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Hypochondriacal Tenants and the Case of the Mysterious Complaints in Henrico County

Henrico County Property Manager Shaking the Hands of Happy TenantsPart of being a Henrico County property owner is dealing with tenant complaints. However, now and then you might be faced with an overly demanding renter. Tenant complaints have to be handled efficiently and professionally, but you might find yourself in a pickle once you are dealing with someone who seems to voice complaints about everything, making almost constant, borderline unreasonable requests. If you can see that these complaints boil down to health-related concerns, then you could have a tenant who is a hypochondriac or commonly known as someone who suffers from illness anxiety.

A person with hypochondria is someone who experiences obsessive and negative thoughts about their own health. They usually have many concerns, do a lot of reading and research on health-related topics, and may see their surroundings as frightening or hazardous to their health. Many of their excessive or unreasonable complaints may stem from these behaviors and fears.

Dealing with a hypochondriac can be difficult; they are known to have trouble managing their urges and would always ask reassurance about everything around them, which often takes the form of a complaint. They will always ask you to review things for them, making you as some kind of coping mechanism for their anxieties.

The best thing to do when dealing with a tenant who suffers from illness anxiety is first, to ensure that the home they have rented is properly maintained. Then, it’s important to set (and follow consistently) firm guidelines about when, where, and how often they can contact you. To manage repair requests and other complaints, it’s a good idea to require your renter to do so in writing. This helps by creating a paper trail of each complaint (and your response) in the event of a dispute and may even cut down on the number of requests they make.

Even though pressing, it’s crucial that you stay courteous and professional and to remember that it is not a requirement to run to them whenever they ask you to. As long as you are sure that the Henrico County rental property is being regularly and properly maintained, it’s best to calm the renter down by saying that you will take care of the situation, however, depending on what it is, that you will likely address it at a later date. You may also have to remind the tenant about any relevant lease terms, terms that would spell out which errands belong to the renter and which belong to the property owner to avoid misunderstanding or false expectations.

Handling problematic tenant relations can be one of the least enjoyable parts of a landlord’s job. Why not let the professional property managers at Real Property Management Richmond Metro handle it for you? We will guarantee that your property is regularly maintained to help alleviate any concerns. We will also manage tenant complaints, clarify and set lease terms, and handle communication between you and your renters in a professional and timely manner. By doing so, we’ll leave you free to focus on other things. Would you like to learn more about how we can assist you? Please contact us online or call us at 804-417-7005 for more information.

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