Common Tenant Complaints and How to Address Them
Overseeing rental properties and managing their occupants can be a stressful time for any property owner or manager. One thing most owners don’t consider is working with the wrong manager or company can leave tenants feeling equally as stressed. Tenants will complain, as they always have. When renting a property, they expect service to the property in exchange for rent -which they should.
Knowing how to properly address tenant complaints with a quick, formal response is vital. A great landlord-tenant relationship will help insure high-quality, paying tenants are more likely to renew their lease every year. If your tenant is satisfied they are likely to stick around and have your rental property earning its potential month-in, month-out.
So what are some common tenant complaints and what is your property management company doing to relieve the situation? Discover the Stone Oak Management difference and how we cater to insure satisfaction for both tenants and property owners.
Common Complaint: Poor Communication
From the moment a tenant shows interest in your property and would like to discuss its availability, you should be completely upfront with them. Discuss everything that’s pertinent in the lease and anything that could play a factor into the day-to-day lives of your tenants. Don’t leave it to them to fully understand a lease and instead let them know upfront what the lease entails and any responsibility that will be put on them for their tenure in the rental property. You may even go as far providing a ‘cheat sheet’ for them that contains all notable info for them to quickly review. Poor communication can hinder any business negatively, especially ones that deal with the living situations of others. Stone Oak Management provides a 24/7 line for tenants to contact us. Our team of Austin TX property managers offer unparalleled responsiveness to both our owners and tenants allowing us to provide a high level of service.
Common Complaints: Maintenance Issues
If you do some scouting on various property management companies in Austin, Texas, you’ll find that a lot of negative reviews have to do with the handling of maintenance issues. For any property manager with a large portfolio, maintenance requests and issues can pile on very quickly, especially in the busy season. If your property manager isn’t prepared or doesn’t have the systems in place to deal with this tenant satisfaction can drop quickly. No one wants to be ignored as the heat rises outside and their AC goes out. At Stone Oak Property Management, we provide a 24/7 maintenance line as well as an online portal for tenants to report issues. We have a fleet of vendors ready and willing to act on any tenant maintenance request. Not only that, we have partnerships with these vendors that enable your repairs to be done at reduced costs and faster speeds. Our vendors understand each time they step onto your property they are representing you, the owner, and Stone Oak Management. As a dedicated Austin TX property management company, Stone Oak has a strong stance on great customer service for our tenants provided by our team and vendors.
Common Complaint: Lack of Privacy
Being a landlord can mean you occasionally interject into someone else’s life. Tenants can feel their landlord doesn’t provide enough privacy to them if the manager is to hands on with the property. Aside from anything that can cause damage to the property or your tenants, it’s not only respectful but a legal requirement to give tenants a 24-hour notice of any visit to the property. Using certified mail or reaching them by phone is one way to know tenants are aware of any visit that will happen soon. Stone Oak Property Management values our tenant’s privacy. Our tenant screening process allows us to put trust in the tenants we place for our landlords. This enables us to perform a limited number of visits per year while insuring your property is in great hands!
Common Complaint: Unreturned Deposit
The process of deciding how much of their deposit a tenant receives back can leave a disconnect between the managers and tenants. To combat this, Stone Oak is completely upfront with our tenants about any requirements for their desired rental property they are responsible for. Our tenants receive a newsletter with tidbits of info and advice on how to maintain the property allowing them to receive more of their deposit back or all of it back. We are very specific with our charges upon a tenant’s move-out to provide them with a clear indication as to why they aren’t receiving their full deposit back.
Stone Oak Property Management has been providing Austin rental property owners with a full range of comprehensive management services for the past 7 years. Our team is dedicated to providing outstanding support and service to both our owners and their tenants. Our Austin property management professionals offer no risk, month-to-month property management contract terms in response to our level of service. If you aren’t satisfied with your property management service, you can fire us – it’s that simple! Looking for a new a property manager? You owe it to yourself and your business to discover how Stone Oak can help manage your rental property portfolio!
