Tips For Handling Tenant Complaints Effectively
If you manage a lot of rental properties, one issue you may encounter is tenant complaints. If you have tenants, there will be some that complain about every little issue they have, and you will need to find a good system to manage and handle all the complaints you receive. As a landlord, you have an obligation to fix all important issues they may have with their units. Here are some tips to help you get a better handle on tenant complaints and necessary repairs, maintenance, and upgrades.
Develop An Effective System For Tenants To Use
One of the reasons tenant complaints can be difficult to handle is due to the way your tenants voice their complaints. If your tenants are constantly calling your cellphone to tell you every issue they have, this can get annoying. Instead of having them call you, you may want to develop a different type of system to use for this. Here are some options:
- Written system – You may want to set up a system that requires your tenants to fill out a form when they have a problem. This would be ideal during normal business hours; however, you may need to have an emergency system in place too. An emergency system is one they could use when issues arise late at night and calling your phone might be a good option for this.
- Online system – Around 40% of people in the world have Internet access and contacting you online is a great way for tenants to inform you of problems. If you have a website, you could have a section that allows tenants to fill out forms when they have problems. If you do not have a website yet, you could use email for this purpose.
These are both good options to consider using, and both would help reduce the number of phone calls you receive for problems and complaints.
Keep A Log Of All Reports
As a landlord, it is your responsibility to address tenant complaints, and it is very important for you to keep a log of all reports. An easy way to do this is with a calendar. Each time a tenant reports a complaint or problem, write it in your calendar. When you do this, write down the name of the tenant, the unit he or she lives in, and the nature of the complaint. If you need to look back to find a complaint, you will be able to easily find the date of the complaint in your calendar.
In addition, you may also want to keep the information from each complaint in your computer system. While a calendar offers a good way to find the date of an event, it will not offer enough room to write down all the details. Keeping the details stored in your computer might be another good option, and you should include the following details each time something happens:
- Date and time of the event
- The name and address of the tenant
- The nature of the complaint
- The way you handled the complaint, including the amount of time it took you to respond and make the necessary repairs or solution
The main reason this is important is for court purposes. If a tenant decides to take you to court or if you evict the tenant, you will have detailed information about him or her to use in court.
Address All Concerns In A Timely Manner
While you may receive many complaints that require no action at all, it is still important for you to address all the concerns you receive in a timely manner. If a tenant reports a problem that requires no action, listen attentively to the tenant and let him or her know that there is really nothing that can be done about it.
If the problem requires action, make sure you handle it as quickly as possible. Your tenants will appreciate this, especially if the problems are major issues.
Handling tenant complaints might get annoying and time-consuming, but it comes with the territory. If you do not have time to handle the complaints of your tenants, you always could hire a person from a company like Two Rivers Investment to help you with tenant services.
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