Dealing With Difficult Tenants

When managing residential properties one bad tenant can often undo the good work that one hundred excellent ones may have achieved. A bad tenant is a bad tenant regardless of whether they are in the West Riding, Western Australia, Westchester, Wanganui or the Western Isles.

And those bad tenants come in six fishy flavours, and any professional letting agent will soon recognise them. They are:

· The Piranha. The rowdy snapper who upsets the neighbours
· The disappearing Dogfish who ups and does a runner
· The Sprat, who can't or won't pay the rent
· The destroyer Shark who damages or wrecks the place
· The moaning Marlin who will find fault with everything
· And lastly good old Barnacle Bill, who downs anchors and refuses to move

Any letting agent who tells you they have never housed a bad tenant has their pants on fire. All letting agents experience bad tenants from time to time, the test of their expertise is in how they deal with them. Amateur and new letting agents can often be bamboozled by dealing with the six difficult fishes. Worse than that, they can often overstep the mark in trying to solve the problem.

Occasionally landlords and property owners will try and bully the letting agent into taking inappropriate or even illegal action in an effort to bring the matter to a successful conclusion. Agents should always resist this. Flirting with and overstepping the legal line when dealing with bad tenants is fraught with danger, as it will be the Agent and not the landlord, who will always be held to account.

Property Agents run the risk of changing from operating within the law, with the full weight of the law behind them, to being outside the law, and at real risk of prosecution themselves. It's a risk never worth taking.

There are ways and means of dealing with all the six fishes, legal ways and means, and anyone letting residential property should always bear that in mind. Stay within the law, and you will experience far less sleepless nights.

Copyright David Carter 2005. Reproduced with permission.

David Carter was for more than ten years the manager of a property letting agency where he presided over thousands of successful property lets, sales, and refurbishment projects. His new book, SPLAM! Successful Property Letting And Management runs to over 240 pages and can be bought from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ordered through your usual bookstore. The ISBN is 1-4116-3444-6. You can read extracts from the book, or buy a downloaded copy, at http://www.splam.co.uk. You can contact David on any matter at supalife@aol.com

---

How to Sell Your House For Full Price

Many people believe that a real estate broker is needed... Read More

Real Estate Investment - One Simple Formula

I saw the ads in our small-town newspaper for years... Read More

Using Color Psychology to Sell Your Home

When painting your home for resale, choosing the right colors... Read More

Real Estate News

Happy New Year, Make it a better world. "Pay it... Read More

The Psyche of The Seller and The Tenant Buyer

For those of you who were not psychology majors the... Read More

The Art & Science of Property Valuation -- Automated Valuation Models

It is no secret that sellers want to sell high... Read More

Why Not To Invest In Bulgarian Property

According to research carried out by the Thomson Group, owning... Read More

Whats This about a Housing Bubble?

In his recent testimony, Alan Greenspan warned against the possiblity... Read More

How to Become a Successful Real Estate Developer

Real estate investment and development has never been a more... Read More

Buy FHA HUD Homes

FHA HUD homes are those dwellings that have been acquired... Read More

The Listing Agents Role in Selling Your California Home

Advertising to the "Public"Every home seller likes to be assured... Read More

Preparing for a Showing

As soon as you decide to put your home on... Read More

Buying Country Acreage and Rural Properties, To Buy or Not To Buy

Almost anyone can become a rural property owner; if you... Read More

Commercial Real Estate: Assessing The Unique Features Of Commercial Real Estate Parcels

As commercial real estate development progresses into the 21st century,... Read More

Selling Your Home ? What Can Go Wrong With Pricing and Loans

So, you're selling your home (house, townhouse, condo, apartment, land,... Read More

Cant Rent a Work Zone

So you've picked up your first (or third, or tenth)... Read More

Home Staging Strategies

Who are you preparing your home to sell to?You, as... Read More

5 Things to Look for in a Property Appraiser

Homeowners who are seeking a property appraiser often ask "How... Read More

Buying Real Estate Thats Not For Sale

Buying real estate can start with a look in the... Read More

Timing Clauses Stop Sellers From Inciting Bidding War

It is no secret that the current real estate market... Read More

Real Estate Investing Requires Education

I really believe in getting an education in real estate... Read More

Should You Sell Your Home Yourself?

Are you thinking about selling your home? Would you like... Read More

Real Estate Growth: How Long Will It Last?

There has been speculation in the media recently about the... Read More

Tax Free Exchanges: Watch out for the New Residence Rules

On October 22, 2004, President Bush signed tax legislation that... Read More

French Property - a Buyers Guide to Purchasing Property in France

The CompromisThis document is the document you will sign agreeing... Read More

10 Easy but Essential Steps for Home Selling Success

They say that the whole process of selling up, buying... Read More

The Echo Boomers - The Next Big Consumers

The Echo Boomers or Generation Y currently make up about... Read More

Choosing Your REALTOR ®

With so many realtors competing for your business, how do... Read More

What You Can Do To Sell Your Home Fast

Yes, you want to sell your home and you want... Read More

Taxes When You Sell Your Home

What's the difference between death and taxes?Death doesn't change every... Read More

How To Sell Your Home FSBO

You decide to sell your home and believe you can... Read More

Find Out If There Are Sexual Predators Nearby Before You Buy A Home or Property!

When looking for a new home or property, buyers ask... Read More

How To Start Investing For Financial Independence, Part 2

Last week, we started a multi-part series about how to... Read More