5 Common Renter Issues and How to Handle them

As much as you hope that every DFW rental resident will behave perfectly and always pay the rent on time, renters can have minds of their own sometimes. From sneaking in an unauthorized pet to letting "guests" stay for months at a time, difficult renter situations can quickly get out of hand without a professional approach and resolution. 

With a thorough screening process, you'll find plenty of quality renters who follow the rules and pay the rent on time. However, every real estate investor needs a plan to deal with challenging resident situations. RentHub handles all kinds of renters and situations! From our DFW property management experience, we recognize (and resolve) these five most common renter issues. Here's what investors need to know!

1. Not Paying the Rent (or Attempting Frequent Negotiations)

Monthly rent collection can be a frustrating process that makes any real estate investor never want to deal with people again. No matter how many excellent renters you have, eventually, you'll deal with that one resident who can never make a rental payment on time. They know the rent is late, and they always have an excuse—or a new negotiation tactic—to justify payment delays and hope to get out of late fees or other penalties. 

• Rule #1 of property management is: the rent is always due on time!
• Rule #2 of property management is: enforce the lease!

Dealing with these renters starts with your lease agreement. Every DFW rental property needs a strong lease that outlines:

• When the rent is due (and how much it is)
• When rent is considered late
• Late fees and the schedule for assessing fees for late rental payments
• Additional penalties for nonpayment of rent (including eviction when it's an option)

We know it can be challenging to enforce the lease with this type of renter. If you have one of these residents now, our DFW property management team can handle them for you! 

2. Complain, Complain, Complain

Are they ever happy? You keep your rental property well-maintained, and you're responsive to their requests, yet some renters seem to have nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain. 

With a chronic complainer, you'll never make them happy. However, it's critical to stay professional and stay accountable for your responsibilities as a DFW rental property owner. Depending on the situation, a break-lease fee might be a good idea for your lease agreements. With this concession, your unhappy renter can break the lease for a nominal fee—and find a new rental home to complain about somewhere else. 

Consult a lawyer and professional DFW property management company to make sure it's a legal solution and appropriate for the situation. 

3. Damaging Your Property

Maintaining your properties is one of your legal responsibilities as a real estate investor. However, fixing things that mysteriously break—without asking any questions—is not your job. 

Accidents can happen, even with excellent residents. When residents break something in your property, fix it promptly. However, depending on the damage, you can pass the repair costs along to your renter. Be sure to document everything with photos and receipts. 

If you're dealing with a bad renter who has more than one instance of damaging your property, consult an expert DFW property management and your lease to determine if you have grounds for eviction. 

4.  Blaming You For Everything

A distant relative of the constant-complainer is the resident who blames you for everything—even if there isn't an issue. These renters are looking for an unsuspecting property owner to target for a lawsuit with made-up accusations of wrong-doing or liabilities. 

• They might fall in your rental property and claim that the flooring was unsafe. 
• When it's time for a routine property inspection, they might claim you stole something while inside the rental home. 

Always keep excellent documentation of every repair and inspection in your rental. Vet your team or hire a property manager to ensure there's no validity to claims of theft or landlord liabilities when working in your properties.

5. Using You As a Mediator

You are a DFW rental property owner—not a relationship mediator. There's no need to get involved in relationship management between two residents of the same property.

Whether it's a bad roommate situation or a couple that's nearing divorce, your loyalty is to the lease. If it's time for co-renters to part ways, point them to the options in the lease, then let them decide who stays or goes. 

Handle Renter Issues With the Best DFW Property Management!

The best way to handle renter problems is to apply a thorough screening process and hire the best DFW property management company to manage renters for you! We've seen and dealt with almost any renter issue you can imagine. Enjoy your passive real estate investment income while RentHub enforces the lease and deals with renter complaints! Contact us to learn how we can handle every renter issue for you.

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