Oh My Apartment

One of the most unfortunate and stressful situations you can run into as a renter is dealing with a landlord who neglects his or her landlord responsibilities. Your best bet is to be well informed before you move into a new apartment through researching your potential landlord’s reputation. The reality is you probably won’t realize you’re renting from a negligent landlord until after you’ve signed the lease when issues and maintenance begin going unresolved or unrepaired. In such a case,…

The last thing you ever want to deal with while you’re renting, is an unreasonable landlord. The reality is that you may come across one in your apartment renting experience, if that’s not your current situation. Here’s how to deal with it.

Don’t Get into Arguments

Fighting with your landlord will only keep you up at night. No matter how tempting it is, don’t engage in any verbal warfare. Instead, calmly spell out your issues and concerns in writing, and keep any…

The nature of your landlord/tenant relationship can make or break your quality of life as a tenant. Taking steps to create a positive relationship will make your life easier and help to build your reputation as a good tenant.

Step 1: Get to Know Your landlord

Before you sign the lease for your new apartment, check the landlord’s reputation by using word of mouth and online resources. If other tenants have not had a problem with him, then you probably won’t either.

Spend…

At the end of a lease period, people often find out that there will be an increase in their rent. A landlord can raise the rent for a variety of reasons, including:

1. Cost of Living

With each passing year, overall cost of living increases, and with it, your rent. This is usually a small percentage increase and can often be expected annually.  Many times, this percentage is built into your lease agreement as an annual increase.

2. Maintenance

If an apartment requires a…