Your job entails a lot of tasks, but what all rental agents want is to provide good tenants to the landlords and vice versa. A good partnership will determine the success of the business because both parties have to do their part. You can’t expect the landlords to do all the jobs. The tenants have their responsibilities too.
Unfortunately, some landlord-tenant relationships end up in conflicts and feuds. Some landlords will try to intimidate or harass the tenants to provoke them into moving out of the property. It’s not the right thing to do, but they will likely want the tenant out as soon as possible. An eviction will also cost them money and will take longer.
Landlord harassment does exist, and the tenants must be made aware of the different forms they might encounter. Some are more obvious than others, while some are very subtle that the tenants do not notice they are being harassed. The tenants must know how to identify harassment, and I’m going to give out some examples.
• Rendering the property uninhabitable due to construction work
Some landlords are not obvious in trying to get rid of their tenants because they know that they can get in trouble. They are likely to make made up excuses to force the tenant to look for another place to stay.
A landlord might use ongoing construction work to disrupt the tenant’s activities and render the property uninhabitable. However, this can backfire because it is the landlord’s responsibility to provide a habitable home to the tenant. The tenant can file a complaint about this.
• Outing an illegal immigrant
The landlord knows that if he has an illegal immigrant living on his property, they are likely to use it to their advantage. They know that there is a big possibility that the tenant will get deported or jailed.
He might do this indirectly by reporting suspicious activities, which will lead to an investigation. The authorities will surely dig up on the tenant’s immigration status.
• Agree to a buyout or endure an unpleasant stay
One of the fastest ways to have a tenant vacate their property is to offer a buyout. Some landlords do this if they cannot wait for an eviction process to finalize everything. It’s not always bad because the landlords must have a valid reason, and some tenants will agree to it.
However, if the landlord is adamant about getting rid of the tenant, he might threaten to evict them or make their stay unbearable. This might coerce the tenant to agree with receiving the money, in exchange for moving out of the property.
You must inform the tenant that the landlord cannot evict them without a legal basis. If they did not violate the lease agreement, they should not worry about getting evicted.
• The landlord simply does not care
A good landlord will not only care about his property but will care about his tenant’s well-being. If he wants to vacate his unit, he will go through the correct process and assist the tenant in any way he can to make their transition easier.
A landlord who only cares about his property will not consider the tenants. Some landlords will resort to verbal and physical threats to scare the tenants away. If this happens, the tenant may file a complaint to stop these from happening.
Landlords may be the ones in charge, but it does not mean they can get away with anything. It is your job to let them know that they should not tolerate harassment and that they can defend themselves.
But if they want to leave the property and escape from their toxic landlords, you can offer them options. Make sure that you work with landlords with no history of harassing tenants. Show them the property listings you have. You can sign up for Padleads to have your platform for posting the vacant rentals, and they are free to check it out.