Resident Escalation Without Violation

By The Fair Housing Institute

The different aspects that make up your career in property management can be quite diverse, with many unique roles you will learn along the way. One of those unique roles is customer service and it is one of the most important career side quests you will encounter. Customer service can be very rewarding, being able to help your residents with their issues or assist new prospects in finding their perfect home. This also means that escalated situations with angry residents/ prospects are part and parcel as well. While you can’t please every person in every interaction, there is an unfortunate nuance when it comes to customer service and fair housing.

There will be fair housing complaints, no doubt about that. However, one wrong sentence during an interaction or one misstep in a procedure can lead to a fair housing violation. How can this be avoided? Let’s go through a client confrontation step by step and strategize.

Confrontation Prevention

Before the situation of an angry resident or prospect ever arises, are you working on prevention tactics as part of your training routine? There are many confrontations that occur due to a lack of knowledge. A resident asks a question about your reasonable accommodation procedure, or your prospect has certain questions about the proposed lease agreement. If you are not well-versed in your company’s policies and procedures, conversations trying to explain them can lead to confusion. Not only that, a misunderstanding or misquote can lead to a fair housing violation, especially if you are speaking with a tester.

So, how do you avoid issues such as these? For property managers, ensure you’re training staff (newcomers and veterans) regularly on your company’s policies and procedures. Also make sure when there are changes, updates, or addendums, your staff is informed promptly of it. For leasing consultants, if you are unsure of how to answer a question posed about certain policies, it’s always the better choice to return to the conversation. Use transitional phrases such as ensuring you will follow up with them on the question or that you want to speak with your manager to make sure you can provide a clear answer. Avoid trying to guess your way through your answer, as the smallest miscommunication can lead to a fair housing violation.

Inner Dialogue

You just picked up the phone, and before you can finish your greeting, you feel the ringing in your ear from an angry prospect screaming at you. Or a resident steps into the office, and you can see the figurative steam fuming out of their ears, ready to give you a piece of their mind. An important part of confrontation management is mental preparation. Many have said it, and more than likely, you have heard it before; ‘respect is a two way street; treat people how you want to be treated’. While the latter part of this golden rule applies, unfortunately, in customer service respect is not a two-way street. However, it is up to you as a professional to remain calm and collected. Mentally preparing for that lack of respect when you identify a point of conflict is crucial to staying professional.

Now that the confrontation has begun, the prospect or resident is ranting and raving about something, and you’re ready with your response to try to calm the situation. While this is a natural, knee-jerk reaction, it isn’t the most effective way to reduce the tension. If the resident/prospect feels like they’re not being heard, the situation could escalate further. It could even lead to a fair housing violation if it were perceived that the lack of understanding was based on a protected category like race or sex. Instead, employ the use of active listening. This means clearing your train of thought and trying to fight that urge to build your response as the individual is still speaking. Focus on what they’re saying so that you can isolate the point of contention.

Professional Communication

You’ve taken the steps, cleared your mind, and listened to the irate person in front of you. By listening, you’ve been able to figure out why they are so angry. Once there is space, your first step should be to acknowledge the frustration and empathize with them. Remember, if you show you acknowledge and understand their problem, then you can avoid a fair housing complaint.

The source of the confrontation will dictate how you proceed. If there was an issue with, say, a policy in a lease agreement pertaining to an early move-out, then a gentle reminder is in order. If you have kept up to date with your training on your company policies, you’ll be able to clearly explain the procedures they should follow. On the flip side of the coin, if the source of a confrontation comes from an issue pertaining to one of the protected categories (i.e., disability), then a reasonable accommodation must be taken into consideration. Even if it breaks policy, it is your responsibility, according to the Fair Housing Act, to follow through. Thoroughly communicate the next steps for a reasonable accommodation request.

Concluding Steps

The confrontation has come to an end; what are your concluding steps? As always, focus on proper documentation of the whole event. Consider noting down the source of what caused the issue in the first place. Could it have been avoided? If so, making note of this can help you avoid a similar situation from happening again. Now, if a reasonable accommodation was specifically spoken about, make sure you follow through. A breakdown of communication can reignite the confrontation, leading to a fair housing complaint that you want to avoid.

Remember, the prospect/resident isn’t necessarily mad at you; they’re mad at the situation or the events surrounding a conflict. They could even be angry about your company’s policy, something that you are employed to enforce, not change. Calmly prepare yourself for the conflict by staying up to date on company procedures and ensuring you’re mentally prepared to actively listen. Be considerate and acknowledge their source of frustration. Confidently restate company policies and procedures when space in the conversation is given. If a reasonable accommodation is required, confidently guide them through the process. Staying calm, considerate, and confident is the key to success during high-stress confrontations while avoiding fair housing violations.