There are 48 million renter households in the US nowadays. But as any experienced landlord knows, not all rental tenants are made equal! Sometimes, you can be unlucky enough to allow problematic people into the property.
Image by F. Muhammad
Whether they’re disruptive, destructive, or unreliable with their rent, knowing how to handle the situation can be a challenge! Want some help with this unfortunate endeavor? Check out our guide to dealing with terrible tenants.
Avoid Hastiness or Hot Headedness
It can be hard to keep your cool with problematic tenants. After all, they might be showing flagrant disregard for the rules of the lease agreement they signed! It’s tempting to express your frustration and take drastic action without stopping to think.
Try to resist the urge to vent. A better approach, in the long run, is to bite your tongue and take the moral high ground. By biding your time and staying calm, the tenant(s) in question are more likely to respond to your demands.
Build Relationships, Cultivate Trust
The secret to handling most tenant issues is developing a genuine relationship with them. Think about it. Would you be more inclined to take orders from someone you know, trust, and like, or someone who’s effectively a stranger?
Building a relationship lends itself to reciprocal respect and myriad positive outcomes in the process. Instead of getting angry and issuing eviction notices off the bat, try opening up a dialogue. In a bid to guilt-trip rude tenants into better behavior, you could even go above and beyond to help them!
Know Your Rights
Try as you might, some bad tenants will never change their ways. That’s why it’s imperative to understand all of the relevant laws and regulations in your state. Having the necessary insights on matters of eviction and tenant rights should empower you to act appropriately in worst-case scenarios.
It goes without saying that you should only start the expensive (and stressful) eviction process as a last resort. If you’re unsure about what’s involved, though, it’s worth consulting with a legal professional for further information.
Keep Written and Photographic Documents
Documenting interactions, visits, calls, email exchanges, and inspections will be all-important too. It takes time, but you’ll create a useful evidence base to back up your claims/charges in ensuing legal situations.
Keeping these records should help you avoid conflict as well. Imagine a tenant who fails to do the end of tenancy cleaning as agreed. Having photos of the state in which they left the property would prove beyond doubt you’re telling the truth.
Now You Know How to Handle Problematic Rental Tenants
Few things in life are more distressing to a landlord than problematic rental tenants. From cash flow problems and property damage to complaints from the neighbors, they cause chaos at every turn! Know the struggle?
Well, we hope the tips in this post will help. Put them into practice and you should be one step closer to handling the situation. To read more articles like this one, browse the ‘Challenges and Calls’ category on the blog now.
