How Your Landlord Wishes You Would Treat Your Apartment

By Francine Fluetsch on January 21, 2015

image via bondedinc.com

Landlords: the people who make the rules that we hate and have us pay a rent amount that is much too high for what the place is worth.

Some landlords are an absolute pain to deal with, but have you ever thought of what they think of us? I’m sure tenants aren’t really a walk in the park for them either.

Here are a few ways that your landlord wishes you would treat your apartment.

Clean it:

image via www.wehatecleaning.co.uk

If you live with a bunch of people who don’t care if the place gets messy, that’s all fine and dandy for you, but imagine what it will be like after a year of living in a not-so-clean environment.

There might be stains on the carpet, threat of mold from never having the bathroom fan thing on (yeah that thing isn’t just for when you go number 2), or any number of other gross additions to the place. You probably won’t get your deposit back, but then you can go on your merry way, while the landlord has to deal with the mess.

Sure, cleaning isn’t all that fun, but a bit of effort every week will greatly improve your living space, will help you get your deposit back, and will save your landlord from having to do major cleanup control when you move out.

Get things fixed:

image via hollywood-handyman.info

Since tenants are usually required to call the landlord when something has to be fixed, they might let it be for a while or try and fix it themselves.

Calling the landlord when you think you can fix it yourself may seem rather annoying, but it’s better for them to fix it properly so the appliance will be working correctly, and you won’t get in trouble if your “self fix” does more harm than good.

Landlords would much rather take the effort to drive to your place and assess the situation than getting your keys back at the end of your lease along with a half working washing machine that ruined the wood floor due to leaking.

Refrain from pets if that’s the rule:

image via www.reddit.com

I know it’s a bummer when your landlord says you can’t have pets, especially when there are tons of pets at the neighboring houses so you know it’s the landlord’s rule and not the neighborhood’s. And while it would be very tempting to sneak a pet in when the landlord isn’t looking, it wouldn’t be the smartest idea.

Many landlords are forced to set this rule so they can assure possible renters who are allergic to certain animals that they will be okay in the house/apartment. The landlords also usually say no to pets because they can be a bit messy.

Think about it. You and your housemates are gone for a good chunk of the day going to class and studying and possibly even going to work after. When animals are left alone, they get lonely and bored, which may result in scratching up the carpet, having some “accidents,” or doing other sorts of damage to the place that may take a lot of money to fix back up.

I would want more than anything to take my cat up to school with me (cat people represent), but her hair would be a dead giveaway if the landlords were to ever drop by unannounced, and she tends to pee on things when she’s pissed off.

And let me tell you, cat pee is never ever going to come out. So while the rule may seem harsh, it definitely makes sense that it is enforced at so many places for rent.

Don’t smoke:

image via www.sonofthesouth.net

This is another one that landlords will be pretty strict about, and for good reason. Especially in older houses with that popcorn ceiling stuff, the cigarette smell might never really come out, leaving a stale cigarette smell lingering in the place for the next tenant to enjoy.

This would be a big deterrent for a lot of potential tenants, giving the landlord a hard time when trying to fill your place after you leave.

Don’t throw ragers:

image via m.ztopics.com

This is another rule implemented by many landlords that you probably aren’t all that happy about. College is all about ragers and stuff, right? While the landlords want you to keep it down to respect others in the neighborhood, this rule also exists to protect the property.

What usually happens when a bunch of drunk college kids are in one place? Things can get pretty obnoxious. Things might break or spill, people might not be respectful of your place and will proceed to trash it, leaving both you and your landlord with a mess.

Having a few people over is fine, just make sure that they will be respectful and won’t get into a frenzy and start trashing the place.

So the next time your landlord is being a bit of an annoyance, just keep in mind that they have had to deal with many tenants before you, and the rules they have are there for good reason. Sometimes it’s hard to see things from a different perspective, especially if it’s one you think you wouldn’t agree with and they are limiting your fun, but maybe it will help.

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