I can't believe it's really here! Finally!!! Today, the final walk through, getting the keys, taking pictures, moving in boxes. So much excitement I can hardly contain myself.
The it of it all.. I wish we could get out all moved out today, but it isn't going to be enough time. We will have to spend one more night in the old apartment. It's unfortunate we cannot trust adults to behave accordingly, but we cannot. It's unfortunate that we managed to find our selves in a predicament such as this in the first place. Having a suspected junkie for a roommate hasn't been fun. An epic adventure of the worst kind. And, the only thing I have to say about him right now is that he better know well enough to keep his mouth closed while we are moving, if he knows what's good for him, that is.
Then there is the landlord, and I use this term very loosely. I think renters should start asking potential landlords for references. Other than word of mouth, they have no checks and balances. Sure, court can make them comply, but when that tenant leaves, they get to start all over with a new, unsuspecting tenant. With the ever moving and the great need for places to live it's becoming cut throat. The landlords have the upper hand. There is little time, and competition is great, 30 minutes to long in making a decision means you have to decide quickly, within about the time it takes to view an apartment if the landlord is right for your as well as the apartment.
It matters! The apartment can be a beautiful and perfect fit for your family, but the landlord can be a controlling sod, or a complete nut job.
Don't become friends with your landlord. It is a business deal. Hold standards, be sure to have more than a ten minute discussion, and do your best to figure out what type of person you may be renting from. A very very very important question you could ask is how many tenants has the landlord had in the last five years. If it equals to a number greater than three, this could be an indication that the landlord has found issue with every tenant, and/or there are things wrong with the property it's self.
I've rented from all types. Although, this will be my first time renting in an apartment complex. I'm tired of shady landlords. Just because you own property that you are not utilizing yourself, doesn't mean you should be a landlord. If you have to be in control of every aspect, or appear to be, then maybe being a landlord isn't right for you. If the lease you draw up is more than five pages long, filled with rules that make no sense whatsoever (your tenants cannot hang clothes in their part of the yard?) Then you should probably think twice about being a landlord. If you are on medication for a mood disorder/mental illness, you again, should probably not be a landlord. If you believe that it's ok to hold off on property maintenance because you cannot afford to replace a refrigerator, or a stove, or fix your septic that's pouring all over the driveway in a timely manner, please, don't be a landlord. If it's your responsibility, per the lease that you had drawn up to mow the lawn and remove the snow, then your ass needs to be out there at five o'clock in the morning shoveling the snow off the walking path for your tenants. Your Saturday is now committed to mowing the grass to keep it from becoming a place where your tenants dog gets lost going out to potty. If your tenant offers to mow without charge, thank them for helping take care of your responsibilities, but check yourself, because they are probably trying to hint to you that you aren't fulfilling your end of the contract. If it's in your lease, then they've already paid you to mow the lawn. If other priorities are in your way and you cannot afford to hire someone to do it, then you do not have time to be a landlord.
Maybe I'm old fashioned. Maybe, just maybe I believe that when I pay for a service that I should get the service I paid for. If a landlord agreed to it in the price of rent, then damn it, do it. You have a contract to fulfill, complete it.
There should be a website that tenants can go to and rate their landlords. I'd totally be checking that out each time I moved.
All My Love and Best Wishes. ~ Sherry