Moving day is usually one full of excitement, however we had a new tenant move in over a holiday weekend, and, well… it didn’t exactly go according to plan.
Within hours of moving in, we received a flood of photos showing how dirty the house was, along with some emails suggesting that we’d purposely kept quiet about the AC not working. After catching up on the emails, it became clear we weren’t on the same page. So, we did what we should have done from the start—we picked up the phone to sort things out.
What Went Wrong: Misaligned Expectations
The biggest issue stemmed from a mismatch between what the tenant expected and what they experienced. The property had been vacant for a while and things didn’t quite measure up in the tenant’s eyes. The photos they saw online weren’t a good reflection of the property on move in day.
Additionally, our initial communication was through email, which wasn’t the best approach. Emails can sometimes come across as cold or impersonal, and in this case, they didn’t help to clear up the frustration quickly. A more personal approach would have gone a long way in addressing the tenant’s concerns.
How We Handled It: Taking Action and Addressing the Issues
Once we realized there was a disconnect, we reached out to the tenant immediately. Over the phone, we explained that we had done a walk-through before their move-in and confirmed the house was clean and the AC was working. We offered to send cleaners right away and gave a $200 credit to help with any cleaning needs.
Additionally, after getting approval from the property owner, we replaced the AC unit about a week and a half after they moved in and provided another $200 credit for fans until the new unit was installed.
We even offered an alternative rental option, a brand-new property that would meet the tenant’s expectations for cleanliness, but they declined.
Despite our best efforts, the tenant still left a negative review, which was a bit of a surprise.
Lesson Learned: Fresh Eyes and Proactive Communication
The main takeaway from this situation is simple: always do a final walk-through of the property just a day or two before the tenant moves in, especially if it’s been vacant for a while. Fresh eyes make all the difference in catching any overlooked details.
We’ve also learned that when a tenant is upset, it’s much more effective to pick up the phone immediately and resolve issues directly, rather than letting the back-and-forth drag on through emails. Once we had the conversation, everything was much clearer, and we were able to address the tenant’s concerns much more effectively.
While we felt we did everything we could to resolve the situation, we understand that communication is key, and we’ll continue refining our process to ensure we’re setting the right expectations from the beginning. Sometimes, it’s not just about fixing the problem, but about making sure everyone feels heard and supported.