Are you fed up with handling difficult tenants? If you have a full-time job and have to deal with complaints or problems from tenants on a regular basis, you may be wondering if it's worth holding onto your property. The first thing to do is to see if there's a good reason why your tenants are behaving badly.

Your property

What state is your property in? Did you buy a property and rent it out straight away, without making sure that it was suitable for tenants to live in? Did you just make sure that you met the minimum requirements for letting your house? If this is the case, your tenants may be experiencing problems with their heating or water, or more serious structural problems. Appliances that don't work and buildings that aren't suitable are all likely to be the cause of complaint. Try investing a little in updating or upgrading your property so that your tenants are happier with the accommodation.

Your services

Do you respond to enquiries from your tenants? Do you call them back if they leave messages, or go round to visit if they've asked to meet? As a landlord, you have responsibilities to your tenants and if you show that you're willing to meet and discuss problems with them, you may get less hassle. Give your tenants the standard of service that you would expect from a landlord, and they may be easier to handle.

Your rent

Is your rent realistic for the property you have? Tenants may object to rent increases if there are no corresponding improvements to their living conditions. Make sure that the rent you charge is fair by local market rates and that you don't make the tenants pay for things you are responsible for.

If you've had a number of difficult tenants in your property, or you have tenants on a long lease who are being troublesome, your easiest option is to sell the house. You can do this without breaking your tenancy agreement if you sell to another landlord through an online property auction. As the new owner won't want to move in, the tenants can be left alone – the landlord on the tenancy agreement just changes from you to the property company or individual you've sold to. You can release the cash from the property to buy a more manageable house, or to invest in other areas.

If you need help to sell your property without disturbing your tenants, contact us at Discount Property Auction. We're committed to helping you, whatever your circumstances. If you want to sell your home, you can use our dedicated online auction facility, which allows you to upload your property yourself and put it in front of genuine, interested buyers. Call us now on 0800 1313 999 or email admin@discountpropertyauction.co.uk to arrange a valuation today.