Being a landlord has a lot of responsibility, along with the benefits. The landlord has to provide the for needs of a tenant previously agreed to in the term and conditions of the lease contracts. It is common for a tenant to complain when the landlord is not fulfilling those needs. If these complaints become formally lodged with the authorities, then it will be problematic for both parties. There are a few ways you can deal with the complaints of the tenants professionally. It will increase the chances that the landlord and tenant will both remain happy.
Listening to the Complaints of the Tenant
When dealing with a tenant complaint, the first step is to listen to their complaint. Without knowing the actual reason for the complaint, you cannot conclude that they are overreacting. If you are respectful and understanding of the tenant’s issue, it may help you to keep the tenant calm, and you will be more receptive to the tenant’s problem.
There could be many scenarios where confusion could arise. For example, you may already know that there is a small hole in the wall beside the bathroom, and your tenant may call you to inform you that there is a hole in that wall. If you do not ask questions related to that, then you may not know about it. If you avoid the complaint while thinking it is the existing one rather than a new one, it could raise a problem later on. To prevent bad blood between you and the tenant, you have to listen to their complaints carefully, and if there is any need, you may ask the related question so that you can make sure what needs to be done.
Be Accessible to the Tenants
As a landlord, you have to listen to any and all complaints from the tenants and act accordingly. If your tenants can never reach you, then they will be very frustrated about it. It does not mean that you need to be available to the tenants 24 hours a day every day of the week, but you should at least have your own business hours when they can reach you at that time. During the business hours, you should, at the very least, respond to their phone calls and emails.
To avoid bothering with your work, you should inform the tenants in which situations they should call in an emergency outside the business hours. Inform them that when it is not an emergency, they should wait for the next business hours.
Address the Complaints in a Timely Manner
Most of the time, when a tenant complains about something, it happens to be something urgent, and it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. A landlord must address the complaints of the tenants on time. Depending on the severity of a complaint, you do not have to drop everything you are doing, but you have to fix the issue within a reasonable amount of time. The problems like a broken front door lock or a leak need to be fixed immediately. While issues like a cracked tile or a broken kitchen cabinet handle can wait a few days.
Show Genuine Concern to the Tenant
If you dismiss a tenant’s concern, then it could create hostility between you and the tenant. It does not matter what you feel about the complaint; you have to show your genuine concern for them. You have to make sure that they feel that the complaint they submitted is important, and you will also do everything in your power to fix the problem as soon as possible. You should make them believe that you are on their side and you will help them with everything you have.
Deal With it Professionally
When dealing with this kind of situation, it is ideal for you to act professionally. This is actually your business, and that is why you cannot allow your emotions to cloud your judgment. No matter how the tenant behaves with you, you have to act as a professional. If your tenant acts outside of the terms and conditions of the lease agreement, then you can seek help from legal law firms like Express Evictions.
