How to handle tenant complaints

Chris Hogan, 10th October 2016, Landlords

Dealing with tenant complaints can be a headache, particularly if you're managing the property yourself. How do you cope?

In the first place, make sure your tenancy agreement sets out a complaint procedure stating who to contact and what to expect when something goes wrong.

Set out reasonable deadlines for tenants to receive responses about problems, but don't promise to fix problems within a certain time - theoretically you could be sued for breach of contract if you are unable to deliver.

Step by step

Acknowledge the complaint and verify exactly what the problem is. Phone calls are fine but follow up in writing to confirm exactly what was agreed - email is fine.

Agree with the tenant how serious the issue is - a broken boiler or electrical failure, for example, will clearly be serious and any professional landlord will sort it quickly.

Less serious problems

If there's no immediate danger to tenants or the property then you can agree to have it resolved within a certain time. It's reasonable for tenants to allow time to get quotes from different suppliers.

There can be delays if traders don't turn up as promised - something that's out of the landlord's control. So give yourself enough leeway to sort the problem properly.

Legal snags

You might have problems of a legal or contractual nature - a dispute over charges at the start of the tenancy, or perhaps something in the advert for the property that turns out to be wrong.

You're clearly going to have to negotiate here - it's difficult to give clear guidelines as there's a wide variety of situations. If you think you're in the right but the tenant doesn't then, there's a chance it will end up in court.

Help is at hand

Bear in mind that there are two services that can help you deal with these problems - you might already have access to them, depending on your insurance level.

The first is legal expenses cover. This gives you access to legal experts with specific knowledge of property problems as well as covering fees. Often you'll also have a helpline for advice on any legal questions regarding property.

The second is emergency cover. For a small monthly outlay you can have a qualified plumber, heating engineer, electrician or locksmith despatched to your property any time of the day or night to sort out serious problems.

Check your documentation to see if you have these already.

Keep records

Bear in mind that even if you don't think a complaint is serious enough for you to act on it, following a complaints procedure and recording every step of the way is still worthwhile.

Tenants have the right to contact the council over unsolved problems in some circumstances, so being able to prove that you've been communicating all the way could be very valuable.

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