Problem with Tenant Please Advise

[Alecia Loveless]

Hi. I self manage my units, which I love doing, and therefore my tenants have my phone number for when there is an issue.

I have inherited one tenant a year ago that has no boundaries. If something bothers this tenant they call or text or both 4-5 times a day. Sometimes this can be 5-6 days a week.

For example yesterday I received 4 calls and 5 texts to find out when the lawn would be mowed, and to complain again about my contractor’s storage trailer that has been onsite for about 2 months. The trailer is neat and tidy and registered so there’s no real issue with it being there. As for the lawn, spring has just started and everyone is just doing their first mow so it’s not like we’re behind.

I have suggested twice that if this tenant is so unhappy with my style of management that perhaps moving out would be the best solution only to be told that I’ll have long since sold the building before they leave.

I am now being yelled at, called names, and having my business practices insulted.

My contractor suggested I just stop answering any calls or texts. However if I do this I know this tenant will bad mouth me more frequently to the other tenants in the building. There are 8 units.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for how to handle this?

[Adam Berowski]

sorry to hear! What if you raised rent for that tenant? 

Surely the righ hike in rent will either make it worth your time to deal with the tenant or force them to reconsider moving! 

[Kim Meredith Hampton]

Alecia

I am sure that the other tenants are aware that this guy is an axxhole! Keep good records of every maintenance request and what you did and when. Next time rent lease comes around, don’t renew 

[Ed O.]

If your lease does not contain a provision allowing you to terminate the lease, due to the tenant's unhappiness with the unit, you probably could not do this. I have had to do this twice in 25 years. 

You send them a notice of termination and move them out. 

You say, I'm sorry this unit is not meeting your needs and making you so unhappy. We believe it is best for you to find a unit that is a better fit.

Last, get a google voice number or a burner phone and have your tenants text you only or as much as possible. This tenant is a great example of why they should never have a personal cell phone. 

Worst case: when does their lease end? Be certain to give them notice of nonrenewal and move on. Some people are not worth the headaches. 

[Lynn McGeein]

@Alecia Loveless does this tenant have some sort of life estate lease? If a difficult tenant told me I’ll have sold the building before they move I’d be looking at the old lease and already giving them notice of non-renewal at the first opportunity.

[Alecia Loveless]

Thank you this is the advice I’m looking for. 

[Alecia Loveless]

@Adam Berowski I’ve considered raising the rent. Right now it is in line with the other rents.

[Alecia Loveless]

@Kim Meredith Hampton It’s a month to month lease so I could do this immediately. We renovated this tenant’s unit early in our ownership to try to eliminate some of the issues but unfortunately when someone is just a problem being helpful doesn’t seem to work.

[Greg M.]

Quote from @Alecia Loveless:

Does anyone have any other suggestions for how to handle this?
[...]
It’s a month to month lease so I could do this immediately. 

2+2 = ?

[Kim Meredith Hampton]

Quote from @Alecia Loveless:

@Kim Meredith Hampton It’s a month to month lease so I could do this immediately. We renovated this tenant’s unit early in our ownership to try to eliminate some of the issues but unfortunately when someone is just a problem being helpful doesn’t seem to work.

No good deed goes unpunished as they say!

Find out how much notice you must give in your area for a month to month and get rid of the cancer in your multi 

[JD Martin]

Month to month tenant? That's easy - give him his walking papers. I have a hard no PITA rule - if you are unpleasant to deal with, you are gone. 

[Shervin Golgiri]

from personal experience You're better off to set boundaries with your tenants. Keep conversation formal and in writing as much as you can. Train them the proper time to reach you 9-5pm and in case of emergency Dial 911 before calling you. Hope all goes well

[Alecia Loveless]

In response to the answers I got here I have notified the tenant that calls for maintenance are fine but that nothing else will ever be up for discussion and not to call or text about other things. Also if they are unhappy about the property, management, or staff to consider finding a new place to live. 

If the problem persists I will send a certified letter saying the same. 

And then non-renewal. 

Thank you for all the helpful feedback. 

[John Morgan]

@Alecia Loveless

This is why I do month to month leases with everyone. I’d non renew them in a nano second. Or I raise rent $100/month over market rent for people like this that are a pain.

[Nathan Gesner]

Give them notice and get them out. I do not tolerate anyone treating me or my staff that way, and I won't put up with chronic complainers. Even if they are on a one-year lease, I will give them the option of moving out, or I will find a way to move them out.

[Drew Sygit]

@Alecia Loveless you haven't established proper boundaries.

Also, willing to bet the other tenants in the building KNOW what this tenant is like and thus, has few friends in the building.

How do you establish boundaries?

STOP answering their calls, letting them know they've abuesed that priviledge. Going forward, you will only respond to written messages.

You could also tell the tenant you will no longer respond to texts, only emails. You want to make it more difficult for the tenant to contact you, emails take more time than texts.

You can also take your time responding to messages, telling them that you get 24-48 hours.

[Ebadul Haque]

On reading your post, I have come to know that you're dealing with bad tenants.  Remember that dealing with bad tenants can be stressful, but it's essential to handle the situation carefully and in accordance with the law to protect your interests and maintain a positive landlord-tenant relationship.

To be honest, if the tenants refuse to comply with the lease agreement and you've exhausted all other options, you may need to start the eviction process. Follow the legal procedures outlined in your local jurisdiction, which typically involve serving eviction notices and filing eviction paperwork with the court.

[Matt Devincenzo]

Quote from @Alecia Loveless:

In response to the answers I got here I have notified the tenant that calls for maintenance are fine but that nothing else will ever be up for discussion and not to call or text about other things. Also if they are unhappy about the property, management, or staff to consider finding a new place to live. 

If the problem persists I will send a certified letter saying the same. 

And then non-renewal. 

Thank you for all the helpful feedback. 

 I'm not sure why you did this...it sounds like you already had very similar conversations before. At this point it seems like you should have simply terminated effective Jun or July 1 and started counting the days to when this was no longer a problem you had to deal with.

[Dawn P.]

Nah, if this person is yelling at you and calling you names, get rid of them asap. The other tenants will probably be as relived as you to see them go away.

[Theresa Harris]

I'd simply not renew their lease rather than waiting for them not to renew. They are month to month, so give them notice

[Ed O.]

@Matt Devincenzo

Couldn't agree more. These situations never improve. 

This isn't a situation of "if you're unhappy, you should think about moving." 

It's a situation of here's your notice.  

[Melanie P.]

Yes, grow a thicker skin. All of your tenants who know each other bad mouth you to each other. You are their landlord. Ever hear anyone at work complain about their boss?

Stop answering calls from the tenant. In their contact on your phone there is an option to turn off alerts when they call or text. The records will still show up but you won't be disturbed. However they communicate only respond via text or email. To start fixing this you are only authorized to review their communications and respond one time every Tuesday and Friday. If they are unprofessional or use foul language your only response should be "unprofessional/foul language makes it difficult to understand your concerns. Please communicate with me professionally going forward." No back and forth. If they reply right away it will have to wait until the following Tues/Fri. 

When you stop reacting they will give up provoking. They did give you info that they love your place, plan to stay forever, and accordingly you should increase the rent $250 per month if allowed by your local laws for the aggravation of dealing with them. 

[Adam Bartomeo]

If you do not like this type of interact than you may want to consider hiring a property manager. They create a buffer between you and the tenant. We deal with tenants like this constantly and if you plan on growing than you will also.

[Adam Berowski]

Quote from @Alecia Loveless:

@Adam Berowski I’ve considered raising the rent. Right now it is in line with the other rents.

Glad to hear you’re already thinking of that! Our thought process is if the tenant is demanding more attention and is more difficult to work with then there is a premium above and beyond rent. There is probably a number you have in your mind that will make this worth it or an amount that is needed to offset the cost of additional resources to continue to support this tenant. 

When you raise the rent the tenant may request an explanation and it’s very easy to explain that in order to continue to service them and respond to their requests you need to charge them more. 

if your average rent is $1,000 per unit and the average tenant calls 2 times per year why is it fair to the good tenants that this troublesome tenant to call 50+ times per year and pay the same rate? 

[Dan Heuschele]

Quote from @JD Martin:

Month to month tenant? That's easy - give him his walking papers. I have a hard no PITA rule - if you are unpleasant to deal with, you are gone. 

 Prior to rent control in my market, I had preferred tenant rent, normal tenant rent, and PITA rent.  PITA rent is higher than market rent.  The exact amount above market rent is a function of how big a PITA they are.  $500/month over market always gets a notice from the tenant that they are not renewing. 

The advantage is the tenant is terminating the rental.  This makes it more challenging for them to complain about me terminating the rental.  They may think I am clueless to market rent, but who cares?

Tenants seem to be less resentful when they terminate the rental. 

OP this tenant is a PITA.  There is no way they should not be paying above market rent.   They should be easy to replace with a better tenant.  

[Jim K.]

@Alecia Loveless

One thing I'd like to add to the discussion is that the drawbacks to having a tenant like this in an 8-unit usually far outweigh the advantages of getting rid of them quickly and effectively. When someone like this gets a notice on their door, disappears, and then you renovate and rent the unit afterwards, the whole process really encourages the others to choose the right as you give them to see the right.