More people than ever are renting their homes because they can’t afford to buy, which means that you have to deal with landlords. The majority of landlords are fine, but there are some out there that just want to take your money and won’t put any time or effort into maintaining the house at all. There is a lot of protection in place for landlords because you have to provide references from past landlords so they know that you’re going to pay the rent on time and you’ll look after the house properly, but it doesn’t really work the other way around. That’s why so many people get caught out by rogue landlords and end up living in terrible conditions. But if you know what you’re doing, you can usually spot the tell-tale signs. These are some of the best ways to protect yourself from bad landlords.
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Get Renters Insurance
If the house is in disrepair and it causes damage to your possessions, your landlord isn’t necessarily going to do anything about it. For example, if there is a leak because they haven’t fixed the plumbing properly and your things get water damaged, a bad landlord isn’t going to give you the money to replace all of that stuff, that’s why it’s important that you get some insurance so you can at least protect your own belongings. You can easily find some cheap renters insurance and it’s definitely worth paying for if something happens. You’ll really regret it if you skip the insurance and you end up having to pay to replace things on your own.
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Document Everything When You Move In
Trying to claim that you’ve broken things around the house so they can keep your security deposit is a common tactic of rogue landlords. But you can easily protect yourself from this if you document everything when you move in. Do a full inventory of the house and note down any damage, no matter how small it might be. You should also take photographs so if they do try to blame you for existing damage, you’ve got evidence there.
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Ask About Repairs
When you’re viewing a house, you should ask the landlord how they deal with repairs. Do they do it themselves or do they have contractors that they call in? How long can you expect to wait when you have an issue? If the landlord is forthcoming with that information, that’s a good sign. But if they’re being vague about it, that’s a big red flag. You can’t always be sure because they may just lie but if you put them on the spot and gauge their reaction, you might be able to tell if they’re genuine or not.
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Keep A Paper Trail
If you’ve got a problem with the house and you’re struggling to get the landlord to fix it, you should be keeping a paper trail. This will be useful later if you end up having to take legal action against them. Don’t do it all over the phone, send your requests by email or text so you’ve got written proof of all of the interactions. If you don’t, they’ll just claim that you never told them about the problem.
If you follow these rules, you can avoid getting caught out by rogue landlords that just want to take your money.
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19 comments
Honestly, those details are life saver! Thank you so much for sharing this 🙂
This post is more important than ever. Thanks for sharing!
Great way to deal with fussy landlords! Thanks fir sharing.
Good post. A good landlord should present the incoming tenant with a full inventory that they both sign. It shouldn’t be down to the tenant to sort that one out.
I quit renting 2 years ago. I kinda wish I were still renting though because the cost of owning a house is GAHHH! LOL! STICKER SHOCK.
thanks for the information
As a landlord, I agree that both sides need to protect themselves to avoid future conflict
This is really important! Thank you for sharing. I haven’t had a rogue landlord yet, but my boyfriend was renting once and his place caught fire. He had no renter’s insurance and lost everything. I never thought much about it until I met him, but that is super important.
Thanks, I def agree with getting renters insurance along with keeping a paper trail!!
This is a very helpful post! Thank you for these tips, it is very important to consider options when renting a space/room that fits our budget.
This post is so needed for current situation. I have been thinking as to how hard it must be for tenants right now.
The documentation is smart whether you are a renter or landlord, both sides of this coin are difficult to navigate so that is a great tips. Renters insurance is another great tip to protect yourself.
This is so helpful, girl. We can all relate. Thank you for sharing!
i agree with all your points, to have everything documented gives a peace of mind and security
Such important tips, and you can get quicker into things like this than you think!
I’ve always been lucky with landlords. But I did recently find myself an accidental landlord and it was really hard.
This is an important post for those who might be fighting against those rogue landlords. It is a tough world right now.
These tips could really help a lot of boarders out there! Thanks! 😊❤️
Great post! It’s really important to know before moving into a new place.