As landlords and property managers, we often focus so much on choosing the well-paying tenant, we forget that there are other tenant characteristics that can make managing properties a nightmare.
Here are three of my worst tenant archetypes: their modus operandi, how to spot them in tenant screening, and how to handle them if they manage to slip through your screening process.
Nightmare Tenant 1: The Excuse-Maker
The Excuse-Maker’s M.O.
Over thirty years ago, I entered the dominion of property management. Since then I have heard every excuse in the book.
When it came to paying rent, I’ve heard everything from “My sister’s best friend’s mother passed away” to “I ran out of checks” (the tenant equivalent of “My dog ate my homework”). In my early years, lack of experience and naivete had me believing many of them and worse, falling for some.
As the years grew on and I started to see the common theme of one after another of these justifications and pleas. Enough was enough, I had it! It was enough to make a person cynical and untrusting. I went through a phase where I’d been burned so many times by tenant excuses that I admit I grew a bit cold and turned a deaf ear.
But eventually, I was able to find the balance of enforcing my lease agreement’s rules while maintaining empathy and professionalism.
Screening Out Excuse-Maker Tenants
Some people pay their bills every month on time, come hell or high water. It’s their nature, and the idea of not paying a bill is not conceivable to them.
Others never saw a bill they wanted to pay on time in their life.
This is where tenant credit reports and eviction history reports shine. The kind of tenant who pays their bills on time, no excuses, will have a credit report filled with on-time payment history. No late payments, on anything from their credit cards to their car payment.
Guess what excuse-maker tenants’ credit reports will look like?
Current and former landlords can also tell you exactly what kind of tenant they are, too.
Handling Tenant Excuses
How on earth does one handle these habitual excuse-makers?
You’re a business owner, whether you think of yourself that way or not. So keep your property management business-like.
That doesn’t mean you can’t be empathetic and friendly. Start with “I am so sorry you are going through this” and then take it home: “However, we adhere strictly to the lease agreement and we must receive the rent by ______.”
Do not waver. Keep your emotions at a distance.
Property Management Tip: Fall for an excuse-maker once and you lose footing. Remember, if a customer walks into a supermarket to purchase eggs, gets to the cashier and says “My cat ate my money,” the cashier is going to take the eggs away and say “Sorry.” This is how we ought to think about monthly rent. You don’t pay, you lose the right to live there.
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Great article! What’s the best way to outline what repairs are the landlord’s responsibility vs. the tenant’s? The list would be too long if it was specific.
Is there a way to cover general circumstances? e.g., “Landlord is responsible for any appliance repairs due to normal use but tenant is responsible if the cause was due to tenant’s misuse or negligence.”?
Where permitted, I like to use “all repairs and maintenance up to and including $XX are the responsibility of the tenant”. This prevents those calls for the little incidentals light, light bulb changes.
Setting a good example from simple taking off shoes before entering is a show of respect and hygiene. It should be implemented as common knowledge for tenants so letting them know the drill keeps them in line.
I agree 4Rooms! Really helps minimize wear and tear on the flooring in your rental properties.
Evicting terrible tenants feel like removing thorns in the skin! My property became less stressful when I started using tenant screening app. It helps a lot.
Handling terrible tenants is truly a mess! I attest to that! Thanks to my husband, he handles it very well. Before his duty, I ask him to personally visit the bad tenants and handover a letter that I wrote for them.
I hear you Elizabeth!