Tips for Landlords and Property Management Companies to Prevent Common Tenant Problems
Its not any secret that there are good tenants and bad tenants. If you are lucky, your screening process alone will be enough to weed the bad ones out. But what if they are hiding their terrible tenant tendencies under their perfect credit score and flawless job history? 
It’s very easy to let a tenant and landlord situation get out of control if not handled the correct way. These tips for Landlords to prevent tenant problems should help you keep you and your tenants happy!
Screening Process
The first step to finding a tenant is completing a screening process. Landlords and Property Management companies can agree it’s important to decide what matters most to you when looking over an application. Some say that credit score is most important, while others swear that the employment history is far more critical. It is also important to look at your tenants past rental history and see how they left their last property. How they treated their past rentals is a reflection of how they will treat yours. It is difficult to find a flawless applicant, but by having specific qualifications or a scoring system that all tenants must follow, it makes it slightly easier to really decide which applicant will be just the right fit.
Tenants that Don’t Pay Rent
Having every one of your tenants pay on time each month is an occurrence that landlords and Property Management companies almost never experience. That’s the harsh truth of being in this business. Being able to control and strictly enforce your monthly rent payments is a large part of not being taken advantage of by your tenants. Make sure your tenants understand, by them not paying their rent, it hurts more people than just themselves. Structure a late payment system and don’t make any exceptions. Landlords don’t want to evict their tenants but if they need to, they aren’t afraid. If you simply follow the lease agreement and communicate in the right way, they will be more than willing to help you in any way that they can.
Communication with Tenants
Tenant communication is so essential in creating strong tenant-landlord relationships. It seems like the only time they reach out to you is if there is a problem that needs fixing, or if they need an extension on their rent. Having a friendly relationship with each other makes it less likely for a problem to arise. Make yourself available on social media so your tenants know you are just a call away whenever they need you! Building relationships with your tenants has tremendous benefits for everyone. Interacting with your tenants shows them you have an interest in them as humans, and not just a rented house.
Taking Poor Care of the Property
Making sure the property is being taken care of properly is an ongoing job that landlords and property managers need to follow up on throughout the duration of the lease. It’s so easy to assume the property is staying in its best shape, but sometimes that is not the case. 
The last thing any landlord wants is to have a big issue sprung on them out of nowhere. As busy as landlords and property management companies are, it is hard to regularly follow up on your properties. Conducting an annual property assessment helps tenants and landlords get on the same page when it comes to property issues. If you are in the area, make a drive by of the property to see the outside and make sure there is nothing happening that you are not aware of.
Finding a flawless tenant is almost impossible. However, with the correct steps taken, any tenant you have will be a breeze! Personal tenant-landlord relationships will benefit everyone for many different reasons. We hope these tips for landlords and property management companies help you in having a successful renting experience!
If you have any questions, or are a landlord or owner looking for a Property Management company, contact us today!
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