As a tenant, you want to know you are engaging in business with the right landlord. Landlords can be people or businesses that own and manage properties. They lease properties to tenants in return for monthly or quarterly payments, depending on the terms agreed upon during lease contract signing.
What do landlords do to find tenants?
Landlords are tasked to thoroughly examine a potential tenant’s history as someone who rents living spaces. They can perform background checks, pull out credit reports, cross-check references, request records of previous and current employment, and other processes before letting a tenant rent one of their properties.
Landlords use the services of estate agents to find potential tenants. However, a potential tenant found by letting agents are not automatically qualified in the eyes of landlords. Again, landlords go through numerous processes before letting any stranger into any of their properties.
What do tenants look for in a landlord?
In the business of property renting and leasing, it is not only the landlords that examine the people they engage in business with. Tenants also look for specific types of landlords.
Picture this, you are a tenant on the hunt for a new space to live in, you find a good place, and you are ready to close a deal—but the landlord is not much of a darling. This can be a cycle that will throw you into months of searching for a place to live.
To avoid circumstances wherein you will have problems with your landlord and end up not having a comfortable living, here are some qualities you should look for in a landlord:
1. Look for landlords who display professionalism
You should look for a landlord who is knowledgeable enough to deal with your living needs professionally. Landlords should be able to value timeliness, tidiness, proper documentation, good communication, and privacy.
Your potential landlord should know and understand your needs as someone looking for a place to live. Subsequently, they should be able to address them professionally.
2. Organization skills
If you are in a pinch while looking for a place to dwell, you would want a landlord who will transact with you efficiently. Once a deal is made, a landlord should produce the necessary documentation right on time for you to settle in.
3. Good reputation
A good landlord has a nice reputation, especially among current tenants. To determine if a landlord is a reputable one, gather the courage to ask current tenants or previous you may bump into during one of your scheduled property viewings.
Ensure that the current tenants are satisfied with the landlord’s work and find out the rate at which tenants come and go. A high turnover rate may imply an underperforming landlord.
5. Reliability
An important factor to consider when looking for a place to live is to see if the landlord is a reliable one. Why? They would be the first ones you will run to when you encounter a problem with your potential living place that they manage.
Granted that it is their job to be reliable, it is still your task to look for ones that can be relied on, especially during emergencies.
6. Honesty
As much as landlords look into your background with them, requiring you to be as transparent as possible, it is fair to want them to display honesty as well. They do thorough background checks, and you have every right to demand the same from them.
Try to find out as much as you can about the property, the current tenants, and the landlord themselves. You have the right to look for a place that is safe and stands on legal grounds. Properties with these qualities may reduce the chances of you getting into serious legal problems in the future.
In hindsight, landlords are the last thing people consider when looking for a place to rent. The things that come before landlord qualities include location, design, price, and availability. To some, landlords may not even matter when they are looking for a place.
How important is it to have a good landlord?
This article has laid down the ideal qualities a landlord should have. A landlord is someone you trust to maintain your temporary or permanent dwelling place—they will have access to your place, and you cannot change that. The least you can do is to find a good one. Doing so can increase your safety and comfort during your stay at the property they are managing.
