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3 of the Most Common Tenant Complaints (And How to Address Them)

Sunday, January 21, 2018

When working in local property management, whether using a property management company or managing the property yourself as the owner you have to deal with tenants, as well as any issues they may have. Some of these problems may be easy fixes, while others may be a little bit harder to problem solve.
When it comes to handling rental management tenant problems, there are different ways to handle each individual issue. Let's take a look at a few of the most common tenant complaints and how to handle each one.

Condition Complaints after Move-in

It is very important for you as the landlord to record the condition of the property right before the new qualified tenant moves into the property. It is also important to educate the tenant that their initial report on the property at move in may be maintenance that will be taken care of for them or it may be statement of condition items that will be recorded so as not to charge this tenant at move out. This can lead to tension right at the start of the lease if not handled correctly.
So what can you do about these complaints? Make sure you have good records on the condition of the property, photos and video. Educate the tenant at the lease closing that they are welcome to go through the property and record items they would like for the landlord to have in their records but that all items may not be considered maintenance that needs repair. By letting the tenant know this in advance can help start the landlord/tenant relationship in a positive way.

Maintenance Issues

Maintenance problems are the most common form of a complaint from tenants when they're looking for property for rent. To ensure these complaints are handled in a timely fashion and that work orders are assigned appropriately, it's crucial to create a formal system for submitting maintenance requests. Fortunately, property management tools have improved greatly in recent years, and most tenants will be happy to file complaints online. Once they file the request, it's essential that you respond to the issue as soon as possible. Give your tenants a specific time frame in which the issue should be resolved. If you decide to, follow up with the tenant a few days later to make sure that the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

Communication Issues

For successful property management, you need strong communication skills with all of your tenants. You and your team need to be willing to answer any questions your tenants may have and have an answer ready for them, no matter the hour or time of day. You need to make sure someone is at your tenant's disposal in case of a late-night emergency. Of course, no single person can be on call 24/7, so you need a plan for communicating with tenants around the clock.
Dealing with tenant issues in terms of property management can be difficult, but as long as you have an open line of communication, are willing to go out of your way to make adjustments if necessary, and show them you care, your tenants will love living under your roof. About 63% of non-homeowners felt that 2017 was a good year to buy a home, so if they love renting under you, they may love buying under you as well.