As a property owner renting out your property you will come across complaints in some form from time to time. Having a property management company to deal with the complaints that are a one off is no problem. When it comes to consistent complaints however, more action will need to be considered.
Here are some regular complaints that may come up to you should be aware of.
Persistent Bed Bugs
“Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite”
That’s not just a fun saying, bed bugs do exist and once they are in your home, getting rid of them isn’t easy. If you have a complaint, they need to be taken seriously.
Bed bugs really like wooden bed frames that aren’t varnished and warmth. If you have an infestation, there may need to be a couple days where rooms aren’t livable as you deal with the problem once and (hopefully) for all.
Relating To Repairs
This is mainly going to be related to plumbing or, preferably not, a leaky roof. If there’s a broken pipe or a random leak in the roof, they can be fixed as a one off and it’s not the end of the world.
Until they start becoming a regular occurrence, in which case, serious works needs to be undertaken. It’s best to work with everyone involved here to work out a solution in advance.
Bad Neighbors
There’s no fun way to fix this. A one off noise complaint to the neighbors can be dealt with anonymously by the police. When it becomes an issue regularly however, mediation is often the only route possible. If your tenants cannot negotiate with the neighbors, you and or the property manager may need to step in to keep the peace otherwise you may see a high turnover of tenants.
Regular Theft
If you happen to live in a hot spot for burglaries, your house may be broken into a couple times of year. This may not seem like a lot, but for those living in your property it is a massive invasion of privacy and can be scary, let alone accounting for the things stolen.
Theft shouldn’t be taken lightly and if it starts to become a regular occurrence at your rental property or the surrounding properties, it’s time to beef up security.
What If You Can’t Be Contacted
Most of the time there won’t be any reason you need to be contacted urgently, but if there is a need but for whatever reason you need to make it clear to your property manager who is in charge of making decisions on your behalf. That may be a relative, family friend or even the property managers themselves. Give them a rough guideline on our priorities and as long as you trust them, all will be well.
As much as you’d like to think that investment properties can be a passive form of income they aren’t. You can have the loveliest of tenants and a great property management team to minimize the interactions you need to have, but it’s not the perfect solution. Being able to deal with these complaints in an efficient manner will help you continue to enjoy the life you love.