5 Things That Your Tenants Strongly Dislike

Building a positive relationship among all parties involved in a tenancy can greatly enhance the overall experience. It's a simple concept: treating tenants with respect and recognizing that your property is their home will likely result in them reciprocating the same courtesy.

Remember, your tenants play a crucial role in maintaining your property. Content tenants are more inclined to care for the premises, pay rent promptly, and cooperate when it comes to property inspections. Effective communication fosters cooperation, so it's essential for property managers to be approachable, friendly, and professional in their interactions. As a landlord, it's important to be attentive to reasonable requests from tenants.

With years of experience managing numerous rentals, we've encountered a wide range of situations. However, the following five issues are what tenants despise most when dealing with inconsiderate landlords and property managers:

1. Disrespectful treatment: No one appreciates being treated poorly. If tenants feel mistreated by the property manager, it can lead to breakdowns in communication and various problems during the tenancy. Assess how the property manager handles conflicts and complaints by presenting some scenarios and evaluating their response. If you sense an unwillingness to address issues constructively during this discussion, chances are your tenants will feel the same way.

2. Lack of responsiveness: Being ignored is a major frustration. We all dislike being promised a response and never receiving one. Even if the answer is simply, "We regret to inform you that the landlord is not agreeable to your request," timely replies to all tenant inquiries are a matter of basic courtesy.

3. Inadequate maintenance management: Prompt and efficient handling of maintenance requests should be a top priority for your property manager. They should have established protocols for addressing different issues and specific instructions for organizing repairs on your behalf, especially in emergency situations when you may be unreachable. When evaluating prospective property managers, inquire about their procedures for reporting and managing maintenance items, including expected timelines for completion.

4. Lack of transparency: In today's digital age, it's easy to send a quick email updating tenants on the progress and approval of repairs or other requests. However, many renters experience significant frustration when they feel kept in the dark. If there are delays or multiple visits from tradespeople to obtain quotes, it's crucial to keep tenants informed about the situation.

5. Rent increases: While it's within your rights to raise rent based on market conditions, the way your property manager handles the increase can make it more acceptable or alienate tenants completely. A professional property manager, who has established a good rapport with your tenants, will have the courtesy to contact them personally before sending written notification of a rent review. They can soften the impact by discussing comparable rental prices in the area, increasing the likelihood of tenant renewal and reducing the chances of them feeling unfairly treated and deciding to move out.