As a renter, it is important to maintain a healthy tenant-landlord relationship with your landlord. Having a friendly and positive relationship is crucial as it can go a long way in ensuring that you are able to live comfortably, obtain the fastest responses to maintenance requests and maintain affordable monthly rents. To guide you on this, we have come up with some tips to provide you with a better idea on how to develop a better relationship or improve your existing relationship with your landlord.
Communication is Key
Just as any other relationships we have in our lives, a tenant-landlord relationship is based on good communication. The first step in establishing the foundation of an appropriate relationship is to discuss your expectations and responsibilities with your landlord prior to you moving in. Also, make sure to understand and ask your landlord the terms or rules which he might have laid out for you. One of the best ways to do this is to go over your lease line by line with your landlord, including all details from lease period to late rent penalties. Through this, you can not only have a clearer idea of what your responsibilities are, you could also avoid breaking the terms and then find yourself in an unpleasant confrontation with your landlord.
In addition, you should also be mindful of the way you make your requests to your landlord. For instance, if you need something in the house to be fixed, be sure to inform your landlord in a friendly and polite manner. If you would like to have some friends over to hang out with, do also make sure to give your landlord a heads up beforehand.
Pay Your Rent on Time
One of the greatest pet peeves of landlords is chasing after renters who are unable to pay rents on time. Not only can it damage your impression as a renter, it might also create tension between your landlord and you. On a more serious note, a renter who doesn’t pay his monthly rent can be evicted from the rental property. This is definitely something you would want to avoid. Of course, there might be times when you would need a bit more time to pay your rent to your landlord, but always make sure to inform your landlord at the earliest possible. This allows your landlord to understand your situation, and most landlords would definitely be willing to wait for the rent payment.
Maintain Cleanliness
Landlords appreciate responsible renters who can maintain cleanliness of the rental property, as well as common areas. A landlord definitely wouldn’t want to spend additional expenses on cleaning up the property over his renter or fork out additional cash to repair his property. In short, be an accountable renter and be mindful of the property. In some cases, at the end of the lease period, the landlord might also request an inspection on his property to determine if there are any areas of the apartment that needs to be fixed and he may charge you the fees required to repair those damages or faulty areas.
Refrain from Making Rental Property Changes
As renters, most of us love to make ourselves feel at home and customize the rental property according to our individual preferences. Line the hardwood floor with carpets? Install special light bulbs? Sure. But drilling holes in the wall to hang your photo frames or installing a wall-mounted TV in the living room is a different issue. Your landlord most certainly wouldn’t be happy about these permanent changes made to his property. If it’s something you feel very compelled to do, make sure to seek your landlord’s agreement first before carrying out the changes to the apartment.
Having a good tenant-landlord relationship with your landlord can be beneficial for both parties. It gives both your landlord and you a peace of mind. At the same time, it decreases the likelihood of having to deal with confrontations with each other. It also makes it easier for you to raise certain requests to your landlord. And who knows, you and your landlord might even develop a long-lasting friendship!
