Happy New Year everyone! As we start 2021 together and begin setting our individual goals, it is normal to be reflective of the past and seek to learn where we can improve for the future. When it comes to being a tenant, there are always ways to be better to your landlord and even the property itself. I am going to share some of the tips that I have learned along the way.

Read your lease thoroughly: You must read and understand what your lease says and requires of you. This is the time for you to ask the landlord questions on parts that you may need further clarification on. Asking questions to gain a better understanding is critical because you do not want to end up in a situation where you are receiving consequences for a simple misunderstanding.

Submit maintenance requests promptly and in writing: To ensure your requests are documented, it is better to email or mail them in. In case of a problem, this allows you to look back on it and have it as evidence of what you said word-for-word.

Pay your rent on time: As obvious as it seems, you would be surprised how often rent payments slip from the mind. If you want to be a reliable tenant, make sure you keep up with your rent payments. The key to this is to set a reminder on your calendar a few days before the payment is due to ensure it gets in on time.

Keep your rental property clean: You do not want your landlord walking into your rental property and seeing a mess. Show that you care about the place you are living and respect the landlord’s property. Try to set a day each week to clean your space or even assign 30 minutes a day to tidying up.

Have renter’s insurance: This is vital to protecting your assets within the rental property and can cover the cost of damage to the property due to negligence. Having renter’s insurance will help the landlord because you will not be leaving them with a bill due to your inability to cover the cost.

These are just a few ways to make sure you are the best tenant you can be. Make sure you are respectful of the property and the landlord to ensure a great relationship throughout the time of your lease. We want to wish you a Happy New Year and we look forward to what 2021 has to offer!