Many landlords believe they have all their bases covered with tenants, only to discover something crucial they overlooked – and they often learn about it the hard way. Thankfully, when they share their stories, it allows others to learn from their mistakes! One landlord recently posted the hard lesson they learned revolving around a tenant who had a very large dog… Curious yet? Read on.
Establishing the Pet Policy
The landlord was approached by a tenant who was wondering if they could keep a large mastiff mix at their apartment. The landlord told the tenant they were sorry, but they had a strict policy when it came to pets. After that, the landlord figured that was the end of it. No means no, right?
One day, the landlord received a panicked voicemail from the same tenant, who said there was a terrible fly infestation in the rental complex. The landlord quickly placed a call to another tenant who lived in the unit above to see if they were having issues with flies too. The upstairs tenant said they hadn’t had any problems with flies… What was going on?
When the landlord arrived at the complex, they discovered that not only had the tenant decided to go ahead and keep the mastiff in the apartment, they had also been throwing the giant dog’s giant poop straight into the garbage cans, which unsurprisingly caused a fly infestation! To make matters worse, the tenant kept their trash cans right outside their open window, allowing hundreds if not thousands of flies to enter the building.
This landlord unfortunately learned the hard way that it’s absolutely necessary to have every possible stipulation clearly stated on the lease or rental agreement. Don’t assume that a verbal agreement will be treated as an actual binding agreement by a tenant. To ensure your tenant understands the terms of the lease agreement, have them sign or initial each section. It may feel tedious to list each of the terms individually, but it will provide tenants with explicit information about what is or is not allowed on the property.
The Importance of the Rental Agreement
Clearly stating every condition on the rental agreement isn’t just a matter of saving you from having to deal with potential issues, it’s also a matter of comfort for the sake of all your tenants. In this case, the other tenants weren’t affected by the fly infestation – but they easily could have been. As the landlord, it’s your responsibility to make sure the property is comfortable and livable. The definition of “livable” varies from state-to-state and landlords aren’t generally responsible for vermin that are brought in by a tenant’s uncleanliness. However, had the landlord in this story clearly defined that the garbage cans were to be kept far from the building, it would have prevented the flies from entering through the open window.
Likewise, defining where tenants’ guests can park, property noise restrictions, and other details that may seem small and nitpicky can greatly increase the comfort of your property for all tenants. Creating an iron-clad lease or rental agreement that will proactively prevent problems takes some time and thought, but in the end, it’s worth it – for both landlords and tenants.
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