How To Make Your Landlord Love You
Just last week, I had an email exchange with a reader who let me know that after our move to a new web server, a function of the site was not working properly (thanks David.)
He mentioned that he is a tenant and he mostly reads this blog to gain insight into the mind of a landlord. Wonderful!
I think that in the future, I will be writing more tenant-centric posts along with the landlord-centric ones.
So, without further ado, here goes;
How To Make Your Landlord Love You:
The landlord-tenant relationship can sometimes be a contentious one. It seems that no matter how friendly the two parties become, the lowest common denominator is that it is a relationship based on mutual trust.
Yes, there are state laws defining the relationship with all their stipulations of performance and remedy, but in the end, a successful landlord-tenant relationship comes down to trust. So, without further ado, here’s how to make your landlord love you:
- Pay your rent on-time.
- Report maintenance issues in a timely manner.
- Do not destroy the property which you occupy.
- Keep the property clean.
- Communicate with your landlord, especially in adverse situations like when you cannot pay the rent on-time.
- Have respect for the landlord’s time and money, usually neither are infinite. (and the landlord should be respectful of you as well.)
- Try to be courteous and professional when dealing with the landlord. (as the landlord should be with you.)
- Read your lease and abide by its terms. (this should be obvious but bears repeating.)
If you follow these simple guidelines, the landlord should have no choice BUT to love you. If he does not, then he may have some other underlying issue which is not your fault. If the relationship gets uncomfortable, like any other relationship, you may need to consider removing yourself from it.
After all, the possibility of incompatibility exists in any relationship.
