Re: Quit engaging - Landlord Forum thread 334231

Re: Quit engaging by CCRider (CA) on April 28, 2015 @00:43

I learned a trick with tenants, and that is to never talk to them on the phone. And never answer the door unless YOU made an appointment to see them in person.

Do everything by text or email. When she calls, let it go to voicemail, then text or email your response - if it requires one.

Some tenants are just lonely. If you quit giving her attention, and you rearrange how you respond to her airy fairy requests, it won't be that bad. She'll learn that you won't engage, and that the answer will be no, and she'll back off - at least that's been my experience.

So, she'll call and leave really long voicemails that are all over the map. You either ignore it, or you pop off a text - maybe a day later - that says, "Sorry, can't allow you to grow dahlias on the roof."

Don't explain, don't engage. Try that, and you may find you will be okay to keep her.

Sending her a letter to discuss her behavior will just make her year - wow! major drama! Now she REALLY gets your attention.

So, I vote you do not write a letter. Quit answering the phone, only respond by text or email and only if really necessary.

And if by the time her lease ends, and you still just can't stand it, you can let her go. But, the next tenant could be worse LOL! See if you can't get her a little better trained, and you may end up keeping her.

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Re: Quit engaging by Anonymous on April 28, 2015 @09:30	[ Reply ]

CC, I find your attitude appalling. You sound like the CEO of a huge corporation, who could care less about taking care of your tenants(customers), as long as the money keeps rolling in. Treating Ts the way you suggest, only serves to drive them away, and I thought that the goal of any LL was to keep good Ts as long as possible, by way of good customer service. Your first 2 sentences tell me all about how you operate as a LL. You are generalizing all Ts under 1 umbrella, when in reality, every one of them should be respected as the individuals that they are.

Re: Quit engaging by Anonymous on April 28, 2015 @16:50	[ Reply ]

CC is correct and you are wrong. There are common traits in people, and tenants are people. I run into chatty-cathy types in both my tenants and my contractors -- particularly those who work or live alone. These folks evidently don't have enough social interaction and they can talk up a storm about any number of things that don't have anything to do with me and my business. I don't feel compelled to listen ad nausem and I have things to do with my time, so I usually shut them down quickly and never let it happen again, which usually means dealing with them at arm's length. And you usually don't have to worry about hurting their feelings, they get this from practically everyone in their lives which is why they've laid it on you to begin with, they've worn out everyone else and they've built up a shell. Good customer service is knowing what to spend time on and what is NOYB, literally. Courteous written or texted interaction is just fine -- in fact, better than curt or exasperated face to face or telephone conversation. When you have a little more experience as a landlord or with a multitude of people in other aspects of life, you'll realize how true this is.

Re: Quit engaging by Anonymous on April 28, 2015 @18:57	[ Reply ]

it sounds like the problem is you and not tenants or contractors. you sound anti social?

you must be a tenant by Anonymous on April 29, 2015 @13:54	[ Reply ]