How To Talk To Your Landlord

Considering that nearly 35 percent of Americans currently reside in approximately 40 million rental units throughout the country, it’s surprising that few people give much thought to how they communicate with their property manager or landlord. Nearly every one of these landlord-tenant relationships last a minimum of one year and some last many years, even decades.

The relationship that you have with your landlord can directly impact your lifestyle, comfort, image, and financial standing. Establishing a positive and healthy relationship with your landlord can go a long way in helping you live in the best conditions possible, getting you the fastest responses to maintenance requests, as well as keeping your rental rates reasonable. Here are some quick tips to help to maintain and improve landlord-tenant relations:

During your Rental Search
1. Know your expectations before searching for a property. If your requirements aren’t offered at a particular property, then move on. Don’t expect a landlord to add an unreasonable amount of amenities or upgrades to an existing rental. Find another other unit to meet your needs.

2. Submit completely accurate rental applications regardless of your shortcomings. Do not overstate your income or lie about credit problems. Landlords are increasingly open to working with challenged credit, especially if you are able to provide a clear explanation as to why your credit has suffered and expressing your desire to improve the situation. It’s recommended to send a pre-written letter with this information along with the rental application as it shows that some planning and thought went into your process. Lying on an application is almost always grounds for denial or later termination of a lease.

3. Ask good questions. These questions are the ones most important to you. In many cases landlords or agents are not required to disclose information that may be important to you so do your part and ask as many questions as necessary to get a good understanding of the property. It doesn’t help to be shy when searching for a home to rent!

4. Get it in writing. If a landlord has promised repairs, new carpet, new appliances, or anything else that will be done as a condition of your lease, be absolutely sure to get it in writing, preferably on the lease document itself. Anything less opens up the chance for miscommunication and leaves an opening for problems.
Promises don’t get things done. Written agreements do.

5. Read through the lease completely. This is a critical process. You are making legally binding guarantees regarding payments, upkeep, repairs, etc so read it thoroughly before you sign it. If possible ask for a copy the day before signing the lease so that you have enough time to read and think about any potential questions you may have.

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