Pitfalls of Leasing a Home Part 4

We could have really used a good camera or video recorder when we took possession of a house in Atlanta in October 2008.  Why is that important?  The move in condition of a home will be forgotten by you or the landlord when you move 3 years later.  Only the picture remains and it says a thousand words as testimony to condition of property.  The small things such as kitchen faucets or window blind pulls can be a source of dispute between landlord and tenant but with photos you have proof of original condition.  Certainly normal wear and tear can be expected during the lease period however you want to address that up front and not at move out time.  Our expections may differ greatly from the other side because of familiarity with lease process, experience with rentals or jumping in as a novice landlord.  Had the landlord ever leased a residential property before or did they have experience in handling tenants needs when repairs were required?  If the landlord is inexperienced, it will be a learning situation for him and it is never easy to learn on this sort of a job!

Of course you will have the move in agreement from 3 years ago but items may have been replaced or damaged that were simply forgotten and with the hectic lives we lead it is inevitable.  Protect yourself as the tenant should because you can believe that the landlord will do the same. My brother is a judge in a local court and he sees this every day because security deposit returns are the #1 issue for lawsuits.  It is generally a good idea to contact the landlord on a regular basis via e-mail or a call to keep in the loop.  What does that have to do with being a good tenant?  Lots of stuff!  If you notify the landlord monthly when you send a check or drop off a payment, that helps to keep them on their toes.  It shows seriousness of purpose and you find out all sorts of things such as if a husband and wife share the information you provide.  Sometimes they don't talk about their rental properties and one side may not get your message. We had one landlord situation where the husband and wife were separating and they did not live together or communicate about their properties.  Both parties were on signed documents but each had to be called separately and e-mailed individually.  Things don't always start that way but can end up like that.

Another way to keep them in the loop is to take pictures of the yard or back porch so they see over the years how well the house has been cared for and how much pride you take in keeping it this way.  One thought crossed my mind and that was if the neighborhood had parties out in the cul de sac for Halloween or Easter, you could send them pictures of involvement in the SD.  That lends credibility to your committement when you lease.  Yes, not every tenant will do this however, for those that want to became part of the bigger picture it can work well.  We always liked to join in the experience of meeting and getting to know the people, kids and their pets where we live.  Besides you might want to make a contribution to better the neighborhood even if it is a short time stay.