Top 5 Tenant Complaints and How We Handle Them

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. - Dec. 25, 2022 - PRLog -- Here are my top 5 tenant complaints and how I resolve them when they come up.

1 Noisy Dogs

If you're going to allow pets into your apartments, then eventually you're going to end up with a tenant that has a barker. I have a few tenants that have these types of dogs. In some areas it's welcome in the buildings. One of our tenants' dogs (a purse dog) has bitten me twice and barks at me from their window every time I visit the building.

Have a pet clause in your lease as well as a noise clause that ensures all tenants in the building can have a reasonable expectation of quiet during certain hours of the day.

2 Parking Issues

Much simpler to handle but almost equally complained to us are parking issues. We tell people when we lease to them how many spots they're authorized. You can also assign spots by plate number and then check on it when you do your regular building inspections.

3 Smoking Weed

Every year I get less complaints about this due to the ever-increasing acceptance of marijuana use. They do still get reported though and you as the property owner will likely be put in a spot to make a choice.

It's best to have a no smoking policy to protect your property value. Cigarette and marijuana smell is very hard and expensive to get rid of and will turn off future tenants.

4 Long Term Guests

This complaint can be difficult to prove so it's worth taking your time dealing with it. Remind the offending tenant that there are max occupancy laws. You should also have language your lease that covers long term guests. Also make sure to review your local laws on squatters. You're going to want to catch that before it becomes a problem for you.

5 Stomping Feet

It helps to just talk things through with people. However, if this doesn't resolve it, you'll need to take more drastic measures. Obviously start with reminding them about the lease agreement, the right to everyone in the building for peace and quiet at certain hours.

This article was prepared using open Internet sources by Winston Rowe and Associates. They are a national consulting firm specializing in commercial real estate financing. You can review them online at https://www.winstonrowe.com or call 248-246-2243.