10 Ways To Resolve Disputes With Tenants Amicably

Being a landlord requires that you be mature in your dealings with people and are able to handle certain issues, making judgement without being biased or having to resort to legal intervention immediately.

From time to time, potentially serious conflicts may arise between you and your tenants, and you will need to learn how to resolve these without matters escalating, particularly if you have had a hitherto cordial relationship with them. We have put together a list of ten steps that will help you achieve this.

#1. Know the law

Most disputes come about when individuals do not know the law as well they think they do. As well as knowing your rights, you will need to what the rights of your tenants are, and you will need to stay up to date in case there is any change in the housing laws.

#2. Define the problem

Sometimes the issues that spark confrontations between landlords and their tenants are not always the real problem. Your tenant might be lashing out by refusing to uphold some part of your agreement merely because they are upset that you have failed to fulfill some other obligation. Always try to find out the root of the problem and be aware of the impact it has on your tenants.

#3. Proper documentation

It is good to keep a good paper trail, for future reference, so that both parties are aware of their legal obligations, and so that whenever issues arise you will have a strong body of supporting evidence.

#4. Be patient

When dealing with people, it is advisable to be patient and keep your cool no matter how bad the situation is. With tenants, this is even more true, especially if you have had a good relationship up until that point.

#5. Be realistic

If the dispute is between two or more of your tenants, as much as possible, you should avoid taking sides in any way. See the problem the way it is and do not try to sugar coat anything. Instead, offer ideas that can help to solve the issues.

#6. Make compromises

Remember, in trying to make peace there has to be compromise. Negotiations will involve a give and take situation so both parties need to reach a compromise in order for them to reach a peaceful settlement.

#7. Involve third parties

When having tenant issues, as much as you might want to stay out of court, it is sometimes best to involve both you and your tenants lawyers, because they have a clear knowledge as to what is legally correct and applicable in each scenario.

#8. Professional intermediary

If you have tried to solve the dispute to no avail, it is advisable to get an intermediary to help. There are people that are specially trained to help in cases of disputes over rental properties

#9. Consider the outcomes

However you decide to solve any problem, make sure that you have considered all possible outcomes, and your actions represent the best decision you could take under the given circumstances

#10. Litigation

If you have tried every avenue to solve this dispute amicably and it doesn’t work out, then you might just have to take your tenants to court.