No matter how well you maintain your property or how much effort you put into giving your tenants a great rental experience, complaints will crop up. It’s essential to recognize that the grievances and problems that arise aren’t a reflection of you as a property owner but rather a simple fact of life. While this is understandably frustrating, there are things you can do to prepare yourself before issues arise. Read on to learn about the most common tenant complaints and how to resolve them.
Pest Problems
As a property owner, it’s your responsibility to deal with pest problems or infestations that occur due to natural circumstances. If a tenant doesn’t take out their trash, leaves food on the floor, and is generally dirty, this is out of your control, and the tenant will have to pay for pest control. However, no matter who’s at fault for the infestation, it is critical that you take a pest complaint seriously as well as asses and make a record of the situation. Outlining in your lease who’s responsible for pest control and when, as well as performing seasonal pest control maintenance, are the best strategies for avoiding this issue.
Noisy Neighbors
If you own a multi-family unit or properties next to each other, learning how to mediate conflict between tenants is critical, as noise complaints are incredibly common. In this situation, you can meet with the source of the disturbance and inform them of the issue. If the problem keeps repeating itself and the tenant isn’t obeying quiet hours, it may be time to consider eviction. Either way, it’s important to update the tenant that filed the complaint on your actions to resolve the issue.
If the noise isn’t coming from a property you own, it is up to the tenant to speak with the neighbor or make a formal complaint to the HOA. If the issue still doesn’t get resolved, inform your tenants of their right to contact the police.
Maintenance Issues
Maintenance and repair issues are one of the most common tenant complaints, and the best way to resolve them is to prioritize maintenance requests efficiently. You can create a written or online form that lets tenants describe the issue, when it began, and whether it is of low, high, or emergency priority. Again, your lease agreement will be your best tool here, as it should outline how to report a maintenance issue and what qualifies as a low, high, or emergency priority. Not only does this make it easy for tenants to report a problem, but it also makes it easier for you to prioritize requests.
Lack of Communication
From a tenant’s perspective, renting from someone who doesn’t respond to contact attempts or is generally radio silent can be difficult. To make things easier, tell your tenants how to contact you, outline a clear schedule of work hours, and give them an average response time. It’s also best to provide them with a way to contact you outside of work hours in an emergency. With these strategies, you can build a strong line of communication with your tenants that they will appreciate.
