How to Deal with Bad Tenants: Landlord’s Guide to Handling Bad Tenants

It is not easy for landlords to deal with difficult tenants. Some tenants pay rent late, while some are careless and damage the property. Most landlords face the trouble of dealing with bad tenants at some point, and it’s uneasy. 

When it comes to bad renters, you may think your only choice is to evict them. But you have other options too. Evicting a tenant should be the last action. It’s legally difficult, and tenants have many rights to help them fight against eviction.

So, how to deal with bad tenants? Here we’ve put together a list of options you have. Read on and start developing a plan to deal with demanding tenants!

Note: As homeowners find it difficult to deal with demanding renters, tenants also might face difficulties while dealing with bad property managers. Get to know How to Deal with a Bad Property Management Company?

Before diving into the article for dealing with terrible tenants, first of all, be aware of what landlords cannot do. Now, let’s go for the main agenda of this article.

Common Types of Terrible Tenants

Tenant Screening is an excellent way to filter out the tenants (good or bad) who might become an issue in the future. However, you never know what might happen in the future. Here we have listed different types of bad tenants and the measures to help landlords get through such situations. There are three primary types of terrible tenants:

• Tenants who aren’t paying rent, partial payments, or refuse to pay their rent on time.
• Tenants who are damaging the property.
• Tenants who call at all hours, and for everything, including unreasonable demands.
• Tenants who are criminally active; are involved in drugs or violent crimes.
• Tenants who don’t care for the property as they should, while others decide to make unauthorized “improvements.”
• Tenants who are violating the lease agreement – by being too loud and undisciplined, having pets that are not allowed, or proving a permanent residence to those who are not part of the lease.

[Also Read: Landlord’s Guide to Oklahoma Renters Rights]

Common Tenant Problems For Landlords (Signs of a Bad Tenant)

Some common tenant problems for landlords are: 

When Tenants Refuse to Pay the Rent

Tenants can withhold monthly rent payments from landlords for various reasons, from cash flow shortages or temporary unemployment, or more reasons. Communication is important when confronting this issue. In such a case, it is essential to understand the tenants and the nature of the issue. If possible try to negotiate under the circumstances.

As a landlord, understand that individuals hardly struggle with bills, so try to implement a policy of accepting a partial payment from a tenant once per year.

How To Get Terrible Tenants to Pay Rent on Time

There are several ways a landlord can use to encourage tenants to pay the rent on time. Here are some ways:

• As a landlord, keep regular communication with the tenants about the status of their rent payments. Also, address their concerns in time.
• Send reminders to tenants before the rent due date to ensure that they remember to pay on time.
• Implement late fees for late rent payments. Include the clause in the lease agreement.
• Keep records of all rent payments, late fees, and communications with the tenants. These records can be used as evidence in the course of legal action.
• Landlords should be prepared to take legal action if a tenant consistently fails to pay rent on time.

Recommended Article: How to Collect Unpaid Rent After Tenant Moves Out

Bad Tenants Slip Through the Tenant Screening Process

Only an application check and credit check might not be sufficient to reveal problematic tenants. However, it is a great place to begin. Here are various ways that property owners can assure their tenant screening process to avoid terrible tenants:

• Conduct a Background Check on Tenants
• Interview applicants at the showing and request a completed application.
• Speak with previous landlords or contact with applicant’s direct Supervisor. 

Rental Property has a Bad Reputation due to Bad Tenants

From loud parties to unfavorable individuals, there are complicated reasons that a rental property can routinely develop an offensive reputation. This affects a landlord’s ability to attract potential, well-qualified, respectable tenants.

Strong actions like changing the building’s name, fixing neglected background, and repainting must be done quickly so that the residents see immediate changes – even if they are small in the beginning.

A Tenant Regularly Disturbs the Neighbors

Adopting a thorough background screening process to screen tenants can eliminate terrible tenants. However, it might not prevent future disputes between neighbors. Tenant’s activities can directly impact neighbors; routinely and negatively.

If you find residents arguing with one another, remind them of the terms and conditions of the contract and all the possible consequences. This might include eviction. It would be nice if the tenants resolve disputes on their own and get along.

You can mention a clause that states “all tenants need to make every attempt to settle arguments without any intervention”.

Property Damage By The Tenant

Some tenants are too much irresponsible that they cause damage to the property. While some don’t care at all, while some make unauthorized changes to the property. These changes or damages are a huge matter of concern since they can be very expensive for the landlord to fix. As a landlord, you should consider the following recommendations:

How to Prevent Tenants from Damaging Your Rental Property

• Conduct thorough background checks and references while screening your prospective tenants.
• Perform a move-in inspection before the tenant moves in. Document the condition of the property with a detailed report along with photographs.
• Add a clause in the lease agreement regarding the care and maintenance of the property. Make sure the tenants agree to them.
• Small problems can get bigger and costlier. So, maintain the property and address issues as soon as possible.
• Keep a security deposit in place. It will help you cover the damages during the tenancy period.
• Conduct a move-out inspection to compare the damages with the move-in inspection and document the damages.

[Also Read: Signs Someone is Living in a Storage Unit]

Tenants Who Keep Complaining

Dealing with tenants who keep complaining about every single thing is really challenging for landlords. Landlords love tenants who only complain if there is a legitimate issue. But there are some tenants who keep on calling and disturbing the landlord for unreasonable requests. Here are some ways how landlords can deal with such tenants.

How to Deal With Tenants Who Complain Constantly

• Communicate clearly and professionally with tenants and listen to their concerns if they are legitimate. However, you don’t have to jump at every little request.
• Set clear boundaries with the tenant. Make it clear that excessive complaints will not be tolerated.
• Although a landlord has the responsibility of maintaining the property, they aren’t responsible to fix each and everything in the property. Make sure that you remind them about it.

Also Read: How to Deal with Noise Complaints in Your Rental Property

High Tenant Turnover Rate

One of the main reasons for tenant turnover is repairs and maintenance disputes. Therefore, As a landlord, ensure that all repairs and maintenance tenants’ requests are professional, high-quality, and timely. This is one of the most productive ways to maintain a positive relationship with your tenants.

Here is an easy way to make this possible. Send a monthly notice to the tenant. Ask them to report any necessary issues with their units and return them to the office.

Keeping a rental property vacant for a long time can lead to squatters’ problems. Learn How to prevent squatters in a vacant rental property.

Security Deposit Issues

If your tenant believes that s/he can use the security deposit to pay for the last month’s rent, you might have some obstacles here. Tenants sometimes wrongfully believe that they aren’t required to pay rent and that landlords can simply deduct from the security deposit.

The fact is sometimes the security deposit is not enough the cover the last month’s rent and expenses.

Related Article: common warning signs of a potentially bad tenant

How to Deal with Terrible Tenants in 8 Steps

As mentioned above, evicting a difficult tenant, is the last option landlord should use. Here are a few preventive measures that can help you deal with problematic tenants.

Be Calm, Objective, and Reasonable 

It is understandable landlords get angry when tenants cause problems in rental properties. However, you need to stay calm because being angry isn’t going to work. It can worsen the situation. Do not let your thoughts trouble your emotions when you talk to your tenants.

As a landlord, you need to be reasonable. Evaluate the situation carefully from every aspect. Take some time to come to the best approach. Your tenants will be a lot more responsive to what you tell them if you come across as managed and thoughtful.

Keep Written Records of Everything Safely

Keeping a written record of everything can help you avoid disputes with difficult tenants. This increases your workload, but at the same time decreases the possibility of arguments with problem tenants. So, it is deserving the trouble.

Well, During the home inspection, take pictures and videos along with the written records of your findings that feature a timestamp. This is the one way no tenant can argue with necessary security deposit deductions. It will be easy for you to get rid of bad tenants.

Also Read: What are the squatters’ rights in Oklahoma?

Instruct Tenants on How You Should Be Treated

Your actions reflect how you expect to be treated. Unless you will find your tenants taking advantage of you.

For example, if your tenant does not pay their rent on time, and you do not enforce the terms of the lease, they will begin to get away with it. So, if you stand on your own rules, you’ll find yourself dealing with far fewer disputes.

And if you can’t get the result still after all the rules and agreement, keep following. Let your tenant believe that you are not going to drop the argument. This will make them resolve the issue quickly or they will face consequences.

Recommended: Can Landlord Keep Security Deposit For Breaking Lease in OKC?

Get Your Tenants on Your Side

Implement the strategy “kill them with kindness” with your tenants by going out of your way to be kind to them for a positive outcome.

For example, be patient, respond to emails/calls from your tenants; quickly, fix the necessary repairs. This method can be tough with terrible tenants yet possible. Try to win them over and build a positive relationship. Once you have created a good relationship, you will find that they’re more likely to respect your rules.

[Also Read: Can a Landlord Stop a Dog Visiting a Tenant]

Discuss the Issue with the tenant and Find a Resolution

If you are having issues with a tenant, but still want to make it work, you may want to schedule a time, sit down with your tenant, and discuss the concerns you’ve been having. If your tenants want to make it work and you want the same, discuss the details and resolve it. 

However, If you find that your tenant is addressing the issues that are breaking their lease agreement, you may be able to keep them as a tenant. In such a case hire Property Management OKC, a mediator to help you with your process. You can get help proceeding to a solution that works for both parties.

Oklahoma Property Managers understand how to proceed in an Eviction, Including Oklahoma Eviction Laws and Oklahoma eviction without a lease. Get to know What a property manager does.

Ask the Bad Tenants to Leave the Property

When you have reached your breaking point, it is time to ask bad tenants to move out of your rental property. While getting terrible tenants to leave your property might be difficult, it is not impossible. You can start by sending them a Written Notice to Vacate your property as per the lease terms, and they will know that you want them to leave the property.

However, you cannot simply force a tenant out of your home. If they refuse to leave freely, your only option is the eviction process.

Initiate the Eviction Process

Eviction is always costly and should be the last resort if you can’t deal with the difficult tenant anymore. It is also important to keep in mind that you can’t evict a tenant without a proper notice and procedure. The eviction laws and requirements are different in the states. However, in many states, you can only evict a tenant for these reasons:

• If the tenant violates the lease agreement.
• If the tenant didn’t move out after the lease expires.
• If the tenant failed to pay rent.

Further read here: Legal Reasons to Evict a Tenant

Hire a Property Manager

A bad tenant is hard to deal with no matter what you do to please them. If you don’t want to get involved with such hassle, then it’s best that you let someone else handle them on your behalf. You can save a lot of time and energy and also avoid stress. That’s why hiring a property manager can be in your best interest. Dealing with bad tenants is an easy task for a property manager. In addition, property management companies also offer routine inspections, thorough tenant screenings, lease agreements, repairs, maintenance, etc.

A Property Manager makes sure that there are no illegal activities going on in your rental property. If you need to evict a tenant, then your property management company will send out an eviction notice on your behalf and carry out the eviction process or at least guide you.

If you’re looking for a property manager but don’t know what to look after, then check out our article on choosing a right property management company.

How to Get Rid of Bad Tenants?

If all else fails, Eviction can be the last option for getting rid of bad tenants. As a landlord, you can begin the process of evicting your problematic tenant. You might wonder how you can deal with problem tenants if it is a tough process. For that, you’ll need to collect evidence about how they are violating your lease agreement. This can make a court in your favor, if necessary.

Talking about the evidence, you can collect any noise complaints, police reports about disturbances, and proof of additional tenants living on the property without a lease agreement. Proofs also include pets that weren’t allowed in the rental property. Also look out for property damage, broken appliances, and signs of illegal activities on the property.

After that, begin the eviction process if you have already served an eviction notice to your tenant, as required by your state and local municipality. Hire legal representation. As mentioned above, eviction is a complicated long process. But, if you are in the right place and can prove that your tenant was breaking the lease terms, you will win the case.

Frequently evicting a tenant can hamper your profit and increase the vacancy rate. Learn more on How to minimize rental property vacancy rates.

Recommendation: Can you Evict a Tenant Without a Lease?

Get Away From the Bad Tenant’s Problems Today!

Dealing with bad tenants is challenging, but being a landlord is an important responsibility. You can follow the above best practices, which takes away your stress on dealing with them. In short, by establishing strong lease agreements, screening potential tenants carefully, and maintaining open communication, you can minimize problem tenants and protect your investment.

Are you feeling the headache of dealing with difficult tenants? Then, let property management OKC take the burden of dealing with bad tenants off your shoulders. Contact us at 14052325800 today!

FAQs on Dealing with Problem Tenants