Everyone wants hates living with a bad landlord with unreasonable expectations. But what about the other side of the count? Some bad tenant habits can make co-habitation downright insufferable. Even if your landlord does not stay with you, the least any tenant can do in exchange for a place to stay is not be destructive. Yes, paying rent does not give you a right to ruin someone else’s home.
Not everyone is sufficiently self-aware to know when they are making others uncomfortable. Fortunately for you, we’ve gathered ten simple questions that encompass the most common landlord pet peeves. Make sure you answer the questions honestly to find out whether or not your landlord might be secretly pissed off with you.
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Answer
1. You’re at the front door. You…
1. Take off your shoes, socks, and place them aside neatly like a civilised person.
2. Keep your shoes on until you are told to remove them. You never know how clean people’s floors are.
3. Wipe your shoes on the floor rug before stepping in. That should be enough to keep things clean, right?
2. You arrive home from being out all day. How long do you wait to shower?
1. Immediately. Nobody wants grime and sweat getting on any part of the house.
2. Maybe after a video game or TV show. Walking around all day is tiring!
3. You might shower after dinner if you remember.
3. How would your neighbours describe you?
1. You’re close friends with your neighbours and always hang out together for activities.
2. A quiet person who keeps to themselves, but pleasant.
3. Cold, disruptive, and messy.
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4. You’re short on rent this month. What do you do?
1. Write an apologetic message explaining exactly why you do not have the money and indicate clearly when and how you intend to pay them.
2. Drop a short text to notify them that rent will be late this month. A couple of hundreds won’t hurt anyone rich enough to be a landlord.
3. Say nothing and hope they don’t notice. You’ll figure something out when they finally ask.
5. You want a fresh coat of paint on the walls, what do you do?
1. Make sure that you receive approval from your landlord and do thorough research to make sure that the paint job does not ruin their walls.
2. Ask in advance and start painting, being careful not to stain anything else.
3. Paint while they are away, they’re in for a pleasant surprise!
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6. You get a text from your landlord and it looks important. What do you do?
1. Start thinking of an appropriate response and whether it’s necessary to discuss the matter in person.
2. Make a mental note to reply within 24 hours once you’ve settled down, and do it.
3. Ghost them. It’s probably nothing that can’t be resolved later.
7. You’re moving out soon! What do you plan to do before moving out?
1. Plan early, do a thorough cleaning of your room and common areas, and maybe even surprise your landlord with a cake.
2. Put in your notice on time and hope they don’t find out about the dent beside your bed.
3. Hold a huge party the night before without permission – and forget to tell the landlord that you’re leaving.
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Answer
8. Your landlord is out of the house. What’s your first instinct?
1. Go about your business as usual. Maybe even be extra careful not to knock anything over.
2. Bring a friend over even though guests aren’t allowed.
3. Sneak a couple of expensive chocolates that you’ve been eyeing all week in the fridge, they won’t notice that a few are missing.
9. Your doorknob seems a little wonky. What’s your first instinct?
1. See if you can figure out a way to fix it. You remember that the landlord mentioned having screwdrivers lying around.
2. Text your landlord to notify them of the problem immediately. It’s not your house, so repairs are not your responsibility.
3. Take a picture and upload it onto Facebook with a very angry caption about how landlords are cheating tenants of their money.
10. Your landlord politely asks if you can fix the lightbulb. What’s your response?
1. Try your best to see what you can do, but make it clear that professional help should be sought if what you’re trying doesn’t work out.
2. Tell them that you’re great at fixing things even though you probably can’t.
3. Pretend you’re asleep or that you didn’t hear them.
And now it’s time to tally your score and see how well you fare!
A = 0 points
B = 1 point
C = 2 points
0 to 7 points. Congratulations! You’re a star tenant. Not only will you land tenant agreements easily, you’re more likely to build long lasting relationships with your landlord, too! While not a hard and fast rule, tenants who are on good terms with their landlords are more likely to receive goodwill perks such as lowered rental rates and even the occasional free meal.
8 to 14 points. You’re an average tenant, which is fine unless you’re on the higher end of the scale, in which case you might be walking on thin ice with your landlord. Chances are that your relationship with your landlord is purely transactional, and that any mistake might result in large compensation fees or see you getting evicted.
15 to 20 points. Your tenant might just be putting up with you at this point until they find someone else. References are important to increase your chances of finding a good place! A good rule of thumb is to treat any place you’re renting as with care as if it’s your own.
So don’t forget to consult your landlord before redesigning your home or giving it a fresh coat of paint. Always ensure that all the terms and conditions are ironed out in black and white, or at least have evidence of an agreement over text.
Schedule a consultation now and receive $1,000 in your ServiceBack.com Wallet. Call 6694 5071 to learn more.
