You may be the lucky person doing Pittsburg residential real estate investing who never has to manage a tenant who needs extra attention. However, regardless of the care with which you screen tenants, the greater probability is that you’ll work with a tenant who needs frequent contact from time to time. These advanced planning tips will help you work with those tenants.
Set Expectations Before Your Tenants Move In
Your rental or lease agreement should include descriptions of the tenant’s responsibilities, which will lay the groundwork for a good working relationship before the tenant even moves in. If you have community rules that tenants need to abide by, include those as part of (or as an addendum to) the agreement.
For example, rules about where to dispose of trash may not seem like something you need to put in writing. If your tenant decides that “close to the waste management area” is good enough, however, you need something in writing to support the rule that trash must be placed into the trash receptacle.
Make Requests Easy
One of the biggest concerns of a tenant who needs extra attention is that their voice won’t be heard. If the tenant ends up leaving six voicemails or texts on your mobile phone, the magnitude of the problem will increase each time. Automating the management of concerns and maintenance requests will give you a clear process and help the tenant feel heard. Once you have that written record, you’ll have another tool to use as you work with the tenant.
Enforce the Rules
Now that you’ve established rules, remember to enforce them consistently. For example, apply your late rent terms the same way every month. A tenant may have real hardship reasons for a late payment, and it helps to listen. Rather than renegotiating the terms every month, explain that the agreement they signed set the date rent is due, and calmly confirm that you expect it on time.
Document Everything
Sometimes a tenancy reaches the point where you need to consider an eviction. In that case, you’ll need a written history of the reasons behind that decision. Keep track of every late rent payment, every concern raised and every time a lease term was not met. If you decide that eviction is required, learn all you can about the eviction process in California before taking any action.
Even before you’re facing a potential eviction, you can use the documented history to talk with the tenant about what is working and what needs to change.
Maintain Your Composure
One of the most difficult things to do when working with a tenant who needs extra attention is to remain calm. Keep in mind that it is possible to rebuild a good working relationship. Losing your temper, or participating in emotionally charged discussions, rarely helps the situation.
Make sure you remain in charge, and calmly explain the truth of the situation, backed up by the initial agreement and subsequent documentation.
Remove the Causes of Repeat Concerns
Maintenance is a big issue for any tenant, so make sure you respond to maintenance requests quickly. When you set expectations for all tenants, you’ll also remove many reasons for repeat concerns. For example, a tenant who follows the trash rules may reasonably mention it if others don’t.
Don’t assume that a concern from a tenant who contacts you often is unfounded. If noise is a problem, check with other tenants who might recognize the problem but haven’t yet made a complaint.
Follow-up is also important. If you believe an issue has been resolved, check with tenants to confirm that they believe the problem is likewise resolved.
Working with tenants who need extra attention can take time and patience. If you prefer to focus your efforts on residential real estate investing in Pittsburg, reach out to Croskey Real Estate, who can provide professional property management services that will let you work on expanding your business.
Screen every applicant the same way
Complete your due diligence and run a detailed credit and background check. More importantly, make sure you use the same process for every single applicant. If you don’t do that, you’ll find yourself in hot water.
Publish your availability for non-emergency requests
Give your tenants a schedule with your availability to handle non-emergency requests. This will discourage them from calling you at off or odd hours. Additionally, you can set up an email auto-response for maintenance requests that includes information about when and how you’ll be responding to requests.
Say no to requests the lease does not cover
If a tenant begins to make unreasonable requests, do not be afraid to say no to those requests. Make sure you can show your tenant how the written lease agreement doesn’t cover what’s being asked for.
Refusing to make unnecessary repairs or fulfill unreasonable requests from the get-go sets a precedent that you only handle what’s stipulated in the lease, and it keeps expectations clear for the whole tenancy.
Or hand the whole relationship to a manager
When you hire a professional property manager, that person becomes the point of contact for tenants and fields repair and maintenance requests. While property management companies may cost you some money outright, they can save you money over time on repairs and spare you the headache of communicating constantly with tenants who need frequent contact.
Frequently asked questions
What lease clauses help set expectations with high-contact tenants?
Effective lease provisions include a defined maintenance request procedure (written submissions only), quiet hours policies, rules on after-hours calls (emergency vs. non-emergency definitions), pet and guest policies, and a reasonable-care clause making tenants responsible for minor maintenance (light bulbs, filter changes). Clear written expectations set at move-in reduce disputes significantly.
How should a property manager handle tenants who contact them frequently?
The most effective approach is to set clear communication channels and response time expectations in writing at move-in, use a maintenance portal that creates a paper trail, and respond promptly to all legitimate requests while documenting that non-emergency issues will be addressed within standard timeframes (typically 24-72 hours).
At what point does tenant behavior become grounds for eviction in California?
Repeated lease violations, nuisance behavior (excessive noise, harassment of neighbors), or intentional property damage can each be grounds for eviction after proper written notice. A 3-Day Notice to Perform or Quit is the first step for curable lease violations. Documenting each incident with dates and written notices is essential to support any eviction action.
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