No matter how well a property management company is operated, there will always be angry tenants. Instead of fighting this fact or being beaten down by it, a property management company should learn effective ways to communicate with those tenants who are dissatisfied. You won’t be able to please everyone, but these strategies will help to reach a resolution with angry residents.
Listen to the Tenant
When an angry tenant is communicating with you, it means they want to reach a goal. Whether that goal is to express their annoyance or try to find a solution to a re-occurring problem, you need to understand what the tenant is trying to convey. If the tenant is annoyed with something, let them know you understand their annoyance and sympathize with them. If there is a re-occurring problem, explain to the tenant what you are going to do to make things different from now on, but don’t offer promises or solutions you can’t keep.
Provide Excellent Customer Service
It’s hard to be angry towards a polite and friendly property management staff, but an unfriendly staff can help to exasperate problems. Property management companies won’t be able to please every angry tenant, and some tenants are just naturally unpleasant to deal with. With a polite and friendly staff, however, hostility is less likely to increase.
Make sure all the staff understands that they shouldn’t feed into an angry tenant by giving them poor customer service, and that the best policy is to remain as friendly as possible during unpleasant situations.
Have a plan for Angry Tenants
Listening to why your tenant is upset is important, but a property manager needs to provide actual solutions for the tenant. An angry tenant wants to know exactly how you’re going to fix something, so provide an accurate plan and timetable for a resolution. If a property manager needs to make adjustments to the resolution, then stay in constant communication with the angry tenant. Having specific plans rather than providing generalities will help to cut down on a tenant’s anger.
Focus on your Service
If a property manager is constantly dealing with several angry tenants, then that means something is broken with the service of the property management company. From evaluating your staff to reviewing your own practices, looking at how you conduct business is an important factor in understanding a tenant’s anger. If there is an issue that constantly creates hostility over how you conduct business, than something is amiss with the business practices of the company.
Remember, the goal in dealing with an angry tenant is to find a solution, and not to prove who is right or wrong.
With extensive experience serving the greater Frederick area and Western Maryland, Clagett Enterprises has delivered superb service since 1987. The Clagett team is a full service real estate company that’s ready to help you with your property management needs today!
Speak with a Clagett professional at 301-665-6009, and you can also request a proposal for community management here. Make sure to connect with Clagett on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and YouTube.