Pain Points in Property Management: 5 Topics To Learn From
By ExactEstate6 min read
Last reviewed: July 2026
Property Management
If you’re a property manager, owner, or staff member, it’s unavoidable to experience challenges that will test your patience and composure. From problematic tenants to maintenance problems, there are several horror stories involved in property management.
Read on to discover some of these horror tales and gain tips for property management that can help you grow your business.
Checks That Never Arrive
One of the major horror stories in property management is late payments or no payment at all. One property owner had a tenant that was doing well for the first six months. After that, the tenant paid 15 days after the due date. Later on, a check never arrived. When the landlord had enough, he decided to evict the tenant. He had to go to court, pay thousands in court fees, and had the tenant evicted after around nine months.
Having delinquent tenants is indeed a common scenario in property management. You’ll end up sending them warning letters and eviction notices. Sometimes, you evict them without being able to recover the costs.
One way to avoid this kind of problem is automatic rent collection. You don’t have to wait for checks to arrive. With ExactEstate’s auto-payment feature, you can collect payments automatically with debit and credit cards or automated clearing house (ACH) transactions.
Moreover, you can receive online payments securely with end-to-end encryption. You can even decide on your convenience fee when processing rental payments.
Pet Issues
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Another common problem that you may encounter in property management involves pets. There are tenants that still bring pets inside your rental property even when pets aren’t allowed.
One property owner discussed the agreement and rules about pets with a tenant. The tenant simply ignored the discussion and continued living in the unit with the pet.
The property owner had the resident evicted. However, he had to replace the carpet, doors, and other areas that the dog had damaged. Moreover, he had to repaint the rental house.
One way to handle problems like this is violation tracking. At ExactEstate, you can easily inform your tenants of any unit violations. Moreover, you can update and monitor such violations in the system.
You can even add images securely, which will help you save time and reduce the need for paper documents. The tenants can quickly view their violations using their computers or mobile devices. Through the online violation tracking system, you can quickly take action and prevent costly problems.
While some apartments still don’t allow pets, the number of pet-friendly rental units is increasing. However, another horror story involving pets is dogs attacking you. One property manager was traumatized after a tenant’s dog bit her. She visited the property for inspection and maintenance only to find the dog running around in the backyard, the owner not having remembered the scheduled visit.
One way to avoid this is to manage work orders efficiently with ExactEstate. You can quickly assign different urgency statuses to work orders and track them conveniently wherever you are.
At the same time, your tenants can submit, cancel, and track work orders by using the resident portal. They can access the portal anywhere. They will also receive online notifications, allowing smooth communication between tenants and property managers. Hence, you can avoid potential accidents like this one with pets because tenants are updated with every work order.
Missing Kitchen
A local landlord shared with us one of the worst horror stories in property management history. His whole kitchen was gone, including the fridge, stove, and kitchen sink. The tenant must have loved the kitchen so much that she decided to bring it with her upon leaving.
The landlord then had to buy new appliances, repair, and renovate the kitchen for future tenants.
The same thing has happened to several apartment units under construction. Stoves, microwaves, and other kitchen appliances were stolen.
That is why one of the most important tips for property management is thorough tenant screening. At ExactEstate, we have built-in tenant screening wherein you’ll get a quick yet detailed report about potential tenants. This includes credit reports, criminal records, and eviction history. As a result, you can determine the most qualified tenants and welcome them to your rental property.
Fire Caused by Negligence or Anger
Horror stories in property management include tenants causing a fire due to negligence. For example, one tenant left their rental house with the space heater on. It resulted in a fire and damaged the whole property. From candles and cooking to smoking and electrical equipment, there are several causes of rental property fires. You should have a great insurance policy, so costs related to damage will be covered.
Another tenant was furious about a rent increase, so he filled the trash can with paper towels and set the place up in flames. No one got hurt, but the other tenants were mad and blamed the property owner. The tenant was arrested and received proper sanction.
With ExactEstate, you can train your staff with relevant modules to ensure they know how to keep tenants happy and handle difficult situations. Moreover, we partner with TenantAlert to help you pick the right tenants who won’t cause any damage or burn your property but rather help keep it in the best condition.
Uninvited Guests
When your rental property has a vacancy, you might have unwanted visitors who will make you lose more money. This is what happened to one property owner who had a two-week vacancy period. Intruders flooded the whole place. They kept the water running in the bathrooms.
Fortunately, the neighbors noticed the water flowing in the garage area, so they contacted the police. A water mitigation team came to the house and turned off the running water.
The property owner had to contact his insurance provider and pay the emergency water mitigation company. He also painted the rental house so it would look great for the new tenants.
This horror story shows that longer vacancy periods could mean more costs, including vandalism. You should have enough knowledge of market conditions and solid marketing strategies to avoid vacancies.
Moreover, if you want to manage leads effectively, ExactEstate has you covered. You can view leads from different sources in just one location. You can also easily integrate lead tracking at ExactEstate into different online forms, making the process faster and more efficient.
Final Thoughts
Top horror stories in property management include checks that never arrive, pet problems, missing kitchens, fires due to anger or negligence, and uninvited guests. One of the best tips for property management companies or owners is to use top-quality property management software like ExactEstate. From a rigorous tenant screening process and detailed reporting to violating tracking and marketing integration, you'll enjoy multiple benefits.
Skip the stress of having to go through these horror stories yourself. Request a demo today to find out how we can help give your team and tenants the best experience.
