The Tenant’s Guide to Maintenance and Repair
As there are different types of properties where you can rent in Malaysia, terms & conditions for maintenance may differ from property to property. There are some instances where landlords take the responsibility for the property maintenance and repairs. But there are also some instances where tenants take the responsibility for property maintenance. Let’s explore what you can do and can’t do with maintenance as a tenant.
Tenant Responsibilities
Routine Maintenance Tasks
When a tenant rents a place, a tenant should treat that place as their home. Therefore, a tenant should regularly clean the property not only for the sake of having a comfortable place to live, but also for the long-lastingness of the property. It’s very important to take care of your property to prevent the property from getting fragile. You should understand that the property might only be yours for a short time, may it be a year or less, but the property should be treated properly as the property can be anyone’s property in the next lease agreement. Plus, it’s lesser minor maintenance and repairs if you decide to renew your lease agreement with your landlord!
Understanding Lease Agreements
As a tenant, your number one responsibility is to read the lease agreement first before anything else. In the lease agreement, you should watch out for every condition that is mentioned. Especially when it comes to maintenance agreements between the landlord and the tenant. There can also be different maintenance responsibilities for tenants like minor repairs and daily cleaning routine within the rented property. But it also depends on the type of unit that you are renting since there are instances where you live with other tenants within one building like apartments, rooms, and even condominiums. But remember that lease agreements contains the most important and crucial information when the rental duration starts. By becoming more informed with the lease agreement, it will also make your rental experience smooth preventing misunderstandings between you and the landlord.
Landlord Responsibilities
As landlords own the property, they hold the responsibility for the upkeep of maintenance within the area. This is to ensure that the property is habitable for tenants from property safety to comfortable living. As landlords also have to comply with local house regulations, there are legal requirements that landlords have to live up to make sure that the tenants are secured for the whole stay. This alone makes sure that tenants have the right to live peacefully and comfortably for the whole lease agreement making it fair and just for both parties.
Reporting Maintenance Issues
To make everything clear, the tenant and landlord should communicate transparently with each other. By creating a clear line of communication between both parties, it can help in maintaining an effective course when it comes to property concerns. Especially when it comes to a more serious concern like property maintenance and repairs. Always remember to inform your landlord when property damage occurs to make sure that everything is clear between you, the landlord, and the contractor. When you keep your relationship with the landlord in the right direction, this can avoid misunderstandings and a bigger problem in the latter. This is why communication is very important for a tenant-landlord relationship to keep everything running smoothly!
Tenant’s Limitations in Making Repairs
Although tenants play a big role in property maintenance, there are always limitations to what you can repair within the property. When you have plans for renovations or alterations within the property, you should always make sure to reach out first to your landlord. This way, it can save you money and time from its consequences and make things more complicated. Keep in mind that every concern within the property should have the landlord be involved to avoid getting penalized or worse.
To make things simple, maintenance and repairs also has its limitations for tenants. You should understand your rights and responsibilities as a tenant when it comes to maintenance and repairs. There are instances where some maintenance responsibilities should be for the landlord to handle, while some are for the tenants to be accounted for especially in minor damages within your rented property. That is why it is important to understand the lease agreement before everything else – terms and conditions are very crucial and important for both landlords and tenants to understand to make everything clear.
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