There have been several headlines lately regarding landlords getting killed by their tenants.
Here is one in the Miami area. Here is another one near Pittsburgh. One more headline is from the Milwaukee area.
We landlords have to remember that the landlord-tenant relationship can easily become confrontational. We have to remember that a situation can quickly spiral out of control, in a matter of just minutes. Things can be said and actions taken that cannot be taken back and that are later regretted.
When dealing with tenants, it is always a good policy to keep things on a very professional and businesslike level. You can never be sure what is going through somebody’s head, or what sort of day they have had or where their breaking point is.
Tenant Screening Is A Good Start, But…
Of course the first step landlords can take towards preventing confrontations is good tenant screening. Good tenant screening will screen most problems out. But, even the best tenant screening techniques will not always prevent potential problems. Tenants can become mentally ill, fall off the wagon, stop taking meds or have a host of other problems. I, for example, once had an otherwise good tenant proceed to scream at me from the top of her lungs because I had disturbed her by knocking on her door. It did not matter that we had a pre-arranged appointment. What mattered was that she had stopped taking her medication.
When faced with such a situation, smarter landlords know to back away and to try to diffuse things. As the title to this post says, landlording is not worth getting killed over. And you just never know what people are capable of.
It Does Not Matter Who is “Right”
Trying to force the issue and prove your point, even if you are completely in the right, may not be the best way to go. Doing so may only ratchet things up. Again, it is not worth losing your life over. Leave and diffuse the situation. Remember that you as the landlord will ultimately have the upper hand. It is after all your property, and the laws (most of the time) are on your side. You can “prove” your point later on if you have to. But do it from a safe distance.
If a situation with a tenant starts to spiral out of control, remember that the goal is not to win the battle then and there, but to win the war so to speak. You could end up losing both the battle and the war if you let things escalate too far. Let the angry and irrational tenant win the day. Go home, calm down, regroup and come back later to resolve the issue.
Ever had a scary tenant experience? Please share how you handled things with a comment.
