Here are a few tips on dealing with a difficult landlord.
Tip 1: Know your lease.
Make sure you’ve actually read through and fully understand your lease. Double check to see if it’s a month-to-month lease or a year lease. Check for additional fees like pet rat, amenity charges, or penalties associated with breaking your lease before the term is up. These details can often be overlooked when initially reviewing the lease. It is in fact a legal document so before you sign your rights away make sure you fully understand what you’re signing.
Tip 2: Communicate Issues Clearly.
If you’re ever in need of something to be fixed make sure your landlord knows the importance of it. The more detail you are about the issue, the more likely you areto get it fixed quickly and correctly. Think about making a request in writing. It’s easy to just call up your landlord and tell them something is broken, however with that it’s just as easy for your landlord to forget that request. Not only will a paper a request provide notice of a problem, it’ll also give you documentation for your own records. Which leads perfectly into the next tip.
Tip 3: Document Important Matters.
Make sure you’re not only keeping records of any emails or calls you have with your landlord, but also take pictures of any issues and write down the date. If for any reason there had to be legal actions taken between you and your landlord, you want the judge to look kindly on all of your interactions.
Tip 4: Set Your Boundaries and Know Your Rights.
Landlords can be very intimidating. Especially if it’s your first time renting. Sometimes they’ll show up unannounced and put you in an uncomfortable situation. In most states you have the right to deny access to the residence without previous notice. If your landlord does show up unannounced don’t be rude but suggest they come at a different time and in the future give you more notice.
Tip 5: Take Good Care of The Property.
It may take a while for your landlord to see you as a valuable tenant. You don’t know who’s in the property before you and they could have been a very bad tenant. Keep the property clean and if you know the landlord is coming maybe spruce up a little extra. You want to be on their good side when it comes to renewing the lease and all those small things add up. All in all set your boundaries and keep a professional relationship with your landlord. Nine times out of ten issues can be resolved with clear communication.