Landlords and Tenants

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June 3, 2010

Handshake by Alvaro Canivell

Almost everyone has been either in a position of a landlord or of a tenant, at some point during their life. Only a couple of lucky ones have always been owners of their home and never had to experience living in someone’s place. On the other hand, there are people who own an extra home for rent. Not everything in life is perfect and it is not unusual for occasional arguments or disagreements between the tenant and landlord occurring. So what are the basic rules – how should landlords and tenants behave?

If you are a tenant, first of all, try to pay the rent on time. Remember, you have to pay for using the home, so be responsible and do not make the landlord wait. Also, try not to be too wild and do not damage the house or the backyard. Even though it is not yours, so you are not damaging your own property, try to take care of everything just like it was your own. Importantly, only as many people as agreed upon should live there – be honest and do not get roommates behind your landlord’s back.

If it is you who is the landlord, make sure the place is livable. Make sure it is not in a mess, no broken windows or doors are allowed. Try to pay for gas, water or electricity (if you pay for these) on time so that there will be no bad surprises for the tenants – it won’t be pleasant if suddenly there isn’t running water. It is also not nice to keep the keys and make surprise visits to the home when nobody is there. Of course, the property is yours but remember, the people living there are paying you for that, therefore it is their private space.

The most important thing to remember is put everything the tenant and the landlord agree on, on paper. For instance, write down who is taking care of the repairs or paying for the electricity. What about pets? Simply, agree on conditions, write them down (trust me, it can prevent many possible problems) and to be a good landlord and tenant, try to follow the rules.