Since moving out of our parent’s house 15 years ago, both Lee and I have lived in 3 rental properties before buying our present home earlier this year. Luckily for us, all 3 landlords were great to rent from and we formed a mutual ‘working’ relationship with each one of them.Sadly not everyone is as lucky as we were.I have heard horror stories of houses being rented unfit for human occupation and tenants who have left properties with thousands of pounds worth of damage. So with this in mind, I asked some renting experts to come up with The Five #RentingRules Of Being A Tenant.
Karen – Make sure to buy home insurance. It’s the Landlords responsibility to get building insurance but you need to have a policy covering the contents and your own possessions.We purchased our’s through HomeLet each year and it was great as we were able to transfer the policy to the new house we purchased last month.
Emma – I would say to pay your rent on time each month and to have a good line of communication. Just be honest if there are issues and work with them to resolve things.
Sharon – Even if you are renting off a friend or relative make sure to sign a tenancy agreement and get proof your deposit has been placed in the Tenancy Deposit Scheme for safe keeping.It is now a legal requirement.
Jennifer – Know your rights. We had a nightmare with our last landlord and if we hadn’t known our rights he would have taken advantage of us. Do an inventory when you move in, whether the agency/landlord requires it or not. Cover your own back!
Laura – From a landlords perspective, be open and honest and respect that we do have our own lives too and will always respond but it can’t always be instantaneous.
I hope this will help you if you are about to rent or part way through a contract. For further tips on renting click HERE for a free e-book from HomeLet to help you cement the relationship with your landlord.