How To Avoid Tenant-Landlord Disputes

By Ashley Paskill on December 27, 2022

In a perfect world, landlords and tenants would get along every second of every day. Unfortunately, there are times when disputes do arise. It can be challenging to deal with these situations, especially when you have so many other things you have to deal with. Luckily, there are things you can do before disputes occur to help prevent them from happening. While disputes may still happen, these things can reduce the number of disputes that occur.

via Pexels

Screen tenants

A huge cause of disputes between landlords and tenants tends to be issues with tenants making, or not making, payments. As a landlord, you have the power to screen tenants to see how they handled making payments in the past. You can also screen them for background checks and their credit score. These things can help you see what kind of tenants they will be. They may not give you the full picture, but screenings can help give you a sense of a person’s history. You may even decide to contact a potential tenant’s previous landlord to see what kind of tenant they were. This way, if you know the tenant had issues in the past, you can decide to rent to a different tenant.

Market your property

While you want to be making money on your rental property, it is important to not settle on the first tenant who applies to rent your property. If you have a space that has been empty for some time, it may be tempting to let someone in, even if they have had issues with other landlords in the past. This can eventually lead to issues, especially if the tenant has a history of not making payments. One way to avoid having an empty property for a long time is to market your property effectively. Knowing who you want to bring in to rent your property and where to find them is important. List your property across multiple websites and be sure that your writing and pictures on the listing are high-quality so people can get an accurate feel for your property.

Image: Tracy Le Blanc via Photo by Tracy Le Blanc: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-iphone-showing-social-networks-folder-607812/

Make sure the lease agreement is clear and covers everything

Having a fully comprehensive lease that covers any kind of issue that may arise can help minimize disputes and can be used as a way to show tenants what they agreed to if they do try to argue. The lease should cover things such as property damage, payments, and even rules about guests and subleasing. Look for sample lease agreements online to see what is usually covered so you do not miss anything. Making sure everything is covered will ensure that your tenants cannot catch you for something you did not think to put in the lease.

Make great tenants stay

When you find good tenants who follow their lease and make payments on time, do your best to ensure they keep renting from you. Keep being responsive to their questions and concerns and keep up with your property’s amenities. Consider encouraging them to sign a longer lease when their current lease is up. If they have any maintenance requests, be sure to address them in a timely manner. Offer incentives and rewards for renewing their lease. These things will make sure you can hold onto a great tenant for as long as you possibly can. You may even decide to decrease rent on their property, or, at minimum, promise not to raise their rent for the time they lease from you.

Communicate effectively

Communication is important in any relationship, including the relationship you have with tenants. Make sure you have a way to contact your tenants and they know how and when they can contact you. Choose your words wisely so your tenants do not misunderstand what you are saying and get mad. Periodically check in with tenants to make sure things are going well. Even quick conversations to ensure things are okay can make sure your tenants feel listened to and can help eliminate disputes by showing that you care and want to hear their concerns. Keeping lines of communication is crucial so your tenants stay happy and disputes are disputed.

Have photo evidence

One major cause of disputes is property damage. Tenants may argue that the damage was there before, even if it was not. In order to prevent this argument, take photos of your property before tenants move in and when maintenance requests are taken care of. This way, if a tenant tries to argue that they did not cause damage, you can show them the pictures of the property before their move-in. Photo evidence will also be crucial if you end up having to go to court. Make sure you have pictures of every nook and cranny of your apartment so you do not miss anything.

Tenant-landlord disputes are inevitable, but for the most part, they can be avoided by taking simple steps to ensure things stay as peaceful as possible.

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