Conflict resolution involving multifamily properties is a fact of life. Personalities, generational differences and certain behaviors create conflict that needs careful management in order to not only keep the peace but also stay on the right side of the law.
An important part of effective conflict resolution involves anger and how to diffuse or deal with it. Property owners and managers, as well as multifamily housing professionals, maintenance staff and tenant association members should read on to gain some insight into problematic tenants and how you can do your part to calm them down and get their problem solved.
Understand the Problem
Sixty-eight percent of customers stop doing business with any given business due to perceived disinterest/rudeness by staff, according to fair housing expert Anne Sadovsky, who speaks for AudioSolutionz on the topic of conflict resolution in multifamily housing. Conflict is a $3 billion a year challenge, according to Sadovsky, who says 20 million cases a year end up before a judge.
Loss of productivity, emotional unrest, loss of relationships and loss of tenants (your customers!) can result from poor conflict management practices. Communication and peaceful resolution of conflict are always the goals, but sometimes anger gets the better of your tenants. Here’s what to do.
Understand the Source
Tenants don’t get angry because they don’t like you. They get angry because they have a problem that is not getting solved. Solve that problem and you’ll have them eating out of your hand. Here’s how. Though it can seem like angry tenants’ only goal is to ruin your day, they often have specific needs that you can help meet.
Problem-Solving. An angry tenant usually has an objective in mind, whether it’s speaking to a specific person or having a certain check mailed to them. If they don’t get what they want, they’re likely to become even more angry. But oftentimes, the constraints of your job don’t allow you to do what they ask. In those cases, fulfill the tenant’s other needs (listed below) to decrease the chances that the situation will escalate.
Help. Few things are more infuriating to a tenant than to tell an employee about his problem, only to hear, “That’s not in my job description.” Tenants need to see that you’re at least making an effort to help them. So, if you’re not the right person to solve their problem, for example, put them in touch with the person who is.
Choices. Tenants will feel more secure and in control if you give them choices. If they ask to speak to a supervisor who’s not in, for instance, instead of just telling them to leave a message, ask whether they’d like to leave a message or come back at another time when the supervisor will be around.
Acknowledgement. One of the most frequent mistakes tenant service employees make is to start right in on solving a tenant’s problem without paying attention to the tenant’s emotional state first. Upset tenants want you to validate their feelings almost as much as they want you to take care of their tangible problems.
A simple statement like, “You sound angry about that” can reassure and calm them down. Other good things to remember to say, according to Sadovsky, include: “I see where you’re coming from,” “I’d be upset if that happened to me,” “Can we sit down and discuss it?,” “Let’s find a solution—you are important to us,” and “I want to be part of the solution.”
Other Resources
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers a detailed guide in its supportive housing training series for dealing with conflict and difficult situations, “Crisis and Conflict.”
Also, check out the Assisted Housing Alert and its resources, which are designed to help you train employees, avoid compliance violations, become better managers, steer clear of legal trouble, save money and/or time, and create compliant forms and documentation.
