A feud between tenants is no fun so how best to handle it is the question this week for Ask Landlord Hank. Remember Hank is not an attorney and he is not offering legal advice. If you have a question for him please fill out the form below.
Dear Landlord Hank:
How do we handle an ongoing, ugly feud between the two sets of tenants in our duplex?
An escalating feud has been brewing for several months, where our tenants argue about everything from when to use the laundry room, how to rake leaves in the yard or how to dispose of waste, etc. Both parties constantly call and text my husband, asking him to take their side and tell the other party that they are in the wrong. They take videos of each other in the yard, supposedly showing their neighbor committing some transgression, and send those to my husband as “proof.”
From our perspective, neither set of tenants has been very courteous or respectful to the other, and we don’t want to concern ourselves with these petty arguments. However, I am worried because both parties have called saying, “I think they are going to kill me!” It seems that both sets of tenants are trying to get us to evict their neighbors, and constantly ask us to “do something.” Last week my husband told the tenant who had just called him, “If you really feel like your neighbor is threatening you, then call the police. Because my hands are tied and I can’t do anything with this situation.” Then the other tenant called and said she had just hired a lawyer.
To my understanding, unless a tenant turns to physical violence or intentionally damages their neighbor’s property, there’s nothing we can do. Or is there? We are just sick and tired of the constant calls, texts and videos, we feel like we’re being harassed! Any advice is appreciated, thank you.
–Victoria
Dear Victoria,
I would outline all the conflicts and issues you are aware of, along with any resolution or lack thereof, and include both tenants with this information via text, email and print a copy and attach to their doors.
If a tenant threatens the other resident, gets aggressive with them or the tenant feels like they may be in danger, then you should call the police and be there when they show up.
You as the landlord are obligated to keep your tenants safe from other residents, and you should consider what is best for both tenants.
It sounds to me that it would be best if both tenants find a new place to live.
Then you could start over with new tenants, making sure that the new tenants are aware they are obliged to live in peace with their neighbors. I would ask the tenants together to find a new place to live and give them a timeline to be out that is reasonable, and ask them to try to ignore their neighbor during this time.
If they refuse to move voluntarily, then I would evict.
Sincerely,
Hank Rossi
Each week I answer questions from landlords and property managers across the country in my “Dear Landlord Hank” blog in the digital magazine Rental Housing Journal. https://rentalhousingjournal.com/asklandlordhank/
Editor’s note: Check your local and state regulations on issues such as this as it varies across the country.
As a child, Hank Rossi sometimes helped his father take care of the family rental-maintenance business. In the mid-’90s he got into the rental business for himself. After he retired, he started a real-estate brokerage business with his sister that focuses on property management and leasing. Visit his website: https://rentsrq.com.
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