Tenant texts continuously and need help

[Harita Konjeti]

Hello BP friends, My tenant texts 4 or 5 times a month and asks me to fix things. He did an inspection when he came in and wants me to fix all of those issues. Also the issues that he brings are " my kids are threatened by neighbors dogs". "The light is flickering in kids room". Once told me that sprinkers are not working. I have verified in my inspection that sprinklers are working. The plumber says that sprinklers were never turned on. He is available only on wednesday(7am -5pm). Not sure how to handle this? Need advise.

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Harita Konjeti:

Hello BP friends, My tenant texts 4 or 5 times a month and asks me to fix things. He did an inspection when he came in and wants me to fix all of those issues. Also the issues that he brings are " my kids are threatened by neighbors dogs". "The light is flickering in kids room". Once told me that sprinkers are not working. I have verified in my inspection that sprinklers are working. The plumber says that sprinklers were never turned on. He is available only on wednesday(7am -5pm). Not sure how to handle this? Need advise.

I would start by asking the tenant if he would prefer to break the lease and move somewhere else. Give him the opportunity to leave in the next 30 days with no penalty as long as he gives you one week notice. If he leaves, you've removed the problem. Make repairs as necessary and move on.

If he insists on staying, tell him to make a list of all the problems he's found and then set an appointment to inspect and verify the issues. Make it very clear that this is a one-time opportunity and that you will not tolerate non-stop complaints via text or any other method. Set a time, inspect, fix the problems that are legit, and move on. Do not make improvements! Fix things that do not function the way they should and leave everything else alone.

You need to set boundaries with tenants. For example:

All communication with me should be by email and I will try to respond to you within 24 hours. If you have a maintenance request, please be as detailed as possible and include pictures or video so I can verify. Text messages and phone calls should be limited to emergency requests that require immediate attention.