As a landlord, you want to develop a relationship with your tenants, enabling them to feel free to come to you with complaints or problems. Begin every relationship with your tenants by completing thorough background checks and taking the time to reach out to former landlords and references on the application. In a perfect world, this should help you avoid serious conflict between yourself and your tenants.
However, tenants with chips on their shoulders can reach the level of overkill in every relationship in their life. Regrettably, they may begin with you. They may focus on continually complaining to you personally about their unit, other residents, or the complex as a whole. Should you find yourself in such a predicament, just remember you are not the first landlord to face such a negative experience with their tenants.
By examining the subject of unreasonable tenants in advance, consider yourself forewarned and take steps to arm yourself as best as possible against the possibility. We will discuss four ways you can handle excessive tenant complaints about your Charleston investment property.
Responsibilities
Ensure you know your lease well and clearly outline the responsibilities as a tenant and your own as the landlord. Otherwise, an annoying tenant may constantly be calling your emergency line for a replacement lightbulb. Screening your calls giving top priority to emergencies is entirely acceptable. It is advisable to document all complaints along with your response to each. Suppose an issue should escalate and force you to take legal action against a nuisance tenant as a last resort. In that case, you will have documentation showing their harassment of you and that you performed due diligence in your duties.
Compromise
Stop right now and take a deep breath. It might be time to approach your tenant and find out what is going on. Are they facing new financial circumstances and possibly going about trying to get out of the lease in the wrong manner? The first step to compromise with an upset tenant is through opening a channel for communications. Try reaching out if they understand that you are willing to work with them within reason and talk. Suppose you can not come to a mutual understanding to resolve what is bothering them. In that case, you could set out in writing which complaints you will acknowledge as being legitimate and what complaints about your Charleston investment property that you will ignore moving forward.
End the Misery
Do not renew your lease with a troublesome tenant if possible, being mindful always not to act from resentment or infringe on any federal guidelines governing tenants. Depending on your situation, it may be worth the vacancy and turnover expenses to alleviate yourself of this nightmare tenant. You could handle their excessive complaints about your Charleston investment property by offering an early opt-out option for the lease. If that is not of interest to your problem tenant, perhaps offering them, a move-out-credit could entice them to leave. You may want to provide enough in your offer to cover their moving expenses to another location nearby.
Direct Sale
Selling your house directly to South Carolina Homes is the best way to handle excessive tenant complaints about your Charleston investment property. If there is no end in sight to the constant onslaught of problems and demands, South Carolina Homes is here to help. South Carolina Homes pays in cash, meaning we close in a matter of days or weeks. South Carolina Homes handles everything, bypassing all the red tape and time-consuming processes with a traditional sale. Had enough of hearing complaints? Why not make your headaches go away by contacting South Carolina Homes at (843) 881-7171.