Tenants Should Be Responsible
A lot of time is spent keeping landlords informed of their responsibility to provide a safe and secure residence for their tenants. It is important for landlords to realize that in order to reasonably collect rent from tenants, they are obligated to provide a decent place to live in return. Some landlords really try to provide a beautiful home for their tenants, while some prefer to provide a basic, safe and clean home without any frills. (We won’t mention the ones that fall below this category).
Not much time has been spent, however, in speaking directly to the tenant about their responsibility once they have taken possession of the property. Landlords should be able to expect that the tenant will appreciate the home and take care of it once it has been entrusted to them. The key word is en”trust”ed. As the word implies, once the landlord rents the property to the tenant, he or she trusts they will receive it back in relatively the same condition. This does not mean that the property will not have some normal “wear and tear”. Landlords should expect to have to paint every few years, for example. If the property needs paint after only one year, that would be considered excessive wear and tear and the tenant should share in the cost of the new paint job. I have found that some tenants feel that the landlord is almost robbing them each month by charging the rent they have to pay. The fact is that both the tenant and the landlord have entered into the Rental Agreement willingly and both are entitled to reasonable expectations. A wise person once said treat every place you live as your own and when you go to work, act is if you own the company you are working for. This, of course, means that you should provide the same care and concern for the home, not assume rights and privileges that are exclusive to the landlord. Below, I’ve listed some things that a tenant should consider while renting a property:
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Report leaks or problems on the property to landlords immediately. While different landlords handle repairs in different ways, it is the responsibility of the tenant to make the landlord aware of the problem. Having a fear that the landlord will raise rent or thinking they won’t fix it anyway, does not release the tenant from this responsibility.
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Make your children participate in the care of the home. Getting the children involved in maintaining a nice home to live in takes some of the burden off of you and teaches them some good habits anyway.
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Remember that the behavior of your guests is your responsibility. (This includes unmentionables being flushed down the pipes.)
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Keep noise to a minimum and ask your guests not to drive up to the property with their music blaring.
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Assess your home regularly and ask yourself, would I want this place if it were currently up for rent and in this condition?
Most tenant/landlord issues resolve themselves if these basic steps are taken into consideration while renting a property and it prepares you for the day that you will no longer need to rent and can own your own home! If you have any questions concerning your rental property, please call my office anytime at (805)474-0100. I always enjoy hearing from you!
If you have any questions concerning your rental property, please call my office anytime at (805) 474-0100. I always enjoy hearing from you! Nancy Puder is the property manager and owner of Signature Properties, 124 S. Halcyon Rd #D, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. Service areas are The Five Cities/Beach areas, SLO, Nipomo and Santa Maria.
