are you a tennent?

Question

if you are a tennant to a private landlord how do you keep the house nice and clean and dont abuse it. we have 2 houses we rent out and have yet to get tennants that respect our houses, why do they thrash them, i have checked references etc, always come back as model tennents! im sick of it now and am planning to sell!! too much stress! we rented a house for 3 years and it was always spotless and we decorated it ourselves every year, i had 2 yound kids at the time and a dog! and the house was left the way we found it in the beginning, come on you tennents show a little respect!

these are professional references by the way and have checked them

Answer 1

It works both ways you know. The last place we moved out of, we left the flat in a considerably better state than when we moved in, having thoroughly cleaned everything and left the place spotless. Even so, we had our damage deposit docked by an unscrupulous landlord who charged us for things that were wrong when we moved in (and which we had reported to them in writing, and they never fixed) and insisted that we had damaged the paintwork, when we had photographs to prove that this wasn't the case. After a few letters we decided to drop it, as the only way to get our money back would have been to take them to the small claims court. As long as there are landlords like that, there will be plenty of tenants who will save themselves the bother of cleaning the place before they leave, as they know that most landlords are out for what they can get and they will get charged whether they clean up or not.

Answer 2

I'm a tenant and I wouldn't dream of trashing my house. Don't lump all of us together! Also - if you are renting to students it is expected that it would be trashed. That's what students do. It might be an idea to arrange a cleaner for the houses as it wouldn't cost much and the cleaner could keep an eye on things for you without it looking like the landlord is inspecting every week!

Do you meet the tenants before you all sign the contracts? That way you would be able to get an impression of them as people first.

I wouldn't decorate the house every year though if I was renting it - that should be the landlord's responsibility. Although once a year seems a little excessive! I would be happy to decorate in return for a reduction in rent to pay me for my time.

Answer 3

I always look after my rented home. I would not like to have visitors think I live in a mess whether rented or owned, I wouldn't disrespect myself in this way, let alone the house.

The only thing I do not do is any big jobs or decorating (Except bits of painting) as I find my budget, paying my rent, I can't really afford to do this and I would not wish to be in debt to decorate a place I do not own.

Good luck finding some good tennants. I would take them off face value though as references, if provided by most recent landlord may be superior to "get rid of them" and if they are that bad, landlords may even be scared to give a bad reference from fear of reprisals, so I would be more inclined to look for less-than-perfect references with a good feel for the person.

Answer 4

I know what you mean as I have been an apartment manager. I hate to say it but I would make sure they have the deposit equaling the rent, the first and last months rent and any additional fees like for a pet. If they put a lot of money into moving in then it may be that they will be more conscientious of the place itself.

Put in the lease as well what you expect and what may construe as normal wear and tear and what will not. Have them and you sign a check list of things they may find wrong when they move in. Have them sign and date it. Both get a copy. This will protect you as well if they destroy something.

Be sure to look for mature people.

There are a lot of disabled people too who get help from Housing. Housing will pay you back for any damages that are done and people on it have inspections to make sure their home is healthy.

I found this interesting site on the rights of Landlords which seems to list a lot of stuff. Good luck!

Answer 5

It is hard, we live in an apartment complex and the property manager is always saying the same thing. Some of us tenants are great, but there are always a few that have no respect for the property either inside their apartment or the commons grounds. Often, some of us tenants who see things going on after the office closes will say something to the people causing the problems because the office is talking about raising the rent in order to attract a better class of tenants. Which is just wrong. :( People need to respect rented property.

Answer 6

Some people just feel that it is not theirs why should they take care of it. I have been renting from the same landlords for the past 2 years. I have 3 dogs and my house is always clean. My landlord doesn't fix things the way he should but as long as I have a roof over my head and rent that I can afford I don't complain unless it is something that is detrimental to my health.

Answer 7

Funny how things work. I am what you would consider on paper a "bad tenant" Lapses in rental history, shady credit, lack of a bank account. When in all reality I take excellent care of my apartments, and make very good money. Credit checks are no way to gauge a person's ability to take care of a property. I'm looking for a place to rent now. I have no kids nor pets and I love to garden. Are you here in Washington State? :)

Answer 8

Im one of the good ones! Ive rented for 10 years + now and I always leave the places I rent in excellent condition. I repainted the walls, got the carpet professionally cleaned etc before I left my last one.
Ive always received my entire bond back, and been complimented by my landlady.

Answer 9

its because your renting to either students, migrants or welfare. they are'nt planning on being long term renters and will move on after a while. it's a bit different for 2 people who can't afford a mortgage and have to make do with what they can afford to rent and try the best they can to make it a home of their own even though it belongs to somebody else. its a sick world where 2 honest people who have jobs cant even get on the housing executive list to rent off them in the area they were born and bred.

Answer 10

I have also left my flats in a great condition. Sounds like you are getting bad tennants. Remember a reference isn't that hard to get if you have mates willing to lie!!