A noisy tenant is like an infected wound - If you don't treat it, the problem will only get worse.
As a landlord, you may face noise complaints from tenants. Whether it's loud music or barking dogs, handling noise complaints is a difficult proposition.
Thankfully, you can take some simple steps to remedy the situation. Read further to learn how to address noise complaints and maintain a peaceful living environment for all your tenants.
1. Understand the Legal Requirements
Before taking any action, it's essential to understand the legal obligations that come with handling noise complaints. Landlords have a duty to provide tenants with a habitable living environment, which includes addressing noise complaints quickly and effectively.
Depending on your location, there may be specific noise regulations that you must follow. Familiarize yourself with these requirements to ensure you're abiding by the law.
2. Communicate with the Tenant
Once you've received a noise complaint, you'll have to address the tenant responsible for the noise. Approach the conversation in a calm and respectful manner, detailing the complaint that you've received.
Ask the tenant to reduce the noise. You should listen to their side of the story, and be ready to offer support if there is a valid reason for the noise.
Hopefully, this will be the end of the story.
3. Investigate the Complaint
If the loud tenant is not responsive to your communication or if the noise continues, you'll be forced to investigate the complaint further.
Speak with tenants or neighbors who've been affected by the noise, and document any evidence that you've collected. This will help you make an informed decision on how to address the situation.
4. Take Action
Once you've gathered all the relevant information, it's time to take action. Depending on the severity of the situation, there are several options that you can pursue.
Issue a Warning
If the noise issue isn't serious, you can issue a warning to the responsible tenant. Explain the consequences if the noise continues and provide a deadline for resolving the issue.
Mediate a Solution
If the noise complaint is a dispute between two tenants, you may be able to act as a peacemaker and mediate a solution. This may involve negotiating a compromise or setting specific noise restrictions for each tenant.
Enforce Consequences
While it should be a last resort, you may need to enforce consequences if the previous actions didn't work. Consequences might include fines, eviction, or legal action.
5. Document Everything
Throughout the entire process, you should be documenting everything. Keep a record of all noise complaints, the actions that you've taken, and all communication you had with the tenants involved.
The documentation can be used as evidence if legal action is required, and can also help you to identify the root cause of the problems.
6. Prevent Future Noise Complaints
Preventative steps can stop these kinds of problems from happening again. Start by running proper tenant background checks.
You can update lease agreements to include specific noise restrictions or guidelines, and put up signs reminding tenants to adhere to them.
Try to Keep the Peace
Handling tenant problems such as noise complaints can be a challenging and time-consuming task, but it's important to take the issue seriously. Follow the landlord tips detailed above and the situation should soon be resolved.
Certain tenant problems are all but impossible to handle. Contact us at Laureate, Ltd. if you need assistance with property management.
