. “Everyone is happy. You’ve got the place rented, and you know there will be income coming in—often to help cover that mortgage. That’s when a lot of things can be missed, like communicating what your expectations are for that tenancy.”