There are times during the day as a maintenance technician that we have to have some tough conversations. It's very possible that your resident has asked for a new refrigerator, a new window, uh, a new floor, the apartment to be repainted, and for whatever reason, our community is not able to provide these items or do these things often.
It's up to the maintenance team to pass this information along. Keep in mind that this person is not going to go away. That means you're about to deliver bad news, and tomorrow they're going to be. In the apartment again, that means that every interaction you have with your resident should be taken with the mindset that I have to see this person again tomorrow.
Therefore, when you're delivering news, keep it pleasant. Don't get angry. If your resident gets angry, talk with your manager about it. It is okay for you to have emotions. Your resident is going to have emotion. This is their home that they're talking about, and for whatever reason, the request they made is one that we cannot fulfill.
If you don't feel comfortable having a challenging conversation and saying no to a resident, talk with your leader, talk with your property manager, your maintenance supervisor, or your regional whomever, it is that. Can go with you a second tip, if possible. Have that conversation in public. By that I mean at the front door.
You don't have to go inside the residence apartment often. These types of conversations, unless you're dealing with private or personal information, these conversations are best to have with other people around just in case there's trouble.
