Most people hire a property management company because they don’t have the time, expertise or interest in managing the myriad aspects that come with being a rental property owner.
One such aspect that most property owners are more than happy to outsource? Dealing with tenant complaints.
Before jumping into the process of handling tenant complaints, however, let’s first talk a little bit about prevention. Like most things in life, it’s usually much easier to prevent a problem in the first place than it is to deal with whatever ramifications come from it.
Let’s take an easy example
Say you receive a tenant complaint citing loud music in the unit next door. Undoubtedly you will have to address the tenant who was playing the loud music, and that interaction has the potential to go poorly.
Is it possible you could have prevented that loud music from ever even occurring in the first place? Yes, you could have, and you absolutely should be doing so.
It starts with your lease.
By clearly spelling out in your lease agreement what is and is not acceptable in your rental unit – and by assessing fees for engaging in those types of behavior – you can effectively dissuade behavior you deem unacceptable for your property. To learn more about what fees can be applied in an Ohio lease agreement, be sure to read this post.
How to Handle Tenant Complaints
Despite putting preventive measures in place, you still will receive complaints from tenants. That’s just par for the course of being a rental property owner.
When you hire a property management company to help with your rental units however, they should be the one who primarily deals with these day-to-day complaints, not you.
If there is an issue that needs to be escalated, certainly you will be contacted, but, on the whole, you should expect your property management company to be the main point of contact for your tenants. They will be the ones responsible for tracking and responding to any complaints, issues and concerns your tenants may have.
One final thing to note is that tenant complaints can also provide useful insight into the management and operation of both the property itself and the management company’s performance. If you notice any trends in tenant complaints, it could be your cue to implement a broader change.
If you have questions about property management here in Franklin County, Ohio, get in touch with us at RL Property Management.
