Owning investment properties in Palm Springs means plenty of challenges for property investors—and tenants can often be the biggest challenges of them all.
Although every property owner may create a rigorous screening process for all potential tenants, bad tenants can still be an issue from time to time. In some cases, good renters turn into challenging residents during the lease term. How can investors deal with difficult tenants? Try these tips from our expert Palm Springs property management team!
What Are Difficult Tenants?
Your screening process may help you recognize the signs of a potentially bad renter. Still, investors need to be prepared to deal with difficult tenants and situations that can develop despite a careful selection process.
Difficult tenants cause problems with other residents or Palm Springs neighbors, don't bother to pay the rent on time (or at all), and sometimes cause property damage. You might have a renter who calls with frequent complaints and never seems happy no matter how you resolve a situation.
No matter the issue, property owners must follow the law and apply best practices to manage difficult tenants.
Always Remain Calm and Patient
As frustrated as you might be with a resident situation, take the high road and remain calm and patient. A poor reaction can lead to a bigger issue. In some instances, a slight misunderstanding can turn into a severe problem (or a lawsuit) if a property owner doesn't take the time to understand a tenant's concern before reacting.
Listen to your resident's issues and talk through possible solutions. By remaining calm and delivering a helpful approach, Palm Springs property owners can diffuse a situation and often resolve a conflict before it escalates into a more significant or legal issue. Maintain professional relationships and interactions with residents no matter what comes up!
Avoid Friendships With Tenants
You might have tenants that you really enjoy, but developing a friendship can lead to disaster. When tenants become your friends, they can take advantage of a friendly relationship to miss rent payment deadlines or break the rules.
Developing personal relationships with tenants can also impact your judgment. It can be challenging to enforce the lease rules (as you do with other tenants) when you've created a friendship with some residents—but not others. Unfairly enforcing the rules with some tenants (but not all tenants) can lead to claims of discrimination and lawsuits.
To avoid this, landlords should avoid renting to friends and family and ensure that any relationships between you and your tenants remain professional. Being "friendly" is fine and an excellent way to build positive relationships. However, don't let "friendly" turn into friendship or compromising relationships that can affect your impartiality when managing tenants and rentals in Palm Springs.
Keep Excellent Written Records
When handling a difficult tenant situation, keep excellent written records!
Good documentation starts with a thorough lease agreement that outlines the rules, rental amounts, payment due dates, and penalties for breaking the rules or skipping this month's rent. As problems come up with tenants, keep track of all email, text, and phone conversations. Make notes about in-person interactions and keep everything in a safe place to track the progress of a complaint through the resolution. Keep copies of notices and reminders sent to tenants about past-due rent or other lease violations.
With excellent records, property owners have a digital or paper trail of their efforts to fix a problem with difficult residents. If you ever need to go to court to dispute a lawsuit from a tenant—or to work through the eviction process—you have the backup you need to support your case.
Hire a Property Management Company
Some tenants will always be difficult, no matter how well you handle their complaints. In some cases, professional tenants slip through the screening process and intentionally create problems, make false complaints, and refuse to follow the rules or pay the rent.
Whenever you have trouble dealing with a problematic tenant, a Palm Springs property management company can always step in and diffuse the situation without harming your investment. With a property manager in place, investors don't have to deal directly with tenants for any reason!
If you're looking for a solution to serves as a "buffer" between you and your residents, the right property manager is the answer. They work hard to protect your investments and income while applying the best professional strategies when handling renter complaints and concerns. Your property manager also follows the laws to deal with challenging renter situations.
Let Expert Palm Springs Property Management Handle Difficult Tenants
Dealing with a problematic tenant can be a nightmare for any property owner. Bad tenants and difficult situations can lead to rental income loss and costly legal processes to resolve problems or remove bad tenants. Maintaining professional relationships with tenants can be challenging without the right experience and resources! Choosing the right Palm Springs property management company is the best way to deal with difficult tenants and maximize rental property returns!
If you're struggling with bad renters, McLean company is here for you! Reach out, and let's talk about how we can help.
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