How to Get Along with your Landlord or Property Manager

Sometimes it can feel like you butt heads with your Landlord, maybe repairs aren’t being done as quickly as you’d like, or they don’t call you back “fast enough”.  How can you get along with your landlord and foster a smooth relationship?

Get along with your Landlord

Here are some of the best ways to ensure you and your Landlord, or Property Manager, will get along:

1. Pay the rent on time and in full. You agreed, when you entered into your Tenancy Agreement, to pay the rent on or before the first of each month, so make sure you do. The Landlord isn’t a finance company and they aren’t there to provide “loans” by allowing you to pay on the 5^th or 15^th or whenever you feel like it. Give the Landlord a series of post-dated cheques, or sign up to have the rent taken directly from your bank account if that’s a service the Landlord offers. Either way you don’t have to worry about getting the rent to them each month. Your Tenancy can be terminated if you don’t pay the rent when it’s due, so don’t risk losing your home by paying late.
2. Let the Landlord or Property Manager know if something needs repair. We can’t read your mind so unless you call or email to let us know there’s a problem, it might be a while before we are at your home to inspect it. Don’t get upset because we haven’t fixed a leaky faucet if you haven’t notified us that it’s dripping.
3. Understand you might not be the only person or issue the Landlord is dealing with today. Not everyone can be first and if it’s not an emergency situation you might not hear from us until tomorrow. Sometimes another Tenant’s issue might take priority over yours and other times, your issue will be top of the list. Be patient. We have to prioritize the issues and we’ll get to you as soon as we are able to.
4. If you live in a “shared” accommodation (condo, upper/lower suite, duplex etc), please respect your neighbors. No one likes to be disturbed late at night and consideration needs to be shown. Think about how what you are doing might affect others or put yourself in their shoes. Chances are, if you wouldn’t like someone doing it to you, they won’t like you doing it to them.
5. Leave the weed somewhere else. Marijuana is still an illegal substance, and tenancy agreements generally prohibit any illegal or unlawful activity. If you smoke dope, make sure you don’t bring it into the home, and most definitely, NEVER smoke it in the rental property.

Basic courtesy and common sense go a long way in making sure you get along with your Landlord and have a positive relationship. Respect each other and you’ll all get along just fine!

Renting through a Property Management company

At RE/MAX of Nanaimo Property Management, we strive to make sure we deal with each tenant in a professional and courteous manner. [su_divider]

If you’re a potential tenant looking for a new home, please check the available rentals on our website or call the office at (250) 751-1223 and speak with one of our Property Managers today.