How To Have Difficult Conversations With Tenants
If you're renting a property out, you have to deal with tenants regularly. Sometimes, a difficult conversation is required with a tenant, even one who is not usually difficult. While being a landlord is considered "passive income," there is actually quite a lot of work to be done.
There is a balance to be found here. Your tenant has both rights and responsibilities. If they're acting out of order, you can and should speak to them about it. However, it is important to be sensitive, especially if you expect these tenants to stay for a long time.
How do you go about having difficult conversations with tenants without coming across as the big, bad landlord? Here are some tips to help you.
Have all your ducks in a row
The problem may be the fault of the tenant, but they may still try to blame it on you. Make sure that all of your ducks are in a row. This means that you've done the due diligence to take care of all your responsibilities as a landlord. It also means that you're ready with the evidence to prove it when necessary.
Sometimes, it does not matter that the tenant is at fault if you haven't taken care of those responsibilities. For example, if you rent your property out, you need to have landlord insurance. Even though damage may have been done to your property by the tenant, unless you can prove it, you are on the line to pay for repairs. You may not get that payout with the wrong insurance, and the money will have to come from your pocket.
Conversations with tenants are tricky enough when you have all your evidence in order. Don't let the conversation be derailed by your lack of preparation.
Be sensitive with your language (but don't sell yourself out)
There is a way to speak to difficult tenants that lessens the chance of things getting out of hand. You do this by being particularly sensitive. Instead of laying the blame on them, tell them how you feel. Focus on yourself and your needs rather than what they've done wrong.
However, it is important to be careful not to inadvertently alleviate them of the responsibility. While you should not blame them outright, don't tell them that they've done nothing wrong. They may jump on this and use it as an excuse not to take accountability for their actions.
The good news is that most people will be at peace with taking accountability for their actions if you speak to them with sensitivity. As long as you do not get caught up in the moment and lose your temper, you shouldn't have to get into an argument.
Don't try to penalize them
A tenant who has been behaving particularly badly can be extremely frustrating. In this state of mind, you may start to feel righteous anger. When feeling this way, you might feel it necessary to penalize them somehow, whether through financial or other means. As much as it feels like they owe you, penalizing them will only make things worse.
There are actually laws in most states prohibiting retaliation from landlords. You can fall afoul of these laws by raising the rent or refusing to renew a lease in response to their bad behavior. Of course, some instances allow you to terminate a lease, but those are very specific, and due process needs to be followed.
Even if you are not going to get in legal trouble, you should avoid penalizing them anyway. This will only vindicate their own idea of who is right and who is wrong. They're unlikely to change their behavior and might even retaliate in their own way.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, when dealing with difficult tenants, your main goal should be to avoid escalating the situation. Preparing for difficult conversations will help you maintain a peaceful relationship with whoever is staying in your place.
