It takes a lot of patience when you are dealing with difficult people in any field of the world, let alone tenants. At times they can very angry or optimistic or may sometime be very unrealistic. Nonetheless, following are some guidelines that will help a landlord deal with such difficult situations
Your Perspective
Different people look at different thing in separate different ways. Sometimes the problem only changing the perspective about what you think about the other person will help you a lot.
Be on their side
Letting your tenants know that you are one of them and are ready to do whatever it takes to resolve the problem will immediately solve half of the problem because such an attitude develops an instant can-do feeling in both the parties.
Listen with empathy
Distancing yourself from complaining tenant or just ignoring will only make the situation worst that before. Try being empathetic and listen to what they have to say. This will be your first step in resolving the issue at hand. Once the tenant has the feeling that you are trying to be in their shoes and willing to help them understand and resolve the matter, they are less angry and reasonable in their interactions.
YOUR PRIORITIES
Taking instant action portrays importance
You would think what an instant action would be if you have just started to listen what the complainant has to say. Let me give you an example, you can start by pinning down the complainant’s points in your phone to show that you are prioritizing the tasks already.
Show respect by saying some kind words
Saying to your tenant that “you mean a lot to me” will help you for good because conveying respect means that you are receptive to what the tenant has to say and ready to resolve the matter right away. This helps in building a platform for both of you to sit and discuss the situation and to design a perfect solution to the problem.
YOUR PATTERNS
Don’t take everything personally
Recognizing the fact that it’s about them and not you will make them feel that you are supportive and willing to resolve the matter. When you are ready to listen and don’t take every word they say as a personal attack, things will start to solve rather than getting worst.
Creating less expectation and delivering more
This is an absolute recipe for success. In order to sell or to lease out the property on rent, many landlords oversell their property and create unrealistic expectations. The landlords should be going the other way around that is under promising and over delivering as suggested by famous McGraw Hill.
Planning and Execution
Taking out time to take up tenants’ concerns
Ignoring and saying that you are busy all the time will convey that you are not interested in what they have to say and that the issue is one-sided. That is not true. You are bound by a mutual agreement that holds both the landlord and tenants in their respective responsibilities. So, taking time out is beneficial not just for them but for you as well.
Doing small things make a big difference
You can just go on and say a blunt ‘no’ to your tenant for things that are contrary to your company’s policy or things that you are not responsible to do and say ‘no’ about. But doing smaller things will earn you more respect. For example, emailing or personally delivering your tenants invoices when you know that your tenants aren’t enough tech savvy.
If you’d like to talk more about property management, or you need help with Everest Property Management, please contact us at Everest Realty.
Property Management Service Areas
Palm Coast Property Management
Flagler Beach Property Management
Ormond Beach Property Management
As a top producing Realtor and Property Manager; Terry specializes in sales, extensive construction homes, rentals, REO’s, short sales, and all aspects of Real Estate. After graduating the University of Michigan with a master in MBA, Terry continued his endeavor and now has over 15+ years of experience in the Real Estate world. If there is anything that has to do with Real Estate and sales, you can always be sure of Terry to provide important, specialized knowledge.
