As a tenant, you should know how to avoid and manage potential conflicts with your landlord. If you are a college student, this is particularly important because you may be in a unique position since you would probably have to invite friends over more often and stay up later than most of your fellow tenants. Furthermore, your financial situation might cause you to make late rent payments occasionally. In view of these and other unique factors to the average college student, it is highly likely that your relationship with your landlord will not be conflict free. However, you can easily adjust into your role as a tenant and avoid conflict with your landlord by doing the following:
Paying Your Rent on Time
Late rent payments are one of the leading causes of conflict in landlord-tenant relationships. As a college student, you may not have a stable source of income and you probably work multiple part-time jobs just to pay for your nontuition expenses. However, if you want to avoid potential conflicts with your landlord, ensure that you fulfill perhaps your most important obligation as a tenant, which is to pay your rent on time. To do so, you may need to prioritize your financial obligations as a tenant and avoid impulse spending to avoid eviction. If possible, organize post-dated rent payment checks to make sure your landlord always receives your rent on time as outlined in the terms of your lease agreement.
Take Good Care of the Residence You Are Leasing
Besides paying your rent on time, you also have an obligation to ensure that you avoid damaging the property you are leasing. Conflicts may arise if the landlord notices any damage that was not evident when you moved into the house. In such a situation, the best way to avoid conflict is to accept responsibility for the damage and agree to pay for repairs. However, if you are sure that the damage occurred before your lease began, you can communicate your concerns calmly and respectfully to your landlord. If the dispute persists, you can protect your rights as a tenant by contacting the local tenants association in your area for support and provide any proof you have that you are not at fault for the damage.
Interact With Other Tenants and Your Landlord Respectfully
Your lease agreement protects your rights as a tenant and your landlord cannot evict you arbitrarily. However, under such an agreement you also have a duty to respect the rights of your landlord and other tenants by being respectful and considerate in your interactions with them. Therefore, you should be civil and polite when talking to other tenants and avoid actions that are likely to cause conflict such as playing loud music at night or hosting loud college parties. Even in cases where another tenant complains to the landlord about your actions, ensure you remain calm and respectful when resolving the dispute with the landlord.
Communicate Any Concerns You Have Calmly
As a tenant, you have the right to ensure that your landlord fulfills his/her obligations as defined in the lease. However, if you feel that your landlord does not meet these obligations or have any other concerns about issues such as security, water problems or rowdy neighbors, it is vital that you raise your concerns in a polite manner to avoid conflict. Even if your landlord is yet to address issued you raised in the past, be patient and find out what he/she is doing to address your concerns.
Overall, numerous situations and issues can cause conflict between a landlord and a tenant. The key to avoiding such conflict is to ensure you resolve any sensitive issues or situations before they escalate and fulfill your obligations as a tenant responsibly.
About the Author
Alex Wright is a writer who creates articles relating to the field of real estate. This article offers advice to students in regards to dealing with landlords and aims to encourage further study with an online bachelors in real estate.
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