Pub. 1 2016 Issue 5

12 www.ctaahq.org 䌀吀䄀䄀 吀䠀䔀䌀伀一一䔀䌀吀䤀䌀唀吀䄀倀䄀刀吀䴀䔀一吀䄀匀匀伀䌀䤀䄀吀䤀伀一  W hen you manage an apartment community, you can be sure that you will be dealing with people on a constant basis. Combine that with the expectations, opinions, and passion most people feel when it comes to their own home, and you already know that success requires you to have strong people skills and a good sense for how to solve problems as e ectively, and as positively, as possible. It starts with understanding the di erence between resident problems and problem residents. ey usually aren’t the same thing. How can you tell which are which? Problem residents fall into three categories: • ose who either don’t pay, or are late paying, their rent. • Tenants who make trouble with their neighbors. • Anyone who damages the property. It should be obvious what you need to do if you have a problem resident, and it probably involves that person moving. Everybody else is a resident with a problem, and should be handled accordingly. When you are dealing with residents who have a problem, it is important to remember that they expect a high level of service that matches the high rent they are paying you in order to live in the apartment community you manage. ey expect great service, no hassles, and a peaceful environment. Anything that falls short of that expectation is likely to upset them. What are some of the problems tenants might have? There’s a wide range of possibilities, of course, but in general the problem is going to be one of the following: • Service that is slow or incomplete. • Con icts with members of your onsite sta . • Inconvenience. For example, problems with parking availability or access to laundry services might well present an inconvenience. HOW TO HANDLE RESIDENT PROBLEMS AND PROBLEM RESIDENTS