Advice on How to Get on Well with Your Landlord

In order for a rental agreement to go along smoothly, both the landlord and the tenant must be mutually respectful of each other and fulfil their obligations. Here are 10 tips to maintain a healthy and good relationship with your landlord.

1. Sign your lease agreement

The first step to starting a healthy relationship with your landlord is of course the signing of the lease. In doing this, you are showing your landlord that you understand your rights and obligations as a tenant. However it's important to note that you must carefully read the lease beforehand to ensure that you agree to it.

2. Go through the Inventory of Fixtures

In order to get off on the right foot with your landlord, it's important to thoroughly go through the state of the apartment and its contents, when you first move in. This is called the Inventory of Fixtures, a list of the apartment's interior fixtures in which the landlord and tenant go through and point out any faults. This is to ensure that the tenant does not have to pay for any damage to the apartment by previous tenants.

3. Get Housing Insurance

Arrange to get property insurance to cover and protect third parties for damage caused in the property. This protects you from the risk of paying out loads of money from damages.

4. Pay your rent

We know that this is evident, but paying your rent on time every month is essential for establishing trust between you and your landlord. Tip: If you think that you might forget to pay your rent on time, consider setting up a direct debit so that your bank automatically transfers money to your landlord’s bank account.

5. Respect the apartment

It is essential to take care of your accommodation and its fixtures and fittings. Taking proper care of the place and ensuring that you leave the apartment in the same condition as when you arrived, greatly increases the trust between you and your landlord. Similarly, if there are problems with the apartment (e.g. a burst pipe), you should contact your landlord straight away so that they know and can help fix the problem.

6. Respect your neighbours

Another big step to maintaining a good relationship with your landlord is to also respect your neighbours. If your neighbours are having problems with you (i.e. blasting your music at 4 in the morning), then they might complain to your landlord. In order to avoid this awkward situation, try and respect your neighbours and be courteous to them. It doesn’t mean you can’t throw any loud parties, but you should definitely ask your neighbours first if it’s alright with them. Better yet, invite them over and they might even stop complaining!

7. Notify the landlord about any problems

As previously said, it's important to notify your landlord about any problems with the property. This shows that you're being transparent in terms of communicating with your landlord, and also demonstrates trust. If the washing machine isn't working, or even if there's cracks in the wall, don't be afraid to give your landlord a quick call! Also, keeping your landlord up to date about any problems also benefits you when doing the final inventory of fixtures. Any faults which might not have been noted before will be noted with the landlord when assessing the apartment at the end of your stay.

8: Always get permission if you want to do some work on the apartment

If you want to do some decorating (e.g. paint the walls), then run it by your landlord first. Depending on your lease agreement, you may be allowed renovate the property up to a certain extent. Some lease agreements don't allow you to change the property’s exterior. It wouldn't hurt to also check your own lease agreement first before asking your landlord.

9. Allow the landlord to carry out any regular maintenance on the property

For both you and your landlord's benefit, you should allow your landlord to carry out regular maintenance. In the case of an urgent repair in the property, the landlord has the right to no notice. However if it is a regular repair on the property, the landlord must provide 24 hours notice. You should allow your landlord to enter and carry routine repairs as it shows trust and transparency, also you get any faults in the property fixed so it's a win-win!

10: Pay for damages which you have incurred

If you have caused any damage to the property, you will have to pay for it yourself. This is why almost all landlords make you pay a security deposit. Mistakes happen so don't be afraid to admit that it was you!

Author: Roomlala

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