As a property manager, fielding tenant complaints is just part of the job, but they don’t have to derail your operations. Here’s how to manage the most common issues effectively.
Late payers
Tenants who consistently pay rent late can significantly disrupt your cash flow.
The first step is to apply late fees immediately – and don’t be so quick to waive them. Doing so might feel like a kind gesture, but it can lead some tenants to believe that late payments have no real consequences, encouraging repeated behavior.
Luckily, property management platforms like PayProp take the pressure off by automatically calculating and applying late fees to overdue payments.
To further encourage timely payments, you can send regular, automated payment reminders when payments arrive late. Offering online payment options through a self-service portal as well ensures tenants can pay however it’s most convenient for them (PayProp can streamline all of this for you).
For more strategies to get tenants to pay on time, check out our blog.
Unauthorized pets
Including a clear pet policy in the lease can save you significant headaches down the line. If you find an unauthorized pet in your rental property, simply enforce your policy, whether it restricts certain breeds, the number of pets, or prohibits them altogether.
Start by sending the tenant an official notice, collect any applicable fines, and, if needed, begin the eviction process.
Alternatively, you can add a pet addendum to their lease that allows pets in the rental property while detailing rules on pet rent, deposits for potential damages, and restrictions.
Remember, service animals aren’t considered pets, so your pet policy won’t apply to them.
Maintenance requests
The best way to catch and resolve maintenance issues is to have an efficient maintenance request process in place and encourage your tenants to use it.
Make it easy for tenants to submit maintenance requests, ideally through an automated online system like PayProp’s dedicated maintenance hub.
From this hub, property managers can respond to issues and ensure they’re handled in a timely manner, while tenants can follow the progress of their ticket, giving them peace of mind their issue is being addressed.
Excessive noise
Noisy neighbors are one of the more challenging complaints.
If the noise is during the day and not in violation of the lease’s quiet hours, there may not be much you can do. A polite request to the noisy tenant might help, but keep in mind that not all noise can be avoided – think babies crying or dogs barking.
If the disturbance violates quiet hours or local noise ordinances, you may be able to take more formal steps, including reporting the issue to law enforcement.
Meanwhile, you can offer the complaining tenant a few simple noise-reducing tips, such as moving large furniture against shared walls or hanging up acoustic panels.
Tame tenant complaints like a pro
As a property manager, tenant complaints are part of the job, but with the right approach, you can resolve them quickly and effectively.
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