It’s a landlord’s worst nightmare: the family you thought would be a great tenant turns out to be disruptive, loud, and noisy. Getting a complaint occasionally is one thing, but you’ve got to take care of a problem quickly if it is ongoing because otherwise you’ll set a standard that allows all of your tenants to be equally loud without violating the lease.
Because the best communication between a landlord and tenant occur in writing, you’ll want to write them a notification letter about the noise complaints you’ve received. You’ll also want to include where in the lease the stipulation against excessive noise happens to be and what resolution a tenant can take so they aren’t contacted by you again about the complaints.
Here’s a Sample Letter From a Landlord to a Tenant
Ms. Jones,
In our rental agreement, it is not permitted to create an environment within your home that allows for excessive and unnecessary noise. Please refer to the section on excessive noise that is found under Item 6 in your rental agreement.
This letter is being written to inform you of 9 complaints received from April 10 to April 14, 2014, in regards to excessive noise levels originating from your unit. As per the rental agreement, this letter serves as your notification of these complaints and that you are in violation of the noise policy of the agreement.
To remedy this situation, please make sure to keep the noise levels in your unit at a minimum whenever possible. Although you are allowed to host guests for a specific period of time, the noise your guests generate are your responsibility. Further violations of the noise stipulations of the rental agreement may result in further actions, which may lead up to and include eviction proceedings.
Thank you for your prompt action in addressing these concerns.
Sincerely,
[Your Name/Organization]
Why Is a Letter Framed In Such a Way?
This warning letter is very similar to something you’d find in a disciplinary action proceeding for an employee who violated the rules for one simple reason: it works. Most complaint letters are resolved the first time around and you don’t have to worry about it again! On the other hand, your letter, which should be sent certified to verify its delivery, shows proof to a mediator or judge that you’ve attempted to fix the issue and offered a resolution.
For extreme problems, you may also wish to consider having your signature on this letter notarized as an extra measure of assistance – especially if you’re proceeding toward a likely eviction. Most of the time a tenant doesn’t even realize they are causing complaints and this letter will fix the problem. If it doesn’t, however, you’ve got a tool to help you get rid of a difficult tenant.
