Top Resident Complaints and How to Handle Them

In a perfect world, properly managers would be able to happily collect their rent checks, enjoying growing wealth without having to deal with any hiccups along the way. In the real world, however, being a property manager is often fraught with challenges, including having to deal with complaints from residents.

The key is to deal with these complaints quickly and effectively to not only put out the fire but to make sure these fires don't happen anymore. Here are some of the more common complaints that property managers get, along with tips on how to handle them effectively.

Lack of Maintenance

Perhaps the biggest complaint that residents have is the lack of timely maintenance and repairs on the premises. With any piece of real estate, maintenance is required on a regular basis as materials and finishes tend to show signs of wear and tear over time. Whether it's a pothole in the parking lot, burned-out light in the hallway, or faulty fobs to underground parking, the list of potential issues can be pretty long. If you don't deal with them right away, you can be sure that you'll be fielding resident complaints.

The best way to deal with this and make sure such complaints are minimized is to simply tackle the repairs and maintenance issues as soon as they occur. The longer you wait, the better the chances that your residents will have a problem. 

For routine maintenance, many property managers avail themselves of software that automates the scheduling and reporting involved with recurring maintenance duties on site.

Rodents, Insects, and Other Pests

No one likes the idea of unwanted pests lurking in their homes, whether it's cockroaches, bed bugs, termites, mice, or any other type of pest. If this issue isn't handled right away, the problem can get out of control quickly. If your residential building has a pest issue, get on the phone with an exterminator immediately and make sure that this professional comes back a week or two after the problem has been eradicated to ensure that there weren't any pests left behind.

Poor Communication

The members of your residential community rightly expect to be able to reach out to you if they encounter difficulties with their living arrangements. There are few things that anger a resident more than the feeling that the property management team is inaccessible by phone, email, or text message.

To avoid this problem, make sure that you open up various channels of communication so that you can be reached easily. If required, get yourself an assistant who can field calls and emails for you and forward them in a timely fashion. Never leave your residents hanging when they need you.

Obnoxious Neighbors

No matter how well you maintain your property and how many amenities you offer residents, just one obnoxious neighbor can ruin it for them. This type of complaint can be a tough one to handle.

If you have a few noisy neighbors in your complex, you'll need to address the issue quickly. Try to come up with a resolution that can work for all involved. Speak to the offender and communicate the issues that have been brought to your attention. Document all communications, and take more drastic steps to stop the offender from continuing with their behavior in the form of a Cure or Quit notice, if your lease included one. If the problem still persists, it may be worth it to evict the resident to keep other community residents happy.  

Lack of Premium Amenities

Perhaps your complex does not offer all the amenities that your residents want. Consider the cost of adding such amenities to the building. You may find that residents are happy to accept modest rent increases if you add the amenities they really want.

For instance, a laundry drop-off and pick-up service may be an amenity that your residents will relish. Having access to premium laundry services 24/7 may be just the thing to keep your residents happy and keep your retention levels high without breaking the bank.

Tide Cleaners offers such a service, with lockers that can be installed on-site for your residents to enjoy without having to do their laundry themselves. Installation is free, only requires a small amount of space in your building, and offers you and your residents a turnkey premium amenity at no additional cost to you.