9 Ways You Can Knock the Socks off Your Next Landlord
Published on - October 14th, 2009 (by Adam Baker) This article is by GRS staff writer Adam Baker. Currently, Baker is fat and in debt.
We all know how to rent a typical, cookie-cutter apartment or house. Find a contact number. Set-up a walk through. Fill out the application. Pay your fee and wait for a response.
But sometimes typical just doesn’t cut it.
Maybe you’re looking to secure a unique apartment in an irresistible location. Or you might be seeking the only house for rent in a certain school district. Heck, you may even find yourself in New Zealand needing a short-term (3-month) lease when everyone wants a 6-month minimum. *raises hand*
Whatever your motivation, here are nine ways you can knock the socks off your next landlord or property manager:
- Create a Rental Résumé. Treat this like you would a job search. The majority of applications are going to ask for the same information. Put together a basic one- or two-page document containing this commonly requested information. Even if the landlord or property manager makes you fill out the application anyway, at least you’ll already have everything on hand. Be sure to include:
- Full names of everyone on application
- Dates of Birth
- Contact information (phone and e-mail)
- Current address (length, landlord information, reason for leaving)
- Previous addresses (with additional information)
Social Security numbersPrevious commenters note that you may want to wait to reveal your Social Security information- Current employment information (salary, length, contact information)
- Past employment (with additional information)
- Personal references
- Vehicle information (make, model, plates, driver’s license number)
- Pet(s) information (breed, size, age)
- Pull your own credit report. Use AnnualCreditReport.com, if possible. Pulling your own credit report ahead of time will ensure that you are aware of the information contained in the report. If there are any negative marks, be sure to include a written statement of explanation (especially for any bankruptcies, evictions, or missed rent payments).
- Obtain and include full letters of reference. Most rental applications only ask for the contact information of your references. However, as with a job, you can go the extra mile by including full letters of recommendation from previous landlords, property managers, or apartment complexes. As a property manager, I was more than willing to write these for our best tenants. Many apartment complexes have a standard reference letter they provide to past tenants upon request.
- Provide copies of commonly requested “further information”. This is especially important for the self-employed or those with inconsistent employment length. Commonly requested information can include copies of recent paystubs, recent years’ tax returns, net worth statements, bank statements, and income/expense reports for small businesses. Also, landlords may request copies of identification like driver’s licenses, social security cards, or birth certificates.
- Look sharp. Whether you like it or not, appearance does matter, especially for first impressions. Wash the purple dye out of your mohawk, lose the three wolves T-shirt, and dress business casual. (J.D.’s note: Did anyone notice that Dwight was wearing the three wolves t-shirt on The Office recently? I just about died laughing.)
- Be five minutes early. Waiting does not impress anyone.
- Find common ground. In any social encounter, discussing a topic that is familiar to both parties is one of the fastest ways to build rapport. When Courtney and I were searching for apartments here in Auckland, we talked to many different agents and owners. Early on in each discussion, I brought up the fact that I had owned a property management company back in the States. It gave us an immediate connection and built instant trust. While you may not have direct real estate experience, chances are there will be many opportunities for you to find common ground of your own.
- Know your needs and wants ahead of time. This is a important. Decide ahead of time what features are absolute musts and which are more negotiable. For example, you may know that you need a fenced in backyard for the dog. Or, you may only be willing to consider homes with a detached garage for working on your cars as a hobby. On the other hand, an included washer/dryer may only be a strong want. You’d be willing to purchase these if the rest of the property fit your needs. Get clear on this distinction and be able to articulate this to your potential landlord or manager.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. As a property manager, I always had a weird feeling about tenants who appeared nervous or who seemed afraid to ask questions. The potential tenants whom impressed me the most appeared confident, stated what they were looking for, and asked specific questions about the property. For example, it’s perfectly reasonable (and somewhat expected) to inquire about the average costs of monthly utilities.
Once you’ve established yourself as a strong candidate…leverage it! Knocking the socks off your landlord is not just for fun! After positioning yourself as an ideal applicant, don’t be afraid to start negotiating.
Here in Auckland, Courtney and I had luck negotiating ourselves into a three-month lease even though it ended in the middle of December (bad timing when trying to re-rent). At our last apartment in the States, the complex ended up waiving both the application fee and our required deposit.
Try asking for a 10% rent discount. Many apartment complexes run unadvertised specials, and the individual landlord will often discount if he believes you’ll be a quality tenant.
I’ve seen people have luck requesting upgrades on appliances or requiring that an owner furnish a washer/dryer when previously it wasn’t included. If your condo or apartment charges extra for amenities (gym, pool, parking), try asking for access to be included in your rent.
Most people are scared because they think it’s uncommon to ask for more. I’ve been on both sides of the rental equation and this sort of negotiation happens all the time. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be “no”. So get out there, impress some people, and take your apartment or house hunting to the next level!
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Nice article!
After you move in, you can further impress your landlord by being a great tenant–thereby gaining strong negotiating power when it comes time to renew your lease.
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As a property manager I can agree with most of these. However, I do have an issue with number 2. If someone brings me a credit report, my first thought is that they may have doctored it somehow. Some may think its a bit cynical, but I’ve seen it done. So while I would appreciate the thought, and it definitely shows preparedness, please don’t be shocked when I pull it again anyway.
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Good post Baker.
I also am a landlord/property manager and agree with most of your points. A person that carries their self well makes a better impression on me than a quiet, nervous person. That also strikes a “weird” chord in me.
The best tenants that I’ve had just simply communicate with me and pay their rent on time. If they do that, lets just say it makes it easier to improve their situation. I’m pretty fair with everyone, but I always tell people, “if you take care of me (by paying your rent, taking care of the place, etc.) I’ll take care of you (keeping the place in nice condition, which happens anyway, and making sure everything is comfortable for them). The landlord/tenant relationship is an interesting one and isn’t about making friends, but it’s always good when you can be friendly and amicable, without having either side feel like they’ve lost anything or their out anything.
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In 2007 when the housing market was booming, I was just moving off of campus and into a home with 3 friends.
It was bad enough that rentals were in short supply, and we found out the hard way that the typical landlord is not thrilled to rent their beautiful home to 4 college students.
After a month or so of failed attempts, we sat down and put together a real game plan for how we were going to find a decent place to live. Two of us had been Resident Assistants (aka property managers) at school for 3 years prior to moving and 1 of us had helped run a landscaping business in the past.
We took that information and put together, like you mentioned, Baker, in a resume as well as wrote a cover letter to narrate our situation and experiences to our new potential landlord.
After doing this, we emailed our packet to about 5 prospective landlords with homes we were interested in, got positive responses from all of them, narrowed it down to 2, and then negotiated $100 off of the current rent at the place we decided we wanted. This all took place in less than about a week.
This kind of stuff works, not necessarily because you’re any better than the net guy, but because the next guy was too lazy to compete with you.
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This is excellent information and advice. One doesn’t often think of putting one’s best foot forward during the rental process, but, as you point out, renters can gain a lot of benefits – including big savings – by treating the rental process in a serious and professional manner.
I do disagree with one point though (puts on foil lined hat) Perhaps I’m paranoid, but I hate to disclose any personal/confidential information unless absolutely necessary (and for me, that means legally required). Providing all of the personal info you list in the “resume” section seems a bit over the top – and, unless the landlord makes it mandatory, potentially risky in terms of identity theft. Landlords may have management companies with multiple employees or may store all their tenant info on computers that are not completely secure. If the landlord does not require the info (and even if they ask for it I would ask “why?”) I wouldnt provide it up front – or I’d provide it so they could do whatever they needed to do to process the application, then request it back.
Anyone else need a foil hat?
ak
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@Drew – We pulled the report again, too, 99% of the time. However, I still *was* impressed most of the time (more than most tenants bothered to do). I especially like this for people who have a negative mark that needs explaining.
@Ryan – Glad I wasn’t the only one who had the ‘weird’ chord hit
. I found that it was really easy, as a property manager, to have GREAT relationships with tenants. Even on my own property, I introduced myself as the ‘property manager’ (I was, it was run through the company too), which helped create an even better relationship.
@Tyler – I almost fell out of my seat when I read this! It’s an identical story to what my 4 guy roommates and I did right after college. At the time most of us were either playing or dealing poker for a living, so we REALLY needed something to break the ice and make us look professional!
@Ak – I definitely appreciate your ‘foil hat’ approach, especially these days with all the crazies. However, in my (limited) experience all the bullet items above are standard on any rental application. Of course, if your market or area has different standards or you don’t *need* to give out certain data… I definitely wouldn’t be throwing around your personal data for fun!
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Great tips. My husband and I are working towards saving for a down payment to purchase a house in the next year. However, we’ve recently begun bantering around the idea of moving to a less expensive place to save a few hundred dollars each month.
These tips will come in handy if we decide to go for that option.
-Little House
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But can I wear my t-shirt with only one wolf on it?
Props for the three-wolf t-shirt reference!
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Such good advice!
I recently renewed a lease for the first time, and I was shocked that my apartment complex tried to raise my rent by about $50 a month for the new lease. I did some sleuthing, and I learned that (thanks to the market downturn) my floorplan was going to new renters for $50 LESS than my current rent – a $100/month difference!
A lot of my friends sympathized with me and suggested I move…but I love my apartment. One friend, though, works in a leasing office of a similar apartment complex and convinced me lease terms are ALWAYS negotiable. I had never even considered this before.
So I negotiated. They didn’t raise my rent at all (of course, they didn’t lower it either, but I was satisfied). I reminded them regularly that if I moved, they’d end up replacing a tenant with a good history with an unknown tenant at a lower rent, until they ended up agreeing with me. Now I encourage everyone I know to negotiate up front – I wish I had thought about this the first time I signed the lease!
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You have to give a little to get a little. When we moved into our new apartment, the previous tenants had “spot painted” the holes in the walls with a slightly different color of paint (!). While they had technically fulfilled their lease terms, it looked terrible.
Rather than ask the landlord to repaint it, we asked him if he’d paint it if we bought the paint ourselves (since we wanted to use low-VOC paint b/c of a chemical sensitivity). Sure enough, he recognized that we were willing to give a little to get a little.
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I would like to add that when your renewal comes up, if you’ve been a good tenant, don’t be afraid to ask for a discount. I’m a landlord and I will do almost anything to accomodate a good tenant. Having to evict someone or fix the place up after a bad tenant moves out is quite a bit more expensive than knocking $50 a month off to keep a good tenant in place.
I would simply tell the landlord that you’re thinking about moving somewhere cheaper, then see if he makes you an offer. I always make an offer;)
Good luck.
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These are some great suggestions. Wish there was something said for people with pets. As pet friendly as public places, hotels, and restaurants are these days, it’s still a pain to find a decent place that will allow for pets.
Thanks for sharing!
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OMG- you just made my day with the double whammy of The Office and Three Wolf Moon.
Also, fantastic post!
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RE: Tinfoil hat…
(Should refresh to read comments before I post) I’m completely on board. It seems like way too much information.
I’m not sure why a landlord needs a birth date. With that and some other infomration here, it’s quite easy to gain access to anyone’s bank acct. There are several other pieces of infomation I would never give a landlord.
Protect your privacy.
And for Canadians – DON’T ever give your SIN to anyone who isn’t absolutely required to have it. From what I remember landlords cannot require it.
Better to lose out on an apartment than have your money or identity stolen.
Where I live, it’s also against the law to discriminate against tenants based on age, whether they have pets and whether they smoke. Also, they can’t discriminate against those on welfare. Know your rights!
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I’m a landlord, and one of the ways someone would knock my socks off, so to speak, would be to manage the weeds in the yard. I pay for this service, because I’ve never had a tenant who, even though they know they are responsible for the yard, has managed the weeds.
I just pay for it out of cash flow, but it would be the one way a tenant would knock my socks off.
Of course, this is after the fact of them moving in, so they perhaps don’t feel they need to keep up on their end of the agreement to keep the weeds under control.
In response to Gee, a tenant has rights but the landlord is the one that has all the liability. I’d never rent to someone who is not willing to provide me with the information I need to conduct a background check on them.
Additionally, here in the State, you cannot discriminate based on age, but you are not legally required to rent to someone who smokes or has pets, both of which pose liabilities to the property owner, who is me.
(smoking is a fire hazard, pets are a public safety hazard).
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We live in a house now, but the last rental we had, the property managers had us pay a deposit and an extra monthly fee for my cat. The cat died and a year later we got a kitten. Just talking with the manager before we moved in let me keep the first cat clawed, and we didn’t have to pay anything for the second cat at all. They even came to fix some holes that the kitten found to hide in. We paid the rent on time and rarely complained unless it was a true complaint.
I made sure to talk to the owner/property manager of every apartment I ever lived in to make sure it was okay to have the cat, and I made sure it was mentioned in the lease so they couldn’t throw me out on a technicality. Most people never bothered asking. The managers always appreciated it and never gave me a hard time.
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The last 4 places I have lived I rented directly from the owner (no property manager). Which in some ways gives you more negotiating power, since you’re dealing directly with the person (things like painting, pets, or the amount of the rent). Lots of other things, though, are off the table entirely since they didn’t own a lot of property and didn’t have the sales volume to do expensive property upgrades.
Our current landlord won’t even address our mold issue.
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I too, would be very skeptical of handing out the résumés with DOB and SSN; that would also not be ok on job résumés even though the latter is needed at time of employment.
In fact, the only reason my landlord knows my salary, SSN, or DOB is because one of them is an accountant and has done our taxes.
For the résumé, how far back do you go with previous residences? By the time I move out, I’ll have lived in the same house for at least 7 years, so I really hope I wouldn’t need to admit that I previously lived with my parents. And actually, would you have a first-time renter put that down? The reason I’m skeptical of that is that I’d interviewed with a few property managers who attempted to insist that even though I was 27 and a graduate student with a steady income, my parents would need to co-sign the lease. I decided they weren’t worth my time if they couldn’t respect me as an adult and fortunately found a much better situation.
The rest of it sounds great, though, although primarily oriented to properties that are not owner-occupied like duplexes or roommate situations. (Really, I would not share my SSN with any of my roommates. My husband only let me find out his when we did joint taxes the first time.) Or would you change anything if you’re looking for a roommate situation or owner-occupied duplex?
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Finance girl – I always viewed lawn care (and other maintenance) as the perk of renting. Why not just incorporate lawn care into the cost of rent if your tenants don’t want to do it?
I’m just citing the rules where I live. I think tenants should know their rights (and so should landlords). It’s not all rights on one side and liabilities on the other. Both have rights and duties. Landlords don’t carry all the liabilities. You simply have an unequal relationship. Quite common enough. There are all sorts of mechanisms to protect your porperty from bad or neglectful tenants.
I don’t necessarily agree the rules I gave. Because of my allergies, I was very pleased to move where there were no cats or smoking on the property.(ie. my own house!)
I still think tenants should know their rights. I’m not buying that pets are public safety hazard. And besides, hazards are generally regulated by the state. We have an anti-pit bull law. I could be wrong. But it seems like a stretch.
But if you can keep out tenants who have pets or who smoke, go ahead. Smokers and pet owners will be out of luck where your property is. I’m just saying that prospective tenants should know their rights.
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Good tips, but in a market like Manhattan, many of these tips are of less value, as you almost never actually meet the owner/management firm. You get shown an apartment by a realty company, and then you fill out an application. The realty companies have very little interest in making sure the “best” tenant gets in the space–the quicker they fill it, the quicker they get paid, and if it doesn’t work out, it just means another commission will be coming down the pike. And unless times have changed drastically since I lived there, the realty agents that deal with rentals in NYC are some of the most horrid individuals you will ever have the displeasure of meeting.
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This reminds me why I really don’t want to go back to renting despite the possible financial advantages
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Hey Adam,
To get what you really want, give more than you ask, and do more than expected.
By giving more than you ask, you make others want to help you more. By doing more than expected, you rise above the average and become remarkable – fascinating and easily remembered.
I’m planning on looking for month-or-two apartment rentals for mini-retirements, and these tips are just what I need. Thank you.
All the best with Man vs Fat, you’ll get ripped in no time
Oleg
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before i even clicked on the amazon link for the 3 wolves tee i thought about DWIGHT!!! CRACKED me up
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Yes, but what if it was the “Three Keyboard Cat Moon” t-shirt?
http://www.threadless.com/product/1960/Three_Keyboard_Cat_Moon
Eh? Eh? Sadly, in Portland that would probably be a bonus, depending on the neighborhood.
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One additional not obvious one. Drive a clean well cared for automobile. I usually walk out to the parking lot with my prospective clients. If their car is trashed I assume that my rental house will look like it soon. Big turnoff.
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This article just encourages me more to make ownership of my own home someday my ultimate goal. I realize that renting/leasing in the short-term is a must, since that is also my current scenario. I realize it’s a huge life investment too, but long term it’s worth it.
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@Todd – Good point, Todd. Most people would never consider asking for a rental *decrease* they are just worried about any increases. Decreases are very possible for good tenants.
@Gee – The situation in the Midwest is drastically different from Canada, I guess. We would have never rented to someone without their SSN, Date of Birth, knowing their pets, and whether they smoke. You can’t discriminate on age still, but DOB was basic information we used to verify identity, run background and credit, etc… Just goes to show though, that all situations are different and it’s important to know your own!
@Honey – I like renting from owners directly, as well. That what Courtney and I try to do. It’s a blessing and a curse though as you pointed out. It’s easy to find flexible terms and negotiate, but it’s also easier to accidentally run into a deadbeat (although I’ve met some deadbeat companies, too)!
@tg – I can see keeping your most sensitive data off of a ‘resume’ if you had multiple people whom you did not trust. You’ll likely have to fill out independent applications anyway, but if you think there is a security risk… just leave that data out. I would still go ahead and make a ‘package’ resume, though. It’s still impressive.
@Nancy – I can see your point. I don’t have too much experience in a market like Manhattan, although I will note that occasionally it IS possible to still benefit from impressing an agent.
@Oleg – Thanks for the encouragement, Oleg.
@Doug – Great mention on the clean car. That’s killer and should definitely be #10!
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I like the comparisons between looking for an apartment and looking for a job, great way to look at it. I like the rental resume idea.
JD – I also did notice Dwight wearing the 3 wolves shirt on the recent Office episode. Love the top rated ‘review’ on the Amazon page, hilarious!
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I’m a landlord and I think if someone did all these tips then it would certainly help a lot.
Personally though I’m not much open to negotiating on price with a new prospective tenant. But then my rents are relatively low to begin with and I don’t have much problem renting. If you’re a new tenant then I don’t care that much how polished you seem, I still don’t know if you’ll be a *good* tenant until after the fact. I would be a lot more open to negotiation or accommodating a tenant after they’ve proven themselves able to pay the rent on time consistently and not cause problems.
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The only part I take issue with is the “Wash the purple dye out of your mohawk, lose the three wolves T-shirt, and dress business casual.” I think it presents a false image. I’m not saying to show up looking like a slob, but if I’m not normally a “normal” looking person, showing up as one doesn’t prepare the landlord that that is who they may actually be renting to. It seems dishonest to me and speaks to other peoples assumptions that someone dressed unusually can’t be just as responsible as the next person who shows up in a business suit.
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“Ask for a discount.” <– Absolutely works. I asked for a lower price on the place I was looking at in April. They gave the usual, “Oh we’ll have to ask the boss … she’s really busy … I don’t know, we’ll call you when we hear back” spiel. So I said, “Ok well let me know when you hear back.” (Contrast this to, “Well, whatever, I’ll take it anyway.”)
30 minutes later I had a phone call, “Oh good news, she agreed to knock it down to $____ … still want it?”, so I said yes, “Ok we’ll cancel the other appointments to show it!” Hah, what other appointments? If you’re willing to drop the price so soon, I guarantee there were no other appointments!
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I had several of those auto-pay tenants, and I treated them like the gold they were. They got grocery gift certificates every year from me for their holiday feasts.
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And after you have rented the property, don’t forget to give the landlord or property manager/maintenance people cards and a little gift for Christmas time- doesn’t have to be a gift card but could be something like a screwdriver or dvd movie, etc
I rented an apartment in a semi-rural exurb area and the manager/ maintenance people loved me after I gave them some $20 Walmart or Lowes gift cards for Christmas. They let me slide on having a couple of motorcycles right next to my deck (for security) and always jumped on it when I needed maintenance (which wasn’t much). This contrasted with most of the other tenants’ attitude- who thought that since they paid rent they were to be catered to.
Also telling the landlord you have your own toilet plunger and small tool kit helps to establish you won’t be maintenance intensive for them.
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What do you do about letters of recommendation when you’ve had some real deadbeat landlords?
My last landlord, for example, left half the apartment unpainted, left most of the electrical outlets without covers (presumably because he was going to paint), did not deal with a fly infestation the week I moved in (had to deal with it myself), and left the bathroom sink hanging off the wall without proper support (among other things). Luckily, I was smart enough to present him with a list of the things I’d like fixed the first month of the lease, and he was stupid enough to sign it and give me a copy, so I walked out on the last month of the rent and told him to keep my security deposit.
Anyway, the lesson learned from that experience is:
1. Don’t move into an apartment if the landlord says, I promise that will be fixed before you move in”, unless it’s in writing and it gives you some benefit (rent abatement or the ability to break the lease if repairs are not made). Once you move in, you won’t be able to walk away from the lease unless the apartment is uninhabitable (a tough standard to meet legally) and the landlord fails to fix the issues.
2. Make sure you initiate or follow up all maintenance requests in writing (at least e-mail) so you have documentation of when you first made the landlord aware of the situation. This will be very important if it gets so bad you need to get out of the lease.
I’ve moved so much, but I just can’t seem to find an apartment that doesn’t turn into Mr. Hyde when it rains and the basement floods, or when it gets cold and the pipes freeze, or when you get that first winter month of utility bills. Hopefully this article will help me land a better place down the road.
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I just stopped renting two days ago and moved into my used (brand new to me) mobile home. I will never have to pay rent again!!!!! Couple years when the market turns around maybe I can upgrade. My mortgage now is less then my rent was!!!! Why did I rent all those years when I could have been building equity? (Albeit mobile home equity which really isn’t very much) If I had to do it again I would have been sleeping in my car for 6 mo and use that money for my down payment.
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I question how valuable these tips are. Maybe in New York you need to do this, but there aren’t that many metro areas where prospective tenants need to beg.
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Does it count that my parents were my “landlords” and I was living in their home but being charged rent?
I think only #7 and down applied to me.
I basically helped out a lot in the home in addition to paying rent to keep ‘em on my good side.
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Gee, the owner of property is responsible of whatever happens on that property, regardless of source.
A tenant who has a pet is indeed a public safety hazard, in that if that pet bites someone the owner of the property, not the tenant, is liable.
You don’t have to buy it, you just have to know law.
RE: lawn care, tenant don’t take care of lawns, period. Even when they say they will, they don’t. I already factor this into rent price so I can hire a gardener when the lawn need more than just mowing.
If you are not able to take care of a lawn it is your responsibility to honestly tell the landlord that upfront or be willing to hire someone yourself, not relying on your landlord, to keep up on what you have committed to in the lease you signed with your landlord.
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These are helpful tips. Thanks for sharing!
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