The music’s too loud. They party every weekend. They have offensive window decorations. Do you really want to know what that smell is? Like it or not, that tenant on your property is yours and not someone else’s. Their neighbors have tried the reasonable approaches, but their attempts to peacefully express their concerns have seen no response—or worse, disproportionately negative responses. As the property manager, you are the next step in conflict resolution. You have the power to resolve these neighborly clashes.
Why Bother the Property Manager?
The question here should actually be, “Why put up with the issue any longer?” As long as they’ve taken the civil and neighborly approach to conflict resolution, then they might well approach you to resolve the situation. Each tenant has an equal right to live in a peaceful neighborhood as another has the right to listen to music or hold parties. The thing is, one side’s rights end where they meet the other side’s, and part of sharing communal walls is the ability to compromise solutions that allow both parties the greatest possible freedom to their rights. In addition, it is to the property manager’s benefit to resolve these disputes quickly and to both parties’ satisfaction in order to maintain every relationship with all tenants under his or her watch.
Conflict Resolution at Work
When neighbors feud in your property, you lose the most. You lose the trust of the injured party and property value on the instigating estate and all surrounding estates. In order to resolve these issues, you must apprise yourself of all of the facts of the situation. Approach both parties, including the accused, about their experiences with each other as well as any unusual needs, such as sensitivity to bass music sounds. You must then offer a resolution that fits both sides’ needs as well as possible given any expectations. Your last resorts are moving one of the tenants to another location within the community followed by eviction and legal action, respectively. Using these will cost you the trust of the affected party and give the other side an undue sense of “victory” that shouldn’t be necessary in these disputes.
Benefits of this Method
By involving yourself in your tenants’ disputes, you open yourself up for several benefits. By resolving the issue of both sides satisfactorily, you increase the trust both parties give you. This leads to better tenant retention or recommendations to others when the tenant moves out. In addition, the overall property value will increase—or at least return to its previous state as peaceful living returns to the community. Lastly, you can prevent health issues such as breakdowns caused by mental anguish, physical injury caused by junk lying in paths, and even drug-related health risks in serious cases.
For help with tenant dispute resolution, call Clagett Enterprises at (301)-663-6011. Also, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube for more property ownership information.