Tenant complaints are unavoidable. Some of them are very difficult to please and you always have to meet their high standard of expectations. As a landlord, you are responsible for handling these complaints because ignoring them can lead to more issues. Most of them probably have a legitimate reason to complain so you should know how to fix the problem.

There are a lot of ways in handling tenant complaints but always remember to do it pleasantly and professionally. If not, it can result in unsatisfied and disgruntled clients. Let’s list down the common complaints that landlords encounter and how to handle them correctly.

• Communication or lack thereof

Your tenants will expect you to be on top of everything. Expect that they will complain if you are not responding to their messages and they can’t reach you. It will not look good if you’re unable to respond to their needs immediately since they ARE paying customers and it is YOUR job. They probably won’t accept an excuse that you were busy with other things. If you don’t acknowledge them, they will think you don’t care.

A prompt response should be done. If you cannot be there immediately, let them know. The important thing is that you recognized their issues and will handle it as soon as you can.

• Pests

Most of us are not a big fan of creepy crawlies so it’s understandable if tenants will complain about them. I know I won’t be able to relax knowing there are rodents inside my unit. Complaints like these need attention as soon as possible.

There are plenty of pest control service providers that you can call for these situations. Call the exterminators immediately and make sure they get the job done as soon as they can. You can also ask them to follow up after a week or so to check that there are no pests left. 

You can also prevent these things from happening by having your property treated with pest-proof solutions from time to time and maintaining a clean environment.

• Property maintenance

This might be the common cause of complaints for landlords. This means you have to deal with a lot at the same time. You should have an organized system when it comes to dealing with this matter. You can start by prioritizing the problems. Identify the urgent requests first but let the others know that you intend to address their complaints too.

Another way to handle multiple issues is to have them submit their reports in written form. You might forget some complaints if they were reported verbally. You might not intentionally forget but they will still think that you are inefficient.

Some landlords will set a schedule on when the tenants can contact them. This way, they won’t get phone calls about problems in the middle of the night where they are probably half asleep and can no longer concentrate properly. Emergencies are an exception, of course.

Remember to keep a log of all the tenant complaints and which ones were already taken care of. That way, you can focus on the other problems and the tenants cannot accuse you of not responding to them. You can also follow up on them after a few days to make sure that the same problem did not occur again.

• Loud neighbors

This may be a little beyond your control since you are not responsible for your tenants’ attitudes and actions. But you are still the landlord and there are things you can do to deal with noise complaints.

Loud neighbors are a nuisance to some people. Some may not care but I’m a hundred percent sure that someone will. I, personally, do not like having loud people around especially if I’m at home and just want to relax in a quiet environment. 

If the neighbor is not your tenant, it can be a bit difficult because technically, they don’t answer to you. You can suggest that your tenant can talk to that neighbor properly and amicably to avoid offending them. If it does not work, you can reach out to the neighbor’s property manager or landlord so that they can assist you with the problem.

If the noisy neighbor is your tenant, you can bring up the issue to him and find out the main cause of the problem. You can also ask other tenants if they are experiencing the same problem. If they are, inform the noisy tenant and make him understand the problem. You can update the complainants of the actions being taken to let them know you are doing something about it.

There you have it: the common complaints that you might receive from tenants and how to deal with them in the best way. Go and make your property listing at Padleads now and find tenants that are reasonable and easy to do business with. But of course, you must also do your part to make their stay worthwhile.