What does it take to be a good landlord?
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, or any other real estate property that is rented or leased. In Pakistan landlord sounds like someone very powerful and rich but that’s just the other side of it. What people don’t know are the problems and challenges they face.
In Pakistan, it usually happens that tenants are sometimes not able to pay the rent on time, or they don’t take care of the property as expected of them. Also, there is poor law and order situation in the country which is why sometimes tenants try to take over the property through power.
Perhaps, landlords are usually scared of renting their house to someone unknown. They prefer someone who might pay less but will take care of the property rather than someone who will cause them trouble at a high price. Landlords are not only bridged to selecting a tenant, signing an agreement, and collecting monthly rent. A landlord holds whole and sole responsibility for their tenants as well as the property.
It’s not as easy as it seems to become a landlord. It puts up so many responsibilities on your shoulder-it seems like a full-time job. There are few legal and ethical responsibilities of a landlord listed below.
P.S: Check out the responsibilities of tenants towards the property and landlord.
Role of a Landlord
Let’s start with the roles of a landlord. The primary role of a landlord is to provide affordable accommodation to a tenant. He is a negotiator, repairman, real estate agent, clerk, you just name it. He needs to make sure the following:
- The place is clean and well-maintained.
- The place covers basic security and privacy concerns.
- The structure is okay – there should be nothing cracked, broken, or in a not working condition.
- Assurance of a pleasant and peaceful environment.
- Addressing tenants for their issues, property taxes, and maintaining property insurance.
Responsibilities of a Landlord
The landlord holds a huge responsibility when selecting a tenant for his property. He needs to screen tenants, ask them about their rental history, finalize the rent, security deposit, and registering the rental agreement signed by both parties. Apart from all of this landlord has to make tenants aware of their responsibility towards the property.
A few key responsibilities of a landlord before renting a property are:
Make home as safe as possible
The safest, most peaceful, and restful place on earth is home to everybody. Everybody gets a feeling of “sigh” when they return home. The landlord needs to check if all the locks, windows, and doors work fine. There should be no unstable railings, broken fences and damaged staircase, or anything that can harm the house or tenant’s belongings. Also, nobody should have a copy of the key for the house except for the tenant.
Clarify the minor details
Things get problematic when they’re are not discussed earlier which is why the landlord should discuss every minor detail or rule that is strict to his priority with his tenant and see if they willingly accept it. The landlord should talk to his tenant to maintain peace and cleanliness within the house and outside the house. Peace should be maintained with the neighbors and things should work with compromise.
The tenant should always know what type of place they are signing up for in the first place because it’s not easy to pack things up again to shift somewhere else. Keeping every minor detail on the table is best for both parties.
Maintenance at Tenants request
The landlord should always fulfill the necessary requests of maintenance made by the tenant to have a healthy relationship with them. There is no hard and fast rule of who gets the things repaired but it’s should be a mutual understanding between them.
Usually, the tenant is responsible for maintaining the interior side of the house which includes fixing broken things that came with the property, repainting, garden, etc. Whereas, the landlord must maintain the exterior and bear the heavy damage in the house that stays with the property such as burst pipes, cracking structure, or any other structural damages. Also, a tenant should always inform the landlord and ask for his permission if he wants to make any kind of major changes for themselves in the house.
This was all. We hope to see landlords and tenants build good relationships as this crucial for the real estate industry of Pakistan. We feel responsible to spread awareness among people. Let us know in the comments below what you think or expect from your tenant or landlord? Also, please share your experiences with us.