Common Tenant Issues and How to Resolve Them in Dubai

Tenants paying rent on time and being responsible is what every landlord want. However, they will still encounter troublesome tenants every now and then. That's why some of them seek assistance from property management companies to address it. But how do we identify this kind of tenants in the first place?

Here are some examples of those renters and suggestions on how to solve them:

Fractional, late and/or non-paying tenants

This is the most common trouble tenant landlords will encounter. Some tenants will work their way to landlords on giving partial payments. Some will give it late citing several reasons. Or worse, they'll just not pay.

To avoid this situation, clear cut conditions must be stipulated like:

• Stiff fine for any returned or bounced cheques.
• Rents not paid on time, even after proper notification, can lead to eviction.

“My place is open to anyone, anytime” tenants

Some tenants have regular visitors, on a daily or weekly basis. What's worse is they will sublet the property without landlord's consent. Complaints will soon follow. Tenants will just argue that it's their right to have visitors. That's because they are paying rent.

Subletting must be properly specified on the contract if it's allowed or not. Coordination with building management regarding tenant's visitors and visiting hours is a must. This will identify if tenants breached contract stipulations regarding “use of premise”.

“Property is damaged and will not pay for maintenance” tenants

Landlords commonly ask, “The tenant destroyed my property, what needs to be done?”. When signing lease contracts, it should be clear to tenants what they are signing. There should be a clear threshold on each and everyone's responsibilities.

Landlords' responsibilities for repairs

Landlords must handover the property to tenants in full working and acceptable condition. It's obvious that tenants must cover for any property damages they created. All of these must be clearly identified on the contract. This is to protect both landlord and tenant rights.

Inventory protocol example

Lease agreements must have a list of responsibilities by both parties on the property. And this is done thru inventory and handover checklists. This will classify how the property was received by the tenant. And it will also identify how the property should be returned.

There are many handover list examples to choose and pattern from. Below are some guidelines on making good inventory list example for managed properties:

• Note grazes and marks on walls, windows and or tiles.
• Identify total number of keys, access cards and/or remotes given to tenant.
• Indicate quality and brand of paint to be used when repainting the property.
• Furnished properties must have a separate list of all items (photos included).
• Specify takeover procedure during handover so tenants can prepare when the time comes.

All of these can be addressed by a reputable property management company. And if it's property management Dubai it's got to be BSO Real Estate Management.