Eight Ways to Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes
Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes #1: Know the Law
If you don’t know the national, state and local laws that govern tenant/landlord relationships, then you can’t hope to effectively resolve disputes. Educate yourself on the terms of the law so that you can respond to any accusation in kind.
Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes #2: Stay Calm
When a tenant approaches you about a concern, resist the urge to fly off the handle, no matter how offensive the request. Getting angry and slinging insults is one way to invite litigation, which is the last thing you want. Instead, approach the conversation as calmly as possible.
Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes #3: Discuss It
Often, tenant/landlord disputes can be resolved through mature conversation. Explain as clearly as possible your position, and try to understand the position of the tenant. If you show that you are amicable, the tenant may drop the issue, or you may be able to reach some sort of mutually agreeable compromise.
Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes #4: Meet in Person
A great way to further a dispute is to have heated discussions over the telephone. Phone conversations provide blessed anonymity, which can lead to the voicing of things you wouldn’t have said other wise. A face-to-face conversation is the best way to resolve any tenant/landlord dispute.
Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes #5: Hire a Mediator
An objective and non-partial third-party mediator may be the solution that ends the dispute. The mediator will help you and your tenant to sort through the issue logically.
Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes #6: Pursue Arbitration
Arbitration is kind of like the half-way point between mediation and litigation. The conclusion reached by the arbitrator is binding, and it ensures closure to the dispute. There is a limit to how much either party can win during arbitration, which will keep costs low. Lawyers are permitted in arbitration, while they are not in mediation.
Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes #7: Keep a Paper Trail
Often, the person who wins in a courtroom scuffle is not necessarily the ‘right’ party, but the one who has kept a sufficient paper trail. Documenting all correspondence and evidence with the tenant is imperative to securing your position. Keep a file full of all information pertaining to each tenant, and keep dates, times, names and substances of conversation well documented.
Resolve Tenant/Landlord Disputes #8: Let the Lawyers Talk
Rather than filing an immediate lawsuit, have your lawyer call the tenant’s lawyer. Sometimes, a solution can be reached outside of court through lawyer negotiations.
