Having a good relationship with your landlord makes a big difference. They’re more likely to answer your call quickly when you need them to and less likely to drop in when you don’t want them to.
But it can be tricky to achieve a good relationship with the person you rent your home from. With this in mind, we’ve listed four ways you can build a good relationship with your landlord, from paying your rent on time to treating their property with respect. Read our tips, absorb them and then put our recommendations into practice.
Pay your rent on time
Paying your rent on time is the foundation of a good relationship with your landlord.
Let’s not forget that the relationship between landlord and tenant is a transactional one and that rental payment is the transaction conducted.
Landlord’s don’t simply get into the business of renting properties because they want power over people. They need to live, both now and in the future.
Many landlords use renting as their vocation, while it’s a retirement plan for others. Your rental payments help put food on their tables and pay to put their kids through school. In fact, it might be their only source of income.
To get a feel for just how important the issue of paying rent on time is, ask yourself this: “how happy would I be if my employer missed off part of my paycheck?” You’d be furious.
Hard times can hit anyone unexpectedly, whether it’s through sickness, redundancy or something else. This is why it’s sensible to have insurance in place to cover yourself, just in case you can’t pay your rent due to unforeseen circumstances.
Income and salary protection allows you to continue paying your rent when you’re not working. This is the crux of the cover but Private Property outlines the benefits of income protection insurance in more detail, so you can get a better idea of how it can help you.
You wouldn’t tolerate your employer shortchanging you on your paycheck. So, if you want a good relationship with your landlord, make sure you can pay your rent on time. Whether that’s through having savings or an insurance policy is up to you. What’s important is that you’re not the one who’s taking food off your landlord’s table.
Don’t wind up your neighbours
You can’t usually choose your neighbours but you can always decide how you interact with them. Get on well and everything is golden. Get on badly and they could complain to your landlord, damaging your relationship with the person who owns the keys to your home.
It can be hard to get on with your neighbours. They might be noisy, messy or aggressive. But winding them up won’t result in them changing their behaviour, it’ll only entrench it and increase the chances of them complaining to your landlord.
Building a relationship with your neighbours might take time but it’s worth the effort because you’ll have a quieter life. This is because they’re more likely to listen to your concerns when you raise them but they’re less likely to raise their own issue about you to your landlord.
So, if you want a good relationship with your landlord, don’t give your neighbours a reason to complain about you.
Respect their property
Respecting your landlord’s property is essential if you want a good relationship with them.
Let’s not forget that the reason you’re renting is that you don’t own your own property and that your landlord is lending you theirs (albeit for a fee).
Landlords don’t just hand over the keys to their property to anyone because of some deep-seated altruism. They do it because they want money from you.
Plenty of landlords have multiple rental properties but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about each and every one of their investments. The more money they have to spend on repairs to their properties, the less profit they make from their investments.
To get an understanding of just how important it is to respect your landlord’s property, ask yourself this: “how would I feel if I let a friend borrow my car and they crashed it and then told me to pay to get it fixed?” You’d be irate.
Accidents can happen to anyone unexpectedly, whether it’s via a slip, fall, trip or a moment of uncharacteristic carelessness. This is why it’s prudent to have an insurance policy to protect yourself against the cost of any repairs that need to be made to your rental home.
The benefit of tenant insurance is that it means you don’t have to pay for any repairs to your landlord’s property out of your own pocket. This is the essence of this type of policy but Duuo explains the benefits of tenant insurance in greater detail, so you can see how it can help protect you against unforeseen circumstances.
You wouldn’t expect to pay for repairs if your friend crashed your car. So, if you want a good relationship with your landlord, make sure you respect their property. Primarily by not breaking anything but if an accident does happen then make sure you pick up the bills for the repairs and/or replacements. What’s essential is that you’re not asking your landlord to pay for your mistake.
Treat them with respect too
You don’t get to decide who your landlord is, but you can always decide how you treat them. Treating them with respect ensures that you’ve got a great chance of building a positive relationship. Treat them with contempt and you’ll have a less than positive relationship.
It can be tricky having a human relationship with your landlord. They’re the person who has the power to make you homeless. But treating them like dirt will trash any chances you have of building a good relationship and boost the odds of them finding a reason to make you homeless.
Inviting your landlord over to dinner might be a bit too far for you but don’t be afraid to be personable. Take an interest in their life, find common ground and be sensitive to any issues they’re experiencing. Adopting this approach will endear you to them and increase the likelihood of them treating you with respect and kindness in return.
Paying your rent on time, not winding up your neighbours, respecting your landlord’s property and treating them like human beings are all great ways to build up a relationship with the person you rent your home from.
So, put these tips into practice and feel the benefits of enjoying a better relationship with your landlord.
Writer : F.E. Warren Air Force Base
