Landlords always hope to find those perfect tenants. They’re the ones who never cause any trouble, always pay the rent on time, never need any repairs and happily take care of the space as if they owned it, even though they’re just renting.
Unfortunately, these types of people are often hard to find. The reality is that landlords run into plenty of issues with various tenants over the years, and they need to be sure they know how to address them. Some of the biggest issues include:
- They do not pay the rent on time. Maybe they forget. Maybe they don’t have the money. Maybe they just refuse to pay. No matter how it happens, it’s a problem.
- They cause disputes with the neighbors. They could play their music too loud in the late hours of the night, for instance. This is a problem because the landlord gets caught in the middle.
- They never report damage or the need for repairs. With many issues, such as water leaks, things get far worse and more expensive over time.
- They want the whole security deposit back. The landlord is supposed to use it to make repairs, but some tenants claim they should get 100% back. Who is right?
- They break rules in the building. These could be rules that the landlord sets or rules put in place by a local regulatory body, like an HOA that allows renting. The worst situation is when the tenants repeatedly break the law, not just the local rules.
Have you been encountering some of these issues in your building? If so, be sure you know what legal options you have.