Expert Tips And Advice For Protecting Your Rights As A Tenant
As a tenant, you must protect and exercise your rights at all times. These rights are created to help you protect from incidents that might cost you great amount of money and even your life.
Below are few expert tips and advice that you can follow to further protect your rights as a tenant.
Check the Lease Carefully
Before signing the agreement, read and examine it carefully. Chances are you might find some provisions that might be unacceptable for you as a renter. Ask the landlord about it and state the reason why it’s not ok with you. If they won’t change the agreement, you have no choice but to either accept it or walk away and find another house for rent.
Get Everything in Writing
When the landlord promised you something, make sure it’s written on a piece of paper with signature affixed. Same thing goes for all kind of arrangement, changes and simply anything that has to do with your rented home. This way, you can have a hard copy or a proof in case a need for it arises.
Protect your Privacy
It’s a must that you carefully read and examine the fine print regarding privacy matters. This includes the kind of notice the landlord must give before entering your rented space. It may also include the type of situations when landlord can enter your home without any kind of notice (i.e. emergency situations like gas leak).
Protect Your Rights For Immediate Repairs
As a tenant, it’s your right to have a livable place to stay at. So if there are problems that need to be fixed right away (problems that affect your health and life while inside the house), don’t hesitate to ask your landlord.
Communicate Calmly With Your Landlord
Keep calm, relax and always steady when talking to your landlord. If conflict arises, try to control your temper and calmly bring out and exercise your right as a tenant. A friendly confrontation with the landlord always ends up in a good way.
Renter’s Insurance is a Must!
In case of theft or damage to the property, renter’s insurance can help and protect you. Some tenants tends to ignore this because of reasons like short tenancy, but if you plan to rent for a little longer, then getting an insurance is a must.
Protect Your Security Deposit
One of the most disputed items between a tenant and a landlord is the security deposit. So before you sign the agreement, make sure that you read the provision about security deposit. You should also take records or photos of existing damage (if any) at the property before you move in.
Protect Yourself and Your Family
It’s a good thing to check the neighborhood or the area where the house is located, at day and at night, before signing the lease. You can also ask some locals or even check police records to see how safe and secure the area.
Your rights as a tenant may vary, depending on the property location. So before you move in or sign a lease, it’s best to check the local law or rule about tenancy.
I have renter’s insurance. Luckily, I haven’t had to use it, but it’s nice to have.
If you’re going to rent an apartment, it’s good to have everything documented as well so whenever something happens, you have things to defend yourself with. These are helpful tips!
Great advice for tenants. You really do need to be proactive and aware to make sure are being treated fairly and legally.
When I was renting in college, my parent’s were smart enough to get renter’s insurance for me. Unfortunately, we had someone break into our house and steal some things so luckily the insurance was able to cover a lot of it.
We’re on the other end. This is great advice.
Very smart to check that lease. There are a lot of times you might not like what’s there, but once you sign, it’s way too late.
I’ve heard a lot of crazy stories from both the landlord and the tenant side. Renting can be scary if you don’t know who you are renting from or to. Thank you for the wonderful tips.
These are all helpful tips. As we all know, not all landlords are like Mr. and Mrs. Roper. Renter’s insurance is a must and an open line of communication with the landlord/landlady would definitely benefit both lessor and lessee.
These are some great tips that will help anyone stepping in as a tenant. Getting everything in writing is the perfect step ahead & I very much agree that friendly communication with the landlord is a good idea always.
Having everything in writing is a must…otherwise it’s one word against another. Great tips! Thanks!
This is great information. I will keep this in mind if I am ever in this situation.
I think communicate calmly with your landlord is great advice. Sometimes how people respond to a situation is based on how you approach it.
These are great tips! I don’t think I’d ever rent because there’s so many better aspects to buying IMO, but these are great! Protecting your security deposit is so important!