Most of the Tampa landlords we know want to have happy tenants. After all, a happy tenant will pay rent on time. They’ll take care of the property and renew their lease agreements. When you provide a well-maintained home and you’re responsive and transparent, you’re likely to have good tenants who are easy to work with.
However, no matter how hard you try, you will likely come up against tenants who are never happy. It’s part of investing in real estate.
Legally, you cannot evict someone just because they are difficult, needy or impossible to deal with. Instead, you have to work with them and around them.
Here are some ideas on how to handle those challenging residents.
Manage your Time and your Stress
Difficult tenants are going to eat up all your free time. There will be frequent calls, endless emails, and ongoing text messages that are often angry, combative, and defiant. This is a lot to deal with, and you’ll have to set some boundaries so they don’t completely drain you and keep you from doing the work you need to do on behalf of all your tenants and your properties.
Separate Frivolous Complaints from Valid Complaints
Sometimes, your tenants will be well within their rights to complain to you. If there’s a maintenance issue that impacts the health and safety of your tenant or the habitability of your property, you’ll have to act right away. Tenants behaving badly may make that more difficult for you, but focus on solving the problem and resolving the issue. Don’t let your emotions or your frustrations lead you into an escalated conflict.
It’s always better to address maintenance issues right away. If you leave a repair request unanswered, you’re likely to get disruptive and rude behavior from tenants. Don’t give them a reason to be awful. Be responsive, accessible, and quick to solve problems when maintenance requests come in.
Create a Strong Tampa Lease Agreement
Having a strong lease in place will protect you. In that lease, you should outline exactly what tenants need to do if there’s a maintenance issue, an emergency, or a general complaint. If your tenants are upset about something, you can direct them to the lease agreement for back-up. Maybe they’re mad that they can’t have a restricted breed of dog or they’re insisting that they were never told there’d be an annual inspection. You can use the lease agreement to reinforce expectations and responsibilities.
Working with a Tampa Property Management Company
Your worst tenants are likely to be constant complainers. They’ll be persistent in their communications, and the more you ignore them, the more aggressive they’ll become. You can expect them to document every grievance and ultimately turn into a real problem for Tampa landlords.
Professional property managers have encountered such tenants before.
There are many ways that a management company can deal with aggressive, angry tenants. And, you won’t have to be involved. You can expect your property manager to have a strong lease in place that protects you and the property. Excellent vendor relationships are another benefit. A fully vetted vendor list allows the manager to address repairs in a timely manner and minimizes maintenance complaints.
Property managers skillfully deal with tenants and tenant anger without getting emotional.
Don’t waste any unnecessary time or energy on these burdensome tenants. If you’re in an uncomfortable situation, contact us at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group.
