Common Rental Violations and How to Deal With Them
Now that you have become a landlord, there may be a time you will need to face messy situations. Don’t panic if you face a situation where your tenant may have committed a few violations. It is not uncommon and sometimes it could have been by accident. So, before you ask your tenant to pack up and leave, here are some tips to handle rental violations.
Unauthorised Guest
The typical issue any landlord will face is the unauthorised guest. To be fair if your tenant has people over occasionally, it isn’t a big deal. However, if the guest seems to be staying for far longer than the normal 4 days stay, it is best to highlight it to them.
Be professional about it and not to be too harsh. Just let them know the concerns you have about having unauthorised guest staying for longer than usual. For one, the tenancy agreement (which is crucial to have before the tenant moves in) was made for the tenant alone and not his guest. If their guest were to do anything that goes against the agreement, it would be tricky for you to do anything.
If they really want their guest to stay a little longer, try meeting half way. Perhaps let them know if their guest would like to stay, there will be an additional cost. That is to just safeguard any damages or extra cleaning cost for the property.
The Animal Smuggler
Who doesn’t love having pets, they make amazing stress relievers. For a landlord though, it may be an opposite effect. If the tenant smuggles in a cat, chances are some of your sofa will have nice marks on them. Not to mention, if your tenant doesn’t clean their litter box often, the house will be blessed with a peculiar smell. That is just some of the horror experiences.
If you really do not want your tenant to have a pet living in the home, let them know before they move in. You must be clear on the not pet rule and let them know why. If, your tenant pulls a fast one and adopts one because you never told them that rule. Try negotiating on the terms of them keeping their pet.
Either have a no pets in the house rule or promise to keep the home clean of all smell. Not to mention making sure all furniture doesn’t get damaged as well. If your tenant really wants to keep the pet, they will definitely keep their word.
Just make sure to check up on the property every now and then, just to be sure all is well.
Damaged Property
Damaged property is always a tough one to confront. Especially if the tenant says it’s been there for some time. To protect yourself from this messy situation, make sure before your tenant moves into your property, take photos of the property. This is to make sure you have proof if any damages were done.
What if you don’t have pictures as evidence that damage was done? Talking to your tenant nicely will always help. Unfortunately, if you do not have concrete evidence that they did do damage, it is tough to win a case.
Which is why, tenancy agreements and recording the condition of the property is crucial. Tenancy agreements don’t only help landlords but tenants too. Which is why you will need to explain it to your tenant before moving in. This is to make sure you both are on the same page.
Breaking House Rules
You have been getting complaints from your neighbours of the house being noisy. The parking around the area is over populated since your tenant moved in. The property is a total mess outside with trash all over.
Tenants like these may feel as though paying rent means the rest is up to them to do as they please. Which is why landlords need to be clear the rules of the property. If the area is a quite suburban area, no parties late in the night. If the area has limited parking, let them know where else they can park.
The property is too messy for your liking? Ask if they need someone to come over to clean up once a month. The thing about being a landlord is that you will need to always find a way to make both parties happy. If your tenant isn’t happy, you may lose a really good paymaster which some minor issues.
Be the bigger person when any house rules may have been broken. Besides, being nice never hurt anyone.
The Undercover Business
The biggest shocker to any landlord is realising that the property is being used as an office. When a property turns into an office, the amount of guest will be high. This may lead to all kinds of long term problems for the landlord.
For one, some areas in Malaysia do not allow businesses to be around housing areas. This is mainly for security reasons and sometimes having too many people in one area can be noisy. If a tenant isn’t clear on the motives they are renting, it could turn ugly.
If the neighbourhood association doesn’t allow business to rent homes, the tenant may need to be informed that they need to vacate as soon as possible.
However, if the area is okay with it, as a landlord you need to let them know your terms. When to a home being a business the utility bills will increase and the wear and tear of the home too. If they are willing to bare the added cost and be responsible, it should be great.
If they don’t want to, then you will need to look at the tenancy agreement. If it goes against the agreement, you may ask them to vacate.
After seeing many types violations that could happen, it is a clear sign that tenancy agreements are crucial. Always state everything from the condition of the house to the house rules in the agreement and you will be safe to rent out your property. If you are still a little blur how to do one, try out SPEEDHOME’s virtual version, Speedsign. With speedsign, they will do everything for you, all you need to do is sign it. Want more info? Click here.