As a landlord, you always want to do what is right for your tenant, but you also need to protect your property. When a tenant seems to be taking advantage of your kindness or has damaged your property, then you have every right to be upset and to address your concerns.
When there is a dispute between yourself and a tenant, you need to handle it respectfully and with grace. Even if you end up evicting your tenant, having a good attitude throughout the process and avoiding conflicts will help you look better in the eyes of the court and potentially minimize any fallout from the past tenant feeling upset about the problem.
How can you handle a dispute with your tenant well?
To start with, you should remember to keep calm at all times. While you may be upset, you don’t want to say or do anything that the tenant could use against you. Don’t enter the home without the appropriate permissions in place, and avoid yelling at your tenant. Instead, talk through the issues you see and find out if there is a way that you can resolve it without further issues. For example, if your tenant brought in a pet when you asked them not to, see if they can rehome it. If not, it may be more reasonable to work with them on moving them out or by charging them pet rent rather than going through eviction.
It’s better not to have these discussions until you have a good grasp of landlord-tenant law. You will want to be sure that everything you say and do is legal. For example, you can’t just lock your tenant out of the house because you’re mad about damage you’ve found. You can talk to them and start the eviction process for violating the leasing agreement, though.
These are a few things to think about if you have a dispute with your tenant. It may be frustrating, but be sure you have the right legal knowledge and stay calm when addressing the problem. Doing this will help you resolve a conflict with your tenant more easily.
