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Tips for Tenants:
What is the landlord looking for?
Landlords are looking for responsible tenants who will take
care of their investment and pay their rent on time. In general, landlords are renting their property in the
hopes that the property will appreciate.
Increasingly, there are homeowners who are put in the position of
becoming landlords because their home has not sold and they are being forced to
move for job or family reasons.
Vacation area rentals are also often investment properties, with the
landlord sometimes occupying the vacation rental on a part-time basis.
Let's take this in two parts…
Will this tenant take care of my property?
The landlord is looking for you the tenant to take care of
the property as if you were an owner.
You should verbalize to the landlord that you will take good care of the
apartment, home or vacation/commercial unit. Look the part—arrive neatly dressed and respect the property
while you are there—no wet or muddy shoes on the rugs, no allowing kids to run
around or pick up things they shouldn't.
Landlords also do not want ‘problem’ tenants….tenants who
get into arguments with the neighbors over loud parties, too many cars in the
driveway, too much noise, unruly pets etc. Offer to give the landlord several references
from your previous rentals.
Will this tenant pay the rental on time?
No landlord wants to hassle you for the rental money. A landlord’s worst nightmare is to be
forced to take you to court for back monies owed or to evict a tenant.
The landlord may (should if she/he is smart) ask for
references and should check the references. Landlords, or their agents, may run a
credit report and check it to see that you pay your bills on time. If there are any irregularities in your
credit history that the landlord asks you about, be upfront and honest and
explain why you will not have trouble paying this rental fee.
Landlords usually ask for a security deposit of one month’s
rent, and often the first and last month’s rent in advance. The last month’s rent is requested to dissuade
tenants from leaving early without paying the last month's rent.
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