Like many people in the U.S. you might be renting a house or an apartment, either way, you will be dealing with a landlord and if you’ve been renting for a while you know it’s not always easy dealing with landlords.
It’s probably safe to say that living in a home that’s owned by someone else can cause major stress and insecurities — especially if you don’t see eye-to-eye on building matters. For instance, just recently we’ve heard some pretty terrible apartment stories, and a few involved some not-so-great building owners.
And although we’re supposed to be able to rely on them for quick fixes around the apartment, dealing with noisy neighbors and general household concerns, it sometimes seems like they really just don’t care about our quality of living. And we know there are some important things your landlord won’t tell you just because, well, they may not want us to be in the know.
The Local Records Office has rounded up some of the things your landlord is keeping from you.
As soon as you get comfortable I will boost your rent.
Thank the soft economy for this one. If you live in an area without rent control, there’s nothing stopping your landlord from increasing the rent by the hundreds — even if you have paid on time and the building hasn’t had any home improvement.
I’m going to take my time on repairing your apartment.
A lot of the time we call upon our landlords to fix broken utilities around the house. But the truth is, most have no clue how to stop a leak…or have any intention to fix that stopped drain.
I don’t like how your friends and family are always here. This is not a hotel!
While you may think it’s great that you’re helping out by letting a friend crash on your couch after a bad breakup, your landlord is probably upset he or she isn’t paying rent.
Your security deposit is going to stay with me.
No matter what they say, there’s a good chance you are never going to see that money again.
Your crappy neighbors aren’t my problem.
If another tenant is rude, loud, or disrespectful, your landlord might act like they are concerned… but won’t do anything about it as long as they pay their rent.
I let myself in while you’re at work.
You may not think anything of the fact that they let themselves in to make repairs while you’re at work. But, they’ve likely surveyed your belongings (or worse) in the process.
The person who rented before you paid way less.
It’s really up to you to negotiate your lease. The landlord wants to make the most profit from their property and will not volunteer a discount.
We knew about the roaches and mice problem.
Yes, I know about the rotten and bedbug problem but most likely I won’t do anything about it. Also, once you see a mouse, the blame is on you and the food you leave out.
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