It doesn’t have to be such a hard decision, however, as long as you don’t rush and you pay attention to everything that you see and hear. If you can do this, you should be able to pick up on the signs that you’ve found (or have) a good landlord. Read on to find out more.
They Don’t Just Turn Up
When you rent a property, you need to remember that although this is your home, it is the landlord’s house (or apartment). So you need to take good care of it and ensure you don’t do any damage or treat it in a way you wouldn’t treat your own home.
However, just as you need to keep this in mind, so does the landlord; it may be their house (or apartment), but it’s your home, and that means they need to leave you to enjoy it without any disruptions. They cannot, for example, just turn up at your home unannounced – they actually have to give 24 hours (minimum) by law, and you don’t even have to agree they can come in even if they do give notice (although in the interests of keeping a good relationship, it’s a good idea to if you can).
So if your current landlord keeps knocking on your door, or, even worse, letting themselves in, it’s probably the right thing to do to move on when your tenancy comes to an end. However, if you never hear a peep from your landlord and you can just get on with your life quite happily, you might want to sign up for another year, as this is exactly what is meant to happen.
They Make Repairs Quickly
Again, this relates to your current landlord, and it’s an important point to note. Sometimes, small repairs needed around the property are things that tenants are happy to carry out themselves, especially if they have the knowledge, it won’t take long, and they have a good relationship with their landlord – it’s a great way to help out if it doesn’t affect you apart from the time you’ll need to put in.
However, one of the benefits of renting a property is that, should something more major occur, such as a plumbing problem, an electrical fault, or the boiler breaking down, your landlord can be called upon to make the repairs. It won’t cost you anything, and you won’t have to struggle with the issue for too long.
Or rather, you ideally won’t have to struggle for too long because a good landlord will get to work right away. They’ll make repairs quickly, or they’ll organize experts to carry out a toilet repair, a new boiler installation, or an electrical rewiring job, for example. They’ll move fast because for one thing, they want their property to stay in good condition, and for another, they want to take care of their tenants, and not just because those tenants pay rent; a good landlord will want people to be comfortable and safe in their home.
A landlord who takes a long time to respond to any repair requests or who takes a long time to get around to making the repair is not one you want to rent a property from. They don’t care enough about you or the house to repair things in good time, and that doesn’t bode well for the future (plus, any issues will only get worse, making living in the property more difficult).
The Rent Is Fair
This point applies to both a landlord you already have and one you might have if you were to move and choose a different place to live. If they are a good landlord, the rent will be fair.
Fair rent is not the same as cheap rent in most cases. It will be a combination of the property market and what the landlord needs to charge in order to make a profit. If the rent of a property is a lot more than other comparable properties in the same area, you should probably take a step back; even if you are able to negotiate a lower rent, it’s likely the landlord is keen to make as much money as possible, and this might mean cutting corners in other areas. It could also mean that they will put the rent up at some point during the tenancy, and this could be a big jump.
This is why you need to do a lot of research about how much rent ‘should’ be on the kind of property you want to live in. There will always be some outliers, but if you can determine a rough gauge of how much you need to budget, you’ll immediately know the landlord is good (or at least you’ll have a positive first impression). Landlords are allowed to make money – they should make money – but there is a big difference between a good landlord and a greedy one.
They See You Are Human Beings
A good landlord will see their tenants not just as a way to make money (even though this is technically true), but as real human beings. This is crucial, as it helps everyone have a much better relationship, and it means that should anything go wrong, the landlord will understand why they have to make repairs and put things right so quickly.
It also means that, if you as a tenant make a mistake – perhaps you forget to pay your rent, didn’t pay enough, or did something that unintentionally caused some damage to the property – the landlord will know it was not something you did on purpose and they will forgive you. Equally, they will understand if you are having trouble with the rent at any point, and, if you ask them and explain the situation, they will be patient. Things happen in life that can change plans, and a landlord who knows this is the best kind to have.
This does not mean that you can or should take advantage of your landlord, but it does mean you can live more peacefully and happily in the property.
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