Palm Springs Landlord’s Guide to Handling Difficult Tenants with Ease
As professional Palm Springs property managers, we know that we’re doing more than managing rental homes. We’re also managing the tenants who occupy those rental homes.
That’s not always easy.
We’re often called upon to resolve conflicts and mediate disputes. We are required to hold tenants accountable while maintaining good relationships, and we also need to follow all of California’s strict tenant protections.
This is not always fun, but being creative problem solvers and solution managers, we’re pretty effective when it comes to handling difficult tenants.
In order to have a pleasant and profitable investment experience, you want to minimize unhappy tenants. Here’s how to handle them with ease.
Identifying Difficult Palm Springs Tenants
It’s your responsibility to provide safe, secure, and clean housing to tenants. Sometimes, you’ll also be responsible for dealing with difficult tenants. This can be time consuming and costly. What do difficult tenants look like?
- They pay rent late
- They violate your lease agreement
- They refuse to answer your calls or communicate
- They cause damage to your property
- They engage in threatening or abusive behavior
Avoiding these tenants and the dramatic situations that come with them starts with a thorough background check and a strict screening process. You’ll also want to put together a strong lease agreement that can help you manage any problems during the tenancy.
It’s easy to categorize a complaining tenant as a difficult tenant. But, that’s not always the case. A difficult tenant is unwilling to work with you to resolve a situation. A tenant who is complaining because their air conditioning has not been working for weeks is not necessarily difficult; they’re rightfully asking for you to fix a problem.
Unhappy tenants need your complete attention. You want to provide a great rental experience and motivate your residents to renew their lease agreements. Difficult tenants are different.
Communication and Compromise with Difficult Tenants
It’s impossible to keep everyone happy. But, you can compromise and find effective solutions that get everybody as close as possible to happy.
Make sure you have a strong and detailed lease agreement. This can help you manage disputes with and between tenants. If one tenant is complaining that a neighbor’s music is too loud or their pets are leaving messes outside in the common areas, we can refer to the lease agreement for what we expect and how those situations should be handled. Expectations are always shared with tenants before they move in.
Sometimes, difficult tenants like to complain. A lot.
If there’s a tenant who is complaining about things that cannot be controlled, communication is your best tool. Perhaps they just want to be heard. Learn how to listen while setting boundaries. Your job is to hear your tenant’s complaints, and you want to allow for dialogue. Remain professional, calm, and respectful. Escalating the situation will not help.
Enforcing a Strong Lease Agreement
Once you have an approved applicant, you’ll sign the lease, collect the deposits, and complete a move-in walk through inspection. This will help you hold the tenant accountable throughout the lease term and at lease termination.
A strong lease is key in making sure you are able to manage your investments and also deal with difficult tenants if needed. If a tenant is not taking care of the property, is becoming a nuisance to other tenants and neighbors, or is not paying rent on time, your lease will give you the authority to deal with that tenant in an appropriate way.
Document Everything with Difficult Tenants
Make sure you document every encounter you have with a tenant, especially if they’re difficult. When they call to complain about senseless things, make a note of it. When they are displeased that a repair is taking too long, write it down. Keeping good notes will protect you against any potential claims, threats, or lawsuits.
Attach a time and date stamp onto every note you make about phone calls. Save emails and texts. Create a timeline of things your tenant has done to disrupt other tenants, avoid paying rent, or rage about maintenance.
Is It Possible to Evict a Difficult Tenant in Palm Springs?
If you are dealing with a difficult tenant who continues to be difficult, you may need to evict them.
Just cause eviction laws will likely apply, so make sure you’re only evicting a difficult tenant who can lawfully be evicted. If they’ve not paid rent or they’re violating the lease and refuse to come into compliance, you can act.
Tenants who are destroying your property or violating your lease also need to go. Give them the legally required opportunity to come into compliance. If they don’t, there’s no reason to give them another chance. They will almost certainly continue to disappoint you.
Palm Springs Property Management Provides a Buffer
Palm Springs property managers provide a buffer between you and your difficult tenants. If you’re not already working with a professional management company, there has never been a better time to reach out. Renting out a home in California is risky. You not only have to deal with problematic tenants, you also have to deal with them in a state that has many tenant protections in place.
It’s worth remembering that you don’t have to deal with tenants at all when you partner with a Palm Springs property management company. When you have a property manager on your side, you don’t have to worry about any of your tenant’s petty complaints or incessant stories that explain why rent is late. Your management company is responsible for that relationship. You can count on your management partner to develop and maintain tenant relationships, enforce the lease agreement, and collect rent on time. Your property manager can listen to tenant complaints and mediate tenant disputes so you don’t have to.
If you’d like some help that’s specific to your situation, please contact us at Xepco Properties. We’d be happy to offer you some more advice on how to handle difficult tenants with ease.
