If you need to move out for any reason, then talk to your landlord about it and make sure you give adequate notice.

Even if you are just moving out when your lease is up, you need to leave the house or apartment in good condition. Make sure things look nice, if you have made changes — such as painting the walls — and promised to change them back, do so before you leave.

Remember, just because someone is renting out a property, be it an apartment building, a house, or an apartment in their own home, it does not automatically mean your landlord is well off. Landlords are just like renters, in that they have bills and mortgages and the like.

As well, you need to make sure both your home and your yard is as clean as you can keep it. Not taking care of your home causes everything to get worn out faster, and that could cost your landlord later — and it could cost you your security deposit.

So, these are — of course — a number of the reasons why you should be the best tenant you can possibly be. Sometimes that is easier said than done, however, so keep checking back for surprisingly easy tips on how you can pull off this endeavor.

If you have ever rented before, then you know a simple fact: there are good landlords and bad landlords. Sometimes you do not discover that your landlord leaves a lot to be desired until after you have moved into your new place. Depending on how much you like your space, this is something you either have to deal with for the long term or until your lease is up, it all depends.

Regardless of how your landlord behaves, however, sometimes the best thing you can do is be a good tenant yourself. In this series of posts, we will talk about how to accomplish that.

One trend in the real estate market that I have noticed is that landlords are slowly but surely becoming more and more rental friendly – which means that this is mainly a renter’s world.

In the next blog, we are going to explore the reasons behind this and why exactly renting is a better option in this particular economy.

If for example, you have no heat or hot water or something is leaking … that is certainly something that is urgent and you will need to contact your landlord as soon as possible.  If nothing is done, well, that is when you can slowly but surely remind them as many times as possible to fix it.

When I had a problem with my hot water and heat this past weekend – well, my landlord was out of town and I still called them and they sent someone to fix it.  Do not be a chicken, you are paying for the place you are living.

For example, if you have no hot water, that is going to be a very, very important repairs that needs to be fixed as soon as possible.  If it is just something that needs to be replaced, such as a smoke detector or something like that, it is a little less urgent and can be fixed at leisure – within reason.

In the next blog, we will talk about time frame and just how long you should wait before really getting on your landlord’s nerves.

In the next few blogs, we are going to go through some of the steps that you need to complete whenever you are making your landlord fix something or if you are reporting a problem.

One of the first things that you need to remember is that you always, always need to leave a paper tail.  While you might have a really good relationship with your landlord, you want to make sure to cover your own butt.  More tips in the next blog!

Professionalism is key. It allows you to be kind and fair but firm as well. After all, this is your property, your home, your apartment complex, whatever the vase may be. You should not be too friendly, because that could prompt your tenants to take advantage of your kindness.

If the rent is late, stick to your late fees, or else you might find that the rent starts to come late every month — and if tenants will break one rule, they may break others, simply because they do not think you will do anything about it.

To this end, it is important to make sure that your expectations and standards are clearly stated in the lease.

Now that you have your screening process in place, the next step is making sure that you come up with a binding contract.  This is something that you will want to get your lawyer involved with, as you want to make sure that everything is on the up and up between you and the tenant.  Most of the time – it is going to be simple, but you want to still have one.

If you do not come up with a contract, that is when problems could come in.  For example, if the tenant trashes your place and leaves it … you can’t exactly bring them to court to get some money because you did not have a binding agreement between the two of you.  That is why it is so important to get your lawyer involved.

Being a landlord is not easy, but it is something that you can do – in the next blog, we are going to talk about repairs and how you can keep track of them.