Within the world of rental property management, there is a real art to interfacing with those who occupy the property. As with all meaningful relationships, the dialogue between property managers and their tenants isn’t one of complete submission from one party and complete domineering on the other. Instead, the ideal relationship is one where both parties feel like the other is being reasonable, fair, and easy to work with.
The success of such a relationship relies on a few factors: being able to screen good tenants so that the landlord is confident they’re not letting in someone with a history of evictions and criminality; fulfilling repair tickets quickly and satisfactorily; paying rent on time and being understanding about mixups. There is a give and take between the tenant and landlord that, when done properly, can lead to many fruitful years of an easy and happy tenure while the occupant lives there.
When Tenants Ain’t Happy…
Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, however, disputes do happen, and they can lead to dissatisfaction, anger, a loss of money, and even future tenants. Knowing what the most common complaints are from their occupants will help rental property management companies better prepare for them and, hopefully, mitigate the issues as quickly as possible. Below are just a few of the most frequent hang-ups voiced by tenants toward their landlords. Until they can be addressed properly, and the renters mollified, the landlords will have to deal with frequent calls and frequent headaches.
1. Pest Infestation
There is perhaps nothing quite so terrible as getting everything moved into an apartment only to discover that bed bugs have taken up residence between your sheets, or cockroaches are living behind (or in) your flour bag. This is a problem that strikes many places that have a reputation for easily getting dirty, like college dorms, nursing homes, and hospitals. In fact, it has been reported that over 95% of pest control professionals are called on to treat for bed bugs in apartments and motels every few months. Rhino, Utah’s foremost property management company, can help take care of that.
2. Noise Complaints
Some places have it rougher than others, simply due to the nature of the location. New York City, for example, has seen noise complaints rise by over 300% since the world went on lockdown for COVID-19 in 2020. A landlord’s lease agreement should be pretty clear about the penalties for excessive noise.
3. Evictions
Whether the tenant knows deep-down that they are being fairly evicted or not, an eviction notice is a crushing thing to receive and will elicit the most venomous reaction from the occupants. One of the ways a landlord can protect themselves is to have a detailed renter’s agreement that states plainly what the grounds for eviction will be. Usually, a landlord could offer tenants to make amends in what’s called a “pay/cure or quit” notice, but also has the right to demand an immediate eviction without reparations if the issue is bad enough.
4. Ignoring Repairs
Most people have probably experienced when one of their property managers has been too slow to act on a support ticket they submitted. Lackadaisical response to repair needs constitutes one of the biggest reasons cited in tenant exit interviews. The best way for a landlord to avoid these issues is to hire a professional rental property management company like Rhino who treats fulfilling such requests like second nature.
5. Lack of Safety
It is rare, though not unheard of, in Utah for apartment complexes to experience violent crime. Many times tenants will have to call in the police in order to report a theft, instead. If renters notice that there have been far too many negative experiences and fear that the management isn’t taking things seriously, they may demand changes be made, or else they’ll move out. One part of Utah’s property management focus is to keep all our gated communities and apartment complexes safe from harm — that means hiring security personnel and setting up surveillance equipment.
There has been a belief among property managers that “if the tenants ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy,” and that’s true. Upset residents can make life for a landlord very difficult, not just in having to fix whatever issues have arisen but in trying to secure more tenants if negative reviews have been left. Rhino Property Management has perfected the art of maintaining these relationships in a positive way. Give us a call today to see what we can do for you.