One of the great joys of being a landlord is handling tenant complaints. There are an infinite number of reasons why something might go wrong during the renting process. Maintenance issues, noise complaints, frustration with neighbours, and many more concerns might be brought to your attention by your tenant while they are living in the unit. It can be frustrating navigating complaints, especially if you may not agree with them. Here are some tips on navigating tenant complaints in a professional manner.
Listen: This may seem obvious, but it is integral to listen to the tenant to ensure you understand the issue the best you possibly can. People want to feel heard. Being a listening ear can help gain trust with the tenant and will make it easier for the situation to be resolved.
Stay Cool, Calm, and Collected: When it comes to people's housing, things can get heated pretty quickly. Their living conditions have a direct impact on their day-to-day life, so tenants can be passionate about their issues. No matter what they say, be sure you are the calm one in the conversation. Yelling will only escalate the situation and make things worse. Regardless of what they say to you, you are responsible for keeping your cool.
Document Everything: Even if you handle a situation perfectly, your tenant can still claim wrongdoing. Make sure you document every interaction, so if legal action does occur, you can be prepared with concrete evidence of everything you did. This means that if you send any written communication to the tenant, you need to think through it carefully so that if it is used in court, it’s something that will make you look better, not worse.
Follow the Lease and the Law: Be sure you are aware of the lease. Use it as a guide to ensure that you are completely compliant. Know your local laws as well, so you don’t end up getting yourself in trouble. Even if you have good intentions, it’s best to be completely compliant to all fair housing laws and to follow the lease.
Follow Up After You Resolve the Issue: Once you feel like an issue has been resolved, it can be easy to move forward and completely forget that it ever even happened. However, one of the best ways to keep a good relationship and ensure that an issue is actually resolved is to follow up with the tenant and make sure it was taken care of.
Keeping a good relationship with a tenant can be a tricky thing, but everyone is much happier if good communication takes place. Be sure to listen to the tenant, stay cool, calm, and collected, document everything, follow the lease and the law, and follow up after you resolve the issue. These may seem straightforward, but they can do a lot to help you have smooth communication and handle the tenants' complaints professionally. It can be stressful to know the best way to handle a tenant, but you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out now to Hero Property Management for a free consultation at 801-845-4390.