Im an apt manager & have tenants knocking at my door all night instead of them calling maintenance line. HELP!

Our lease clearly states the procedure for dealing with after office-hours emergencies, it is a violation to disturb an employee who lives onsite after hours. Tenants still feel the need to knock at my door at midnight for maintenace issues. They can easily contact the rental office that is open 7 days a week or call our 24 hour emergency maintenace line. My family cannot get a restful night's sleep! How can I tactfully stop these people from knocking on my door?

Send a letter to the tenants clearly stating the rules. Be clear and concise, and leave a note on your door that states if they are about to knock after hours you're not going to answer and to call the correct personnel.

Put a sign on the door.

Put a sign on your door that gives them instructions on how to handle after hour problems. I would also write a letter and give it to all of the tenants.

Put a sign on the door:
Have you called the 24 hour emergency maintenance line?
List the number just in case they don't have it.

Tell them thru the door, they have to call the phone line. They will eventually get the picture. Warn them when you hand them their keys for the first time, that they are not to do this.

Place a sign upon your door that states violation of their contract by disturbing onsite employees afterhours, can have a bearing on their contract renewals. Post the appropriate numbers and/or leave a box that a message can be left in for your attention first thing in the morning.

send another memo reminding them not to do this, then say if they do it, the first time warning, second time a charge, third time a bigger charge, fourth time YOU'RE OUTTA HERE. :) lol good luck.

Post a sign in big letters on your door after hours. put velcro so you can easily take it off and put it on. Anchor it good to the door so people can't knock it off. Laminate it too to prevent graffiti from appearing on it.

It can say this:

"If it is an after office hours emergency, please contact the rental office, not ME!"

If they still do it, ask a tenant why they do it. If they can't contact the office, you need to take it up with the office, otherwise they will keep bothering you.

talk to the people above you on this...also here they send out a newsletter and it states do not call the apartment manager unless it is absolutely neccessary..you should have a voice message and also let your tenants know that they can not call you all hours of the night...i would just send out a newsletter stating what they should do if they need help after you close for the day...and you should have your rest and so does the maintenence man too....people should have more respect to call on either of you if it is not a emergency and can not wait until morning..i do not think you get paid enough for disturbing your off hours and your sleep..actually we had this trouble and it had to be stopped too...

People don't read leases, and when they do, they don't remember the details. You need a plaque for your door that says in LARGE letters,
After 5 p.m. ALL calls must be referred to our 24 hour emergency maintenance line at 555 2345.
Or (and give the 24 hour rental office number).
Thank you.

Hopefully, that will help. It must be a real problem, and one of the down sides to on-site employee housing!

Send a letter to each tenant reminding them of the policy on the lease. Tell them that you will no longer answer the door after 9 PM (or whatever time you choose) and if they do knock on your door, you will contact the police department about a potential intruder. You can't always be nice in these situations because when you give people an inch, they will most certainly take a mile. Who is your boss? Have you spoken to him about this situation? I would.

Ease the door open with a 12-gauge pump, a hungry pit bull and a hungry rottweiler and they'll forget why they even came knocking...

Some of these answers are too harsh or rude. I was an apt. manager for 25 years and on the same property. Of course it tells them in their lease and rules/regulations the proper thing to do after hours in case of an emergency. They also have a list of what is considered an emergency.

Tenants would even approach me outside if I was on my balcony and it was Sat. or Sun. I would hear, "I know this isn't an emergency, but I'll forget it if I don't tell you now".
Then I would get the tenant that has been out too late and cannot locate their keys.

I prepared a letter explaining the lease, rules, etc. again. Then I explained to them in a kind way the following: When you arrive home from work would a client (or whatever) come to your home or would they call the office and leave you a message? Would one of them do it anyway and then say, I'm sorry but..............?
I, as you, need some off time from work. I will always be here for you in an emergency situation, but a leaky faucet can be reported in the a.m.

Things explained this way can be much better related to for tenants than just saying don't do it and never knock on my door again. You know your tenants the best so you know how you should word a letter like that. You can do it tactfully.

For present tenants-- send out a newsletter as a reminder on how to deal with after-hour maintenance issues.

For future tenants -- Make this clear to them when you place their apartment keys in their hand. Giving them a flyer with the emergency numbers on it at the same moment would be helpful too.

For ALL tenants -- A reminder on your door, along with a list of emergency numbers and/or a message box.


Basically, I just abbreviated what everybody above me typed. Looks like just about everybody agrees on how to deal with this. Wish you the best and many good night's rest in the future!

Keep you're properties properly maintained

Put a sign on the door and don't answer. Turn off the lights and act like nobody's home. How do they know you're home?

Eventually, they'll stop b/c they won't get a response from you. Make sure the sign gives the emergency maintenence phone #

charge them for after hours which is triple bet they will stop then