How to Deal With Difficult Tenants

There are generally three types of tenants a landlord may encounter. The first are reliable tenants who pay rent on time, respect the property, and live peacefully without causing problems for their neighbors. The second are clearly problematic tenants who may have a history of late payments, excessive noise, property damage, or other disruptive behavior. In many cases, careful tenant screening can help you avoid renting to this second group.

The third type can be the most difficult to manage: the tenant who seems dependable at first but becomes a problem after moving in. These situations are often harder to predict because the warning signs are not always visible during the application process.

A tenant who appears qualified on paper may face unexpected changes after signing the lease. They may lose a job and struggle to keep up with rent, invite roommates or guests who create disturbances, or reveal patterns of destructive or risky behavior that were never reported by previous landlords. When that happens, even a thorough screening process may not be enough to prevent issues.



While every landlord hopes to avoid difficult tenants altogether, most will eventually have to deal with one. Knowing how to respond can help you protect your property, support your other tenants, and handle problems before they become more serious.

When it comes to screening tenants and managing tenants after they have moved into your property, there are two laws you need to know. The first is the Fair Housing Act , a federal law that prevents landlords of most rental properties from discriminating against tenants in specific protected classes.

Those classes are:

• Color
• Disability
• Family status
• National origin
• Race
• Religion
• Sex

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent a property to someone based on the above criteria. It also makes it illegal for a landlord to offer different conditions to tenants based on their sex, race, family type, or any of the other protected classes than they would to a person who did not fall under a particular category. For example, a landlord can’t charge males a higher rent than females or say that parents with young children need to pay a higher security deposit.

Along with the Fair Housing Act, it’s essential that landlords in Pennsylvania have an awareness of the state’s rules concerning landlord/tenant rights. Pennsylvania housing laws prohibit landlords from discriminating against potential tenants based on their age, ancestry, and pregnancy, as well as based on the classes protected by federal law. The  Pennsylvania Landlord-Tenant Act of 1951  lays out the rules for giving notice to tenants, collecting security deposits, and evicting tenants from the property.

Federal and state laws aren’t only designed to help protect tenants. They can also protect landlords. The rules outline precisely what you can and can’t do when faced with problem tenants and what exactly makes for a “problem tenant.”

Difficult or problem tenants can take many forms. Some types of “bad” tenant can directly affect your bottom line and cash flow. Others can complicate matters for you by making other tenants unhappy or by doing things that can require the attention of law enforcement. Here are a few of the most common tenant issues and some tips on how to handle them.

The relationship between a landlord and tenant depends on one basic expectation: the tenant pays rent in full and on time each month. When rent is late or goes unpaid, your income and cash flow are affected right away. Ongoing missed payments can make it difficult to cover the mortgage, property expenses, and other financial obligations. Even when a tenant eventually pays, repeated late payments can still create serious problems.

If a tenant starts paying late or misses a payment altogether, it is important to respond quickly. Ignoring the issue will not solve it and may even lead the tenant to believe that late payments are acceptable. Instead, reach out as soon as the payment is overdue or as soon as any grace period ends. In some situations, a simple reminder may be enough to resolve the issue if the tenant forgot to mail a check or submit an online payment.

One of the best ways to prevent late payments is to set clear expectations from the beginning. Before the lease is signed, review the payment terms with the tenant carefully. Make sure they understand the monthly due date, whether there is a grace period, and what happens if rent is not paid on time. If you plan to charge a late fee, the lease should clearly explain when that fee applies and how much it will be. Pennsylvania does not have a specific law setting late fee amounts for rent, so it is especially important to include this information in the lease.

Once a tenant falls behind, open communication is key. Contact them promptly, ask about the reason for the delay, and document every conversation. If the issue continues, you may need to move forward with formal action.

For tenants who consistently fail to pay rent, eviction may become necessary. In Pennsylvania, landlords cannot simply change the locks or remove a tenant without following the legal process. To begin an eviction, you must serve a Notice to Quit. This notice must be hand-delivered to the tenant or posted at the property, since it cannot be sent by mail.

The Notice to Quit should state how much rent is owed and explain what the tenant must do next. In most cases, the tenant must either pay the full amount due or move out by the deadline, which must be at least 10 days from the date of the notice. If the tenant does not comply, you can file a complaint with the court and request a hearing. At that hearing, a judge will review both sides of the case and decide whether you can regain possession of the property.

Some tenants pay rent on time every month and still create ongoing challenges for landlords. The phrase “you can’t please everyone” often applies to tenants who seem to have a complaint about nearly everything.

Of course, not every complaint is unreasonable. If an apartment is not being properly heated in the middle of winter, for example, a tenant has every right to raise that concern. Legitimate issues should always be taken seriously and addressed promptly.

The real challenge comes from tenants who complain about minor or constant issues, such as the paint color in shared spaces or everyday noise from neighbors in the hallway. While it may be tempting to ignore repeated calls or messages, it is usually better to respond professionally and directly.

When dealing with demanding tenants, document each complaint and decide how you will respond. If the issue requires action, explain the steps you plan to take. If it does not, provide a clear and reasonable explanation for why no changes will be made.

If a tenant becomes especially difficult or unreasonable, it may help to schedule a meeting to review expectations. Go over the lease terms, clarify what certain provisions mean, and discuss a practical approach for handling future concerns. For example, the right to quiet enjoyment does not mean complete silence at all times. A clear conversation can often reduce misunderstandings and lead to a better landlord-tenant relationship.

If you own a multi-family building, it’s likely that your tenants will come into contact with one another as they go about their days and enjoy life in their apartments. For the most part, tenants who share a building play nice and get along.

But some tenants either fail to understand that they aren’t living in an isolated home in the middle of nowhere or don’t care about the fact that they have neighbors next door, above or below. These tenants might decide that two in the morning is the perfect time to hold band practice, or they might leave bags of garbage in the hallway for days at a time.

Handling disruptive tenants often takes a bit of finesse, as you’re most likely working with at least two parties. You don’t want the tenant with a legitimate complaint to feel unheard or neglected, as that can make them consider moving out when their lease is up. You also don’t want to upset the tenant who is being disruptive, as that could make their behavior worse.

When one tenant complains about another, take the time to speak to both parties. Record what the complaining tenant’s concerns are and provide as detailed an account of the issue as possible. Next, talk to the tenant who is being disruptive. Let them know what the problem is. If there are specific clauses in the lease that prevent the actions they’ve taken, such as a clause outlining quiet hours or explaining when garbage should be put out, point those clauses out to the tenant.



If the tenant continues to break the rules outlined explicitly in the lease, you might consider starting the eviction process to help maintain the peace at your property.

Tenants can violate a lease in more ways than just disturbing their neighbors. Depending on how your lease is written, you may prohibit certain actions or activities that could put your property at risk. Common lease restrictions may include:

• no pets, except for service animals
• no subletting
• no defacing or damaging the property

As with most tenant issues, communication should be your first step when you discover a lease violation. In some cases, the problem may be the result of a misunderstanding rather than intentional misconduct. For example, a tenant may be watching a friend’s dog for a few days without realizing it violates the lease. Property damage may also be accidental, and the tenant may be willing to repair the issue or work with you to resolve it.

If the tenant is unwilling to cooperate, you can provide formal notice of the violation and give them a reasonable amount of time to correct it. If they fail to fix the issue within that timeframe, you may need to move forward with the eviction process.

One of the last things you want as a landlord is for a tenant to move into your property and use it as the home base for illegal activities. If a tenant is producing or selling drugs from your rental property, you could be legally and financially liable for their actions.

Including a clause in the lease forbidding illegal activities is one way to reduce the chance that a tenant will move in and break the law from inside your apartment. A “no illegal activities” clause can also offer you some protection and options if a tenant does start selling or producing drugs from your property or breaks the law in another way.

If one tenant does start using the apartment for illegal activities, other tenants will likely complain to you. Take their complaints seriously and look into the matter. It’s also essential that you let the police know if you think something unlawful is going on. It’s also a good idea to pay attention to police reports and to keep an eye out for your property’s address in any reports.

In Pennsylvania, the  Expedited Eviction of Drug Traffickers Act speeds up the eviction process for people who are convicted of or suspected of selling drugs from a rental property.

 You might have started investing in real estate or become a landlord because you expected it to be a part-time job or a way to earn passive income. But problem tenants can make being a landlord a full-time job.

One way to cope with the stresses and challenges of being a landlord is to hire a property management company. American Heritage Property Management has been working with landlords in Central Pennsylvania since 1981. We offer services including comprehensive tenant screening, lease preparation, and, when needed, managing the tenant eviction process.

Contact us today  to learn more about how we can help you handle and avoid difficult tenants.