Q: Tenant telling me I can only communicate through emails. Can they do that?
I have problematic tenants. They are rude and entitled. They have been causing problems and have been damaging my property. Of course I call or text them to communicate with them. They hate that. So now they are telling me the only way I can communicate with them is through emails. Can they dictate that? What is the law?
A: No, they cannot. However, how you can communicate with the tenants regarding legally required notices is likely governed by your written fee agreement. Unless it specifies it, neither email nor text message is a lawful means of giving actual notice to the other party but telephone or voice mail are. To the extent that written notice (instead of just actual notice) is required, neither text message nor email nor telephone nor voice mail are lawful means of providing written notice and any notice so communicated is likely to be legally unenforceable. So check the notice provisions in your lease agreement to see what is permissible. Whatever forms of communications you must use, they must use as well.
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