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The Love Language of Renewals

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By Oretta Croushore, Property Manager for Home Rental Services

It’s been theorized that everyone gives and receives love in a few distinct different ways. Love Language has become kind of a buzz phrase. Even if you haven’t read the book, taken the course, watched the video, or fully drank the Kool-Aid, I think most of us get the basic concept. 

The 5 Love Languages are:

  • Words of Affirmation
  • Acts of Service
  • Receiving Gifts
  • Quality Time
  • Physical Touch

A few years ago, a member of my work family, Amy, encouraged me to take the Love Language quiz to find out what my love language is. I wasn’t sure what I thought my result would be. I was pretty surprised when it came back as Quality Time. Amy was surprised, too. She had shared an office with me for a while and heard me talk a lot about needing alone time.

I was able to determine what I often crave is feeling like someone makes quality time with me a priority. I’m usually the one in any relationship who does the planning. Setting up times to get together, looking for things to do together, etc.

Do Results Change Over Time?

I took the quiz the first time at the beginning of quarantine. I took it again recently to prepare for this blog post. Now, I’m showing more appreciation for Acts of Service with Quality Time a close second. It’s not a big surprise. It’s a busy time of year for me with lots of spinning plates. I truly feel the love when someone takes something off my plate.

The whole concept has made me stop and think about how others need to receive love from me. I’m a touchy feely person. If you’re my friend, we’re going to hug. I have a few cactus friends. You know, the people who just give off that vibe of “no touchy.” I have about a 70% success rate on turning them into occasional huggers. I do understand not everyone feels a connection in that way. For those people, a compliment or encouraging words might mean more.

I think the more we understand about what we need in order to feel love, the better we can understand how others might differ in their needs. 

Home Rental Services Renter Gifts

In my early days working at HRS, it was proposed we should offer some kind of gift to renters when they renew their lease. We can all agree it’s better to keep a good renter than it is to find a new one.

After several meetings to find the perfect gift, we decided on a nice oven mitt with a pack of cookie mix. The card read, “We have to ad-mit, you’re a sweet renter.”

We change the gift annually, so those lovely, long-term renters don’t end up with a dozen oven mitts. We’ve given a yummy popcorn mix with a card that says, “We just popped by to say you are a great renter!” Another year we handed out a local bottle of honey. This year, we’re giving some cool European dishcloths with Method brand liquid soap and a card that says, “Hands down, you’re a great renter.” Can you tell that we like puns and word play at HRS???

Renter Renewal

Amy is our very own renewal coordinator. She packages up the gifts for the renters so they look pretty. As part of the renewal process, she does a walkthrough of the house. She has told me she loves to hand the gift over to renters who meet her at the house. If they’re not there, she leaves the present for them to find when they come home.

These visits utilize all the love languages.

Obviously, we’re Giving a Gift. Beyond that, we’re investing Quality Time. That time is not only for the renter’s benefit. It’s also for the benefit of the owner. It’s an Act of Service to walk through a house, take photos, see what the renter wants to bring to attention, love the animals, chat with the babies, and make mental notes about anything that needs attention.

“Thanks for taking such good care of the house” is an Affirmation many renters love to hear. We all need a little validation now and again. Let’s face it, as adults, we don’t get enough gold stars for the every day things we do. It’s nice to be called out for a job well done. Owners like the affirmation that their house, which was lovely to begin with, is being well cared for. It’s also a great reminder that their property manager is watching out for their investment. Handshakes, pats on the back, and yes, even hugs are regularly exchanged at these meetings.

Love Languages

Love is a broad term used in many different ways. We all need it. We all crave it. Hopefully, we all give it. My work family spends a lot of time throwing around ideas on these renewal gifts. In part, because we want give a meaningful and useful gift which will get used. But, we also want to show the love we feel for our business and our community.

If you’re dying to know what your love language is, there are tons of quizzes on the internet. The one I took was from the 5 Love Languages website. So take the quiz, find your love language and start speaking it!