- 1). Seek out and obtain appropriate training. Review federal housing guidelines and mandatory training sessions. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's offers handbooks, connections and information regarding individual state guidelines.
- 2). Understand what defines and contributes to a hostile living environment. This helps you protect against this situation. Some concepts that may be interpreted and legally defined as a hostile living environment include random enforcement of rules and policies, making racial or derogatory slurs or comments and purposely avoiding maintenance. If you have employees or contractors, you must take steps to ensure their behavior is legal and appropriate.
- 3). Respond quickly to problems and follow up on these matters. This is in regard to complaints, maintenance requests and general inquiries. Taking the right steps to respond to current and potential tenants is an important and necessary prevention tool. It doesn't matter if you're the one providing maintenance or if you hire someone else, a quick response indicates acknowledgment and maintains a positive environment.
- 4). Document all dealings related to tenant issues. Keep records of all phone calls, responses, calls of action and follow-up efforts. Not only does this step help you keep a necessary record of what needs to done and what has been done, it also helps you stay organized. A simple filing system isn't difficult to establish and takes minimal effort to keep up.
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