ith or without the apostrophe, RentersList.org (or Renter'sList.org) is a resource site dedicated to improving and enriching the relationship between all good landlords and good tenants out there. And I truly believe in the inherent 'goodness' of most landlords and tenants in the world out there. Yes, we all have heard and even experienced some unfortunate incidents or even horror story situations, but overall most people want relationships and partnerships to work. And on that premise is how you should be viewing and experiencing this wonderful website resource
There are many sites and resources dedicated to either landlords or tenants. Some are very good with exhaustive information on many aspects from either respective point of view. Unfortunately, many of these information sites continue to polarize the relationship between a renter and property owner.
From landlord resource and eviction tip sites to tenants associations and "professional" tenant tips, I've seen too many examples of - often unnecessary - antagonism of one party over another. Isn't it funny how you almost never hear the "good" stories about landlords and tenants? Yet surprising as it may seem - these are the majority experiences for most landlords and tenants. With that out of the way...
So what's Renter's List?
Slumlords & Deadbeats
RenterList.org's mission or mandate is to take out the slumlord vs. deadbeat dichotomy that has plagued so many landlord-tenant relationships. The hard truth is that most landlords are not slumlords and most tenants are not deadbeats. And at different times tenants have been landlords and landlords have been tenants.
If you're philosophical about it, you could argue that we are all tenants in a way with our responsibilities to our government with respect to civic duties, taxes, abiding by the laws of the land, etc.
And we're all landlords too especially if we have dependent children, or subordinate employees, lent out money to friends, care for elderly family members, even pets. My point is that in almost every relationship in life there is either a landlord or a tenant component to it that we all share interchangeably.
So now that we know we can relate to either side of the coin, what does RentersList.org hope to achieve?
I'm a Landlord
As a former tenant and now property landlord in Ontario, I believe I have a unique perspective that can help bridge the gap between landlord and tenant.
I'm focusing my effort on trying to expose the "landlord-mindset" to all tenants out there. Consider this a resource geared for tenants written by and from the perspective of a landlord. It's sort of like a car mechanic explaining how he fixes cars to the customer. Or a doctor explaining in great detail directly to a patient how he does a surgery. Seems obvious, but right now, the internet and real world is filled with doctors teaching doctors and patients sharing with patients to the exclusion of the other party. We can do better.
Some landlords won't like the idea that I'm "crossing the line" to help tenants. But I firmly believe that helping tenants helps landlords and vice versa. The only people who I do not welcome to this site are the tenants who intentionally take advantage of their landlords or the system/laws that govern their location. Conversely, landlords who prey on unsuspecting tenants and insist on treating them disrespectfully and taking full advantage of them can find somewhere else to go.
Why Renter's List?
I started out thinking about checklists and tip sheets I could create for my tenants to help them in assessing a property, evaluating a prospective landlord, protecting their possessions, saving money by reducing expenses, etc. So I went out and registered "renterslist.org" domain. And while I still think that's an excellent idea, I want to expand beyond just checklists and share useful information from the landlord perspective directly with tenants. Hopefully, this site compels other landlords and tenants as well to share their tips, ideas, suggestions, stories, experiences, regrets, etc.
Final Thoughts
I often explain to my tenants that I view the landlord-tenant partnership as a 2-way street which requires half the effort and attention of the landlord and the other half from the tenant. Only when we do our full part will we equal 100% together. There's a lot of perks and mutual benefits for landlords and tenants alike who operate by that philosophy. However, it is a serious responsibility that only works well when both sides view it as serious and imbue the importance that relationship understanding deserves. Only then can landlords - but especially good tenants - achieve the most out of their tenancy and landlord relationship.
I can't wait to share it all with all of you! Thanks for visiting... happy exploring!
