Stuart Zullo
If you want to have a friendly relationship with your neighbours and landlord, it’s important to be a good tenant.
Tenant disputes are all too common unfortunately, but they can easily be avoided by keeping your rental property well-maintained and being considerate to those who live around you.
Here are some tips for those who want to become a dream tenant:
1 – Read your lease carefully before you sign on the dotted line
It’s important to be aware of what is allowed at your rental property. For example you may not be able to have pets or hang pictures on the walls. There may also be strict rules regarding guests, noise or garbage. If you are aware of all of the rules that apply to your property then it will be much easier to follow them and you won’t risk getting a mark against your name.
2 – Be Nice To Your Neighbours
One of the biggest complaints against tenants is too much noise. It’s important to remember that you are living near people who might have a different lifestyle to you, so while you may want to have parties and turn the music up, your neighbours might have a baby to look after or they might need to wake up early to get to work. Try and keep noise at your property to a minimum not only so you don’t get noise complaints in the mail, but also so you can live peacefully next to your neighbours.
3 – Take responsibility for your guests
It’s important to remember that you are responsible for your guests’ behaviour, so if you know someone that is likely to cause harm to the property or make excessive noise then you will end up to blame for any disturbances or damage that occurs. It is important to keep this in mind when you are considering inviting large groups of people over to your property, as you may not be able to control their behaviour.
4 – Clean up after pets
Just as you are responsible for guests, you are responsible for your pets. Don’t make your landlord regret allowing your pet on the property, clean up after them, take care of them and make sure you keep their behaviour in check.
5 – Maintain and care for your property
Take pride in your rental property and keep it clean, well-maintained and presentable. If you look after your property then you won’t need to worry about doing a mad clean when you have inspections. Also let your landlord or property manager know when something needs fixing straight away. It’s much easier to fix smaller problems immediately than large problems later on.
6 – Give proper notice
It’s important to give the proper amount of notice (as outlined in your lease) before leaving your rental home. If you give notice and communicate with your landlord or property manager then you will find it much easier to get your bond back and if you leave on good terms you’re more likely to get a good reference too.
7 – Last but not least – Always pay on time!
Landlords love dependable tenants, so try your best to always pay on time if you can. Landlords will however understand if there are times where you might not be able to pay on time, but if this happens then it’s a good idea to call your property manager and explain the situation and let them know when you will be able to pay. Never make a landlord or property manager chase you down for rent, it is better to be open and honest with them and in return they are much more likely to be understanding of your situation and reasons for not being able to pay rent on time.