Finally, you are in charge of the building. You can call yourself “the landlord.” First thing on your checklist is to collect your new tenant’s information; you will need to be able to contact them.

When speaking with your tenants, smile. Be sure to smile. Always, always smile.

Collecting information is usually a painless procedure, so there is little to worry about. Keep yourself under control. Know that you are in charge, but don’t be a jerk about it. You need to be sure to be firm, but fair and friendly as well.

Carry confidence in your voice and stand erect. Landlords who lack confidence or who are easily intimidated will not find themselves in the right career path; tenants will think they can walk all over you.

Your tenants will like and respect you if you appear to know what you are doing. Having everything under control, or at least, appearing to have everything under control, is one of your most valuable assets. Also, remember to smile!

Just ask them for their information, that’s all. Occasionally, you’ll have a tenant who seems suspicious at your asking their information. Gently explain to them the reasons why you need it.

You can ask them if they would like to be told about a creep outside their window or a fire when asking for their cell phone numbers or work numbers.

You can assure them that, without their social security numbers, their on-time payments will not be reported to the credit bureaus. You will need to check their payment histories as well to know what kind of tenants you are dealing with. Do not forget to smile.

You can always tell suspicious tenants that the information is safe with you, and that you will do everything you can to keep their information confidential. You must not share or sell their information to anyone.

If you simply cannot get the information out of the tenant, then stop. Do not worry about it. There are some battles in life you should pick to fight, and this is not one of them.

You can ask other sources, the previous landlord, etc. for their information. You can, without much effort, find their information from other sources.

Once you have all their information, store it away in a safe place. That was pretty easy, right?

Cody Scholberg, an expert on property management, has articles at Commercial Property Management Guide, a source of landlording material. Check out this short checklist for choosing good tenants.