r/Landlord

Hi everyone. I really need to vent a bit and get some perspective from fellow landlords or tenants on how to handle this situation without ending up in therapy.

I rent out a large house (4 bedrooms, garden, etc.) in the best residential area in Tenerife, Canary Islands. I have it rented out to a German couple. I know it is a high-end rental, but given how prices have skyrocketed here lately, it is fully in line with the market for such an exclusive area and property type. To give you some context, I live in a much more humble, one small apartment myself.

To be fair: they are good tenants in the sense that they take care of the house and are scrupulously on time with payments (even though I know it is their legal obligation, it is still appreciated). The problem is their obsessive level of exigency and, above all, how they make me feel.

Before moving in, they came to view the house about 3 times. I customized everything to their liking: I got rid of brand-new beds because they didn’t like them and wanted larger ones, among other changes,such as changing the opening direction of the fridge door. On top of that, the house had just undergone a year-long complete renovation (with the typical poor finishes you find here: microcement bathroom with its flaws, etc.).

Please keep in mind that they are the very first tenants to live in the house after the renovation. There were things wrong with the property that even I didn’t know about because nobody had lived there to test them. Once they moved in, the usual teething issues of an older house popped up: a pipe clogged with wet wipes from the previous owners (I spent a small fortune on emergency plumbers instantly) and a leak caused by a tropical storm, which I got fixed that very same day. Every single issue that has come up has been fully resolved immediately, yet they remain constantly unhappy and dissatisfied. There are still a few exterior touch-ups left, like some paint peeling due to the recent heavy rains, but it is scheduled to be fixed.

I always respond within seconds and put the money upfront to solve everything immediately. However, they are extremely exhausting. Before they moved in, I cleaned the house three times (including hiring professional deep cleaners), and they still complained because there was dust at the back of some drawer. They literally kicked the doors to test their security, inspected every window millimeter by millimeter, and complain about any door handle that feels slightly loose.

The breaking point was this week. A builder had to fix a ceiling, and he was a bit sloppy; he didn’t protect the area well, and fine dust spread throughout the house. Obviously, that was bad on the contractor's part, and I have already offered to hire and pay for another professional cleaning service to fix it.

What is absolutely killing me is their attitude. They send me these incredibly long paragraphs of complaints, and every time I receive one, it gives me massive anxiety and makes me feel terrible, as if I were being negligent when in reality I am working my fingers to the bone for them. I understand that since it's a premium house they expect everything to work flawlessly, but I am mentally drained.

Is this normal behavior for German tenants? How do you set boundaries so that these messages don't ruin your day and trigger this level of anxiety?

Looking forward to reading your thoughts.

Fellow landlords, I’d appreciate your perspective.
How many reminders, inspections, and written notices are reasonable when tenants repeatedly fail to take care of a rental property?
I’m not talking about normal wear and tear or expecting a spotless home. I’m talking about recurring issues like poor housekeeping, accumulated debris, wet and dirty bathroom sinks and floors, neglected dryer lint filters, loose handrails creating safety hazards by unlatched storm doors repeatedly slamming into railings and causing damage.
These issues continue despite previous reminders and notices. And the damages are not just damages but need repairs which cost money.

I take my responsibilities as a landlord seriously, but I also believe tenants are responsible for reasonable upkeep and preventing avoidable damage.

At this rate, paying rent on time is not enough to make someone a good tenant when they repeatedly neglect the property.

At what point do you stop issuing reminders and decide not to renew?

I’d love to hear how other landlords handle repeated issues, document violations, and determine when enough is enough.

I'm having an electrician install some 240v outlets throughout the house. I notified the tenants and pointed out the electrician may need to access the attic through access panels in the bedrooms. The message I received back was this:

"There is fiberglass in the attic. Everything will need to be covered in plastic. Also, the hallway carpet will need to be covered in plastic if he accesses the attic from the hallway. I've already stepped in fiberglass from the last time he went up there and the carpet wasn't covered [he stuck his head up there while he was looking around for the quote]. The issue with fiberglass is it doesn't get vacuumed up entirely unless using a special vacuum."

I'm a mom and pop landlord, and my instinct is to tell them- "if you want it covered in plastic- go for it- at your own expense" I also think they're being dramatic about the fiberglass. But I'm wondering if I have any legal obligations in this case to prevent fiberglass irritation from common blown-in loose fill fiberglass insulation. I'm also wondering how far I should go beyond my legal obligation to make this tenant happy. Any advice/experiences/thoughts? Thanks in advance.

First time homebuyer in Portland, OR. Buying a duplex, currently occupied on both sides. Renters have been aware of potential sale of the house for over a year. Seller is refusing to deliver rental termination notice to the renters. I am aware that I need to provide a 90-day rental termination notice next week, when the house officially becomes mine.

My question is... how do I do this? Is there formal paperwork I need to have verified somehow? Do I mail it? Tape to the door?

I'm seeing some templates online with the option for termination being "landlord to occupy," but can I list that as the official reason for both units, even if I only intend to occupy one unit and rent the other in the future?

Additionally, how do I notify them that I am the new landlord for the next 3 months? Text? Mail?

I am new to all of this, a bit overwhelmed, and looking for kindness and guidance. Thank you!

We have a tenant who has left our property for some years now (7 years). However, they had a lot of heavy exercise equipment they left behind. We are looking to properly get rid of these things. What is the best way to do this?
FYI, we don’t know where this tenant currently resides and they have practically abandoned their things.
How do we document that we tried to get them to pickup their things? What is the best at to get rid of all this exercise equipment?