When you look for tenants to move into your rental property, you want to find someone who will pay their rent, follow the rules you set, and who will respect your property and treat it as their own. Unfortunately, things don’t always go the way you plan. A person can seem great on the rental application and during the showing, but they can sometimes turn out to be a major challenge.
In this situation, there are ways of working with difficult tenants without dealing with all the drama.
#1 Create An Airtight Lease
If you have rules, such as no pets allowed, no smoking, or no changing the home’s interior, these things need to be listed clearly in the contract. If you have a difficult tenant in your rental property and the rules aren’t listed in the lease, you can’t enforce your rules.
When the rules are listed in the lease, you can enforce any rules that are broken, and the law is typically on your side if you take the tenant to court.
It is best to create your own lease rather than use a template you can find online. This will allow you to add all rules in the lease, so there is no confusion. It may also be worth it to hire an attorney to help you develop a solid lease that will protect you in case of any legal situations.
#2 Always Be Professional
Tenants won’t always be polite when you call them out for breaking a rule. If you have to speak to your tenant for failing to pay their rent or for breaking a rule, it is essential that you remain calm and be professional regardless of how they are acting. You won’t get anywhere if the discussion turns into a yelling match.
#3 Have An Honest Conversation
Sometimes, the best way to deal with a difficult tenant is to have an honest conversation. When you sit down with your tenant, try to be objective regarding their behavior. Try to let them know that you understand where they are coming from but remind them of the rules in the lease.
If this conversation doesn’t work or your tenant refuses to sit down with you, legal action may be necessary.
#3 Document All Interactions
If you have a problem tenant, it is essential that you keep track of all interactions you have. This includes text messages, emails, and voicemail. When you realize that you rented to a difficult tenant, it is best to communicate mainly through these methods so you have proof of all conversations. The documented conversations can be helpful if you have to take the tenant to court to have them evicted.
If you have a verbal altercation with a tenant in person, be sure to make a note of everything that happened and everything that was said. These notes can also help you in court.
#4 Hire a Property Management Company
If you don’t want to deal with difficult tenants, you should consider hiring a property manager. Here at Specialized Property Management Tampa, we deal with difficult tenants for a living and can handle just about anything, but we do our best to keep both you and your tenants as happy with the situation as possible. For more information, contact us online, or call 813-548-3045
