Dealing with Rental Problems as a Tenant

August 30, 2019

No rental property is perfect, and before you rent, it’s absolutely crucial to know who is responsible for what. Obviously, you’ll be paying rent, but who maintains the property? Who is responsible for repairs or major issues? Before you sign a lease, talk to your future landlord about who’s responsible for common tenant troubles you may encounter.

Most rental properties are well-maintained, but no property is perfect. Is your landlord responsible for dealing with common issues in their property, or is that your job? Make sure you find out and plan accordingly. Let’s look at a few common issues to keep an eye out for.

Maintaining Appliances

Sometimes a rental property comes pre-equipped with a few important appliances. For a residential property like an apartment, this might include a washer, dryer, stove, or other common household appliances. Your landlord is responsible for maintaining any and all appliances and machines they provide by default in your apartment. However, if you bring an appliance of your own, it’s entirely your responsibility.

Pro Tip: As soon as a problem (such as a broken appliance) becomes apparent, tell your landlord immediately. Don’t let the problem get worse and more expensive for both of you to fix.

Pest Control

Generally, your landlord is required to provide you with a pest-free property. However, exact regulations and requirements vary from state to state and depend heavily on circumstances. Most landlords will shoulder at least part of the responsibility to keep pests out of your rental space. But if you share some of the fault (for instance, you have roaches because you never take out the trash), you will likely have to foot at least part of the cost.

Mold

Mold is a disgusting and potentially quite dangerous problem for any rental property to have. Similar to the pest control problem, your landlord is generally fully responsible for making sure your rental property is free of mold. However, you can be held partially responsible if the mold is due to your actions (such as always using a humidifier). Talk to your landlord for the details of your agreement.

How Can You Prevent Problems from Getting Worse?

Most landlords are perfectly willing to help take care of maintenance issues to ensure you have a comfortable experience in your rental property. But since they’ll only rarely visit your property, it’s up to you to take the initiative and let them know there’s a problem. If the washing machine stops working or roaches start showing up and you say nothing, your landlord will assume everything is alright. In the meantime, the problem will only worsen. Clear communication and a positive relationship with your landlord will go a long way toward keeping your rental property usable!

Preventing Tenant Troubles

Landlords generally want to stay on good terms with their tenants and encourage them to stay longer in the property. For this reason, a reasonable landlord will listen to repair requests and provide help as they can. Maintain a good relationship and communication channel with your landlord to deal with problems quickly and continue enjoying an excellent rental property.

Connect with us to learn more about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant.