Taking Tenant Complaints Seriously

Chances are if you own a rental property, you have tenants that have filed a complaint about something. But that’s OK — as a landlord it’s your responsibility to handle these complaints in a professional and timely manner.

Complaints can vary and are often a legitimate worry from a tenant. When a complaint arrives on your desk, for any reason, make sure you write it down. There will be times when you are not able to handle the complaint at that moment. It will get pushed or forgotten if you don’t write it down; this will no doubt result in a very unhappy tenant.

A landlord should address whatever the issue is as soon as possible. If a tenant calls with some sort of maintenance problem, but there is no one available on your team to fix it that day, give them a call and tell them the earliest possible time someone can resolve the issue. Reassurance is key; unresponsiveness to complaints can result in loss of tenants, reputation and money.

One of the most common complaints for property management companies relates to noise. These should be taken seriously regardless of their frequency. Investigating them thoroughly is recommended as sometimes tenants’ noise complaints are unfounded. If that’s the case, make sure in your response you properly communicate the noise ordinance rules and the rules of your apartment. Remember, these people feel their complaints are legitimate, so don’t dismiss them either.

That brings us to the next point, which is assessing whether or not a complaint is legitimate. While most complaints will be real and require your utmost attention, there will be complaints that are silly and really shouldn’t take up much of your time. If a tenant complains about carpet on the floor, that’s not a good complaint; they knew previously about the carpeted floors.

Lastly, give your tenant a written response to their complaint. Talking to the tenant in person is good. A written statement gives them firm proof their issues have been resolved. And it’s good to keep for your management records.