Lesson 8
Tenant Relations
Right of Privacy
The right of privacy in rental housing - from a
legal standpoint - was discussed in Lesson
6. Respecting and protecting your tenant's
privacy is also important from the standpoint of good business relations and
even civilized behavior.
One of
the issues that tenants most often bring to RHOL discussion forums is that
landlords do not respect the tenant's property or their privacy. It seems that
property owners often think that
they can enter a rental home and invade the tenants' privacy at any time because, after all, it is
their property. As a result, many states have now enacted legislation that
requires a reasonable notice before a landlord can enter a tenant's property
without permission. Where there is not yet a statute, most courts have held that
a landlord must give "reasonable notice" before entering a tenant's home.
Your lease agreement should clearly state the
likely reasons for
entry of the landlord or his agents during tenancy and specify a minimum notice;
either that proscribed by your state law or a reasonable period (24
hours is probably a good number to use) to be given for all non-emergency
situations. Your notice to enter should also clearly state the reason why entry
is necessary at the time requested.
Repairs & Maintenance
Repairs and maintenance were discussed
in Lesson 3 from the standpoint of how to do it and in
Lesson 6 from a legal
standpoint as related to the implied warranty of habitability. However, it
is just as important to properly maintain income property because it increases
the probability of getting better tenants to begin with and it helps maintain a
good relationship with them while they are in residence. Landlords should
respond as quickly as possible to tenant maintenance complaints and follow up
with a phone call to check that scheduled work was satisfactorily completed.
Failure to handle maintenance issues in a business-like manner invites expensive
repercussions.
Be Friendly, Not Friends
It is certainly a good idea to present a friendly
face to your tenants, just as any person who makes a living dealing with
the public should do. However, it can be very expensive and perhaps even dangerous to become friends with
your tenants - in part because it leads to involvement in their personal lives.
Becoming friends, as opposed to acting friendly,
has a potential for creating the following undesirable situations.
- The tenant expects the landlord to grant him leniency in enforcement of
lease provisions
- The landlord does not enforce the lease provisions as he should
- Both parties neglect to document issues as both should do
- Other tenants notice the landlord's favoritism, which, in extreme cases
can even result in discrimination charges
- Enforcement of lease provisions at the end of tenancy become even more
difficult
Thus, it is important that the landlord-tenant
relationship be kept on a businesslike basis.
Summary
The bottom line is basically the "golden
rule." Landlords should treat their tenants in the same way that they
would like to be treated if they were tenants. Landlords should always ask
themselves if they are doing what they would expect a landlord to do for them,
whether it be related to privacy, maintenance, or just plain good manners.
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