There's an old saying my Grade 8 teacher used to say all the time that always got a laugh out of us. I still remember him now. He had grey hair, a bushy beard and a thick Dutch accent. He's long since passed away, but he would often mutter under his breath, "What a life without a wife..."... followed after a pause by "What a life WITH a wife!". It's a funny saying that equally applies to the nature of the landlord tenant relationship. Each party needs one another to make the partnership work.
And while most of the time, the outcome is positive, there are some moments when the relationship may be tense, or challenging. After scanning quite a lot of resources and speaking to quite a lot of landlords, here's the Top 5 Complaints About Tenants From Landlords.
If you're a tenant and have ever been in a similar situation, you may be familiar with one or more items on this list. Hopefully, not too many!
Complaint #1: Late Rent
- Paying rent on time all the time should be the norm and in most cases usually is. However, there are times when tenants do fall behind. I've isolated 4 common reasons for late rent: 1) Accident (money didn't clear, forgot, scheduling etc.), 2) Character Trait (Tenant is often late, late on other bills too, bad habits etc.), 3) Bad Tenant (intentionally late, trying to scam landlord, etc.) 4) Beyond Control (medical issue, tragedy, lost job, etc.). Which reason can YOU relate to?
Complaint #2: Damages
- The usual complaints about damages run from "It was like that before..." to "It just broke/clogged/shorted/flooded on its own" to "I don't know how that happened" etc.. Some tenants mistakenly feel that a landlord's maintenance duty also covers a tenant's damage to the property. Other times, tenants are aware that they are responsible for the damage but try to hide the damage in hopes of leaving it undiscovered until they've moved out. Finally, even when a tenant accepts responsibility, sometimes the ensuing dispute revolves around how much the tenant is at fault, how much is owed to repair it, and how it will be paid.
Complaint #3: Behaviour
- Landlords sometimes misread the relationship with their tenant. What starts of seemingly positive can turn ugly whenever there is conflict or disagreement. Common complaints are belligerent tenants not permitting landlord or service people entry, being verbally or physically abusive, changing locks, etc. This complaint also encompasses a tenant's behaviours towards other tenants (ie. multi-unit building) or neighbours (ie. loud parties, noise, fighting, drug use, etc.).
Complaint #4: Hard To Reach/Communicate
- A landlord must stay in regular contact with his/her tenants for a variety of reasons. Whether it's changing smoke alarm batteries, or sending general notices, or seasonal maintenance reminders, inspections or emergencies, a landlord must have proper channels to communicate with their tenants. A big common complaint are tenants who are difficult to reach, evasive, non-communicative, and rarely reply or respond when contacted. This can pose serious dangers and liability on both the landlord and tenant's end.
Complaint #5: Breaking Lease/Rental Agreement
- Most commonly, landlords often complain about tenants not giving enough notice before lease ends that they are moving. Other examples are bringing pets or smoking when the lease forbids it. Leases have set rules that and procedures that both parties agree to accept and follow. When the lease clauses are broken, it's almost always problematic for a landlord AND eventually the tenant as well.
Well, there you have it. I hope this list helps you recognize what are often troubling aspects of a tenancy from the landlord's perspective. Much can be done to solve these issues if this is something that you've been struggling with in relation to your landlord. RentersList.org has lots of guide, checklists, and resources to help you avoid these issues!
