Unresponsive Tenants - Help!

[Rachel H.]

My tenants, who have been in the property for close to three years, have become totally unresponsive. They pay their rent on time, but have not responded to any emails since October. I understand I cannot legally require them to respond, unless the notice specifically requires it, like for instance, a notice of entry, but it's making it difficult to manage the property, and I'm not sure how to proceed. I believe they will continue to respond to all notices where they are required to do so. But, for instance, I sent them a notice of rent increase effective February 1 and needed them to confirm that they have accepted the new payment terms through our electronic payment system, and even after repeated notices, they are not responding. I know that their email is accurate, and that is not the issue. I believe they are expressing their displeasure with the fact that I have not accommodated some of their recent requests that went far beyond the scope of what is required (like insisting a licensed electrician switch out a smoke detector when we could do it ourselves) and I had to set some boundaries after years of high maintenance for them. I'm curious if anyone has encountered a totally unresponsive tenant before, and what recourse there may be if any, or what tactics people have used. Thank you for any tips!