You can’t expect all of your tenants to have the same personalities or the same opinions all the time. That is why conflicts may arise due to these differences. As a landlord, you should be able to handle issues to maintain a peaceful environment for everyone. It may only be between two people but let’s face it — someone else would get involved and it will cause a bigger conflict if not acted upon quickly. But how would you do it?
Prevention is always better. As much as possible, find ways to prevent conflicts from happening. Do not wait for friction to build up before doing something about it. Here are a few tips for you:
Get to know your tenants.
It is not always enough to get tenants that can afford the rent. Of course, it is important but it should not be the only thing to consider. Knowing your tenant’s background can help with how you deal with them. Familiarize yourself with how they interact with you and other people. Find tenants who are good people with clean backgrounds and can pay rent at the same time. This will help in avoiding friction between tenants.
Encourage them to get to know the other tenants.
They might not live together in one unit but they do live in close proximity and they would eventually bump into each other. You want to project a safe environment for them and that involves their neighbors. You can organize small events that can be a venue for interaction. It does not have to be fancy, but it should be fun. This will put them at ease if they are living among friends.
As much as possible, we do not want conflicts to arise. Ever. But that is not usually the case. That is why you should also be prepared to be the one to fix any friction among your tenants. If conflicts do happen, this is what you should do:
Set your boundaries, limits, and rules.
Your contract should include house rules: the things that are allowed or not allowed inside the property. They are expected to follow these to have order. Answer any questions they might have and explain why you have those rules. Make sure that they agree with what you have indicated, before letting them sign a leasing agreement.
There are two sides to every story. Listen to both.
Never take sides. You might have your own opinion on who’s right and who’s wrong but it would not be helpful to side with one tenant. Always be neutral. Listen to both sides before concluding anything. Serve as their mediator and make them open up about the problem. Ask them separately and gather as much information as you can. Investigate the situation before talking to them together. Find a safe space for them to talk it out and preferably without other people in the room who may cause more tension.
Do not ignore conflicts no matter how small.
Small conflicts are still conflicts no matter how petty they are. It may be small now, but if left unresolved, it can pile up and grow bigger. It will be a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. As early as possible, resolve the problem between or among your tenants.
Keep a log of the problems that occurred.
Write down all the problems that arise within your property. Include everything in it, even the verbal discussion. This will help if the same matter happens again or if further investigation is needed. This way, no detail will be forgotten and no one can question you if you have written proof of what happened.
Find a solution together with the concerned parties.
Be transparent with them and offer solutions to the matter at hand. Let them offer solutions as well so they would feel that their opinions are considered. End the conflict with them compromising and agreeing to the terms that you have decided on together.
Fixing tenant to tenant conflict is not an easy task for a landlord, but it is not impossible. After you publish your property listings with Padleads.com, thoroughly screen applicants to make sure that they can not only pay rent, but have no history of frequent conflicts with past neighbors.