The Art of Real Estate » tenants

Learning to be a Good Tenant: 5

Heather — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:40:47 +0000

When you want to be a good tenant, it is highly important that you follow all of the rules outlined in your lease. If you can only have a certain number of people living in your apartment, comply with that. Do not sneak in pets if there is a no pet clause in your lease. If you are not permitted to put up wallpaper, do not do it.

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.

Learning to be a Good Tenant: 4

Heather — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:37:31 +0000

Naturally, when you are renting a house or an apartment, you want things to work the way they are supposed to work. And, ideally, you want your landlord to take care of any repairs as quickly as possible.

Well, you have to take some responsibility for that yourself. For starters, your landlord cannot read your mind. You need to tell him or her about any necessary repairs. Do not think that you are being a nuisance, do not think you will be bothering your landlord. In these cases, the landlord not only needs to be bothered, but most likely wants to be — that is, he or she wants to know about your problem.

Besides, if you neglect to mention repairs when they are first needed, you can make things more expensive for your landlord by letting them go.

The Lease — Broken Down: 5

Heather — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:58 +0000

We touched just a little on what happens when a tenant is not ready to end their lease, but let’s go ahead and dive right into there. We all know that if you have a tenant that is a little bit tricky and they are not the greatest tenant in the world, it can be difficult for them to leave the residence you are renting.

Well, I can tell you for sure that you, as a landlord have the right to evict anyone that you want, you just have to make sure that it is legal and that the tenant is violating the terms of the lease. This is where you need to have a lawyer on your side.

You always want to give them a warning before the eviction, just to prove that you did try to get the tenant to correct their actions.

Rental News, Landlords Are Becoming More Rental-Friendly In 2010: 1

Heather — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:54:18 +0000

In this day and age, I can tell you for sure that people are looking not to buy but to rent … this is extremely good news for homeowners that have turned themselves into landlords in order to beat the recession and to get some extra cash via renting their house out.

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.

Landlord Repairs: 3

Heather — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:48:03 +0000

Paper trail – check, reporting the problem, check … now what happens if your landlord does absolutely nothing to repair your apartment? Well, that is when you are about to become a bug. One of the first things that you need to realize is that your landlord probably has multiple jobs – so if the repair is not absolutely urgent, there is no reason for you to nag them about it every day – just every few days.

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.

Landlord Repairs: 2

Heather — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:31:46 +0000

Now that we have talked a little bit about the paper trail, let’s go ahead and talk about exactly how you should call in a repair to your landlord. When you are calling in a repair, you need to think about the actual time and importance of the repair that is needed.

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.

Landlord Repairs: 1

Heather — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:07:28 +0000

When you are renting, it is very important that you make sure that you keep up not only a good working relationship with your landlord but that you feel comfortable enough to report any problems that you might be having.

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!

Strengthening the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants: 3

Heather — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:10:06 +0000

You know how the old saying goes: do unto others as you would have done unto you — or something like that. Archaic languages are not my forte. Anyway, the point is, that as a landlord you have to be kind if you want kind tenants in turn. Treating them like they are somehow beneath you or indebted to you is not a great idea. You are equals, in a business arrangement.

Plus, if your tenants respect you, they will respect your property as well.

This behavior includes making repairs as quickly as you can. When it is time to collect that month’s rent, ask them if there is anything you can do. Make sure your visits to them are nice, that you aren’t just getting paid and then taking off.

Strengthening the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants: 2

Heather — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:42:14 +0000

Landlords, you need to make wise choices when it comes to picking your tenants. If you have bad tenants, then things are going to be bad from the word go. A screening process can help you. Check their credit, their criminal history, and make sure you get references from both former landlords and employers.

Talking to other landlords is very important. A tenant may look great on paper but could, let’s say, have the kind of habits that are not really conducive to renting property. They might have lots of crazy parties, fight with a spouse or significant other, or any number of other things.

Credit checks and employee references will not reveal this, but talking to current and former landlords certainly will.

Strengthening the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants: 1

Heather — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:49:05 +0000

The relationship between landlords and tenants can be an intricate one. The tenants have to pay the landlords for a place to live, and thus may feel like they do not have any upper hand, but landlords in some way depend on their tenants for the rent money.

Things can get tricky if you aren’t careful. As a landlord, you never want to “lord” it over your tenants; and tenants, you want to be respectful.

Fortunately, both parties can do something to make sure that this relationship is not only beneficial, but that it is respectful as well, even pleasant. Trust that a positive relationship based on trust and respect will be mutually beneficial, and it will serve both of you well even after you have parted ways.