Advice for Landlords on Handling Complaints From Tenants
Category Landlord Information
Complaints from Tenants can be a frustrating and time consuming for Landlords. However, with proper planning, procedures and the right approach things can run more smoothly.
Rental Contracts
The very first issue for those looking to rent property is ensuring you have a well thought through Lease Agreement. Your lease agreement sets the tone for your relationship with a new Tenant.
A good lease agreement should be drafted in easy to understand language and should outline clearly what the responsibilities of both the Landlord and the Tenant are. A well worded agreement will reduce problems and eliminate misunderstandings between the parties. When things are clearly outlined in the lease agreement from day one, the need to deal with "irritations" or small unclear areas is reduced and as a Landlord you will not find yourself having to deal with ongoing minor problems.
What often does lead to a poor relationship is when a Landlord is unavailable or impossible to communicate with. If you are assuming this role you need to be available to your Tenants (all within reason naturally!) if they have complaints or matters that require resolution.
Landlord Contact information
Make sure your Tenants have a number and email address on which they can reach you, and make sure you respond quickly. Landlords failing to respond can turn a good Tenant into a nightmare when there is reasonable cause or an issue which requires speedy resolution. As a Landlord, responding and dealing with your Tenants complaints or problems promptly keeps your relationship with your Tenant on track.
Records of Complaints
It's always good practice to ensure that you run (and update) a record of complaints on each of your rental properties.
It is always advisable to ask a tenant to put a compliant or request in writing and also respond in writing so that there is a trail of what transpired and you can refer back to at any time should the need arise. Accurate records are useful if you ever have to refer back to a prior problem which was resolved with your Tenant, and are also a blessing should matters ever require legal action.
Speedy Resolution
When it comes to handling Tenants complaints, Landlords will always be well served by trying to resolve them as speedily as possible.
As a Landlord you need to ensure you have a list of reliable preferred Contractors and Suppliers at hand, folks you know respond and resolve speedily. Very often fast intervention on a repair issue is in your own interest as preventing a problem getting worse is far less expensive than sorting it out later. The old adage that a "stitch in time saves nine" was never truer than when it comes to effective rental property maintenance and repair!
Respectful Relationships
The manner in which you deal with your Tenant communications is also important.
If there are going to be delays on the likes of repair issues, let your Tenant know what to expect and why there are delays.
Whilst some Tenants can be demanding, it's important to remain professional in your dealings.
Treating your Tenants respectfully will almost always pay dividends. Remember they are living in and maintaining a valuable asset, and fostering a good relationship will ensure both your asset and revenue stream is maintained!
Worst-case scenarios
If things do turn sour and Tenants complaints for whatever reasons result in breaches of the agreement or non-payment, remember to always abide by the terms of the agreement.
As a Landlord, never resort to any "cowboy" tactics to resolve matters, under any circumstances.
Again, as mentioned earlier, ensuring you utilised a well thought through rental agreement and had a clear complaint resolution process when matters go awry is critical.
The laws around property rentals in South Africa are both complex and myriad and failing to follow the correct processes as a Landlord when rental agreements are breached can have unpleasant and expensive consequences.
As a Landlord, ensure you never fall into the trap of seeking "kangaroo court" justice. Employ the services of a legal professional to assist you and follow the provisions of the Rental Agreement and the letter of the law to the tee.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, handling Tenant complaints is part and parcel of letting property.
For those Landlords who don't fancy the idea of dealing with complaints and the day to day Landlord/Tenant issues select a knowledgeable and experienced Chas Everitt Rental Specialist to manage your property portfolio - it's a small price to pay for peace of mind!
Author: Meg Wilson