In our previous blogs, we discussedhow to keep your landlord happy. Believe it or not, this started a conversation and thread around things that a landlord should do to keep their tenant happy. So naturally, we felt obligated to write about it.
Don’t Show up Unannounced
As a landlord, you legally need to give your tenant at least 24 hours notice before you show up to enter their premises. Even though you may own the property, this is a law you need to observe and uphold.
Deal with Damages and Repairs Quickly
Depending on the nature of the damage or repair, the landlord may be responsible for fixing it. If your tenant ever reports a problem, please do what you can to resolve the problem as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. Also use reputable and reliable personnel since recurring problems can be irritating for the tenants and expensive for the landlord.
Clear and Open Communication
Clear and open communication is a key deterrent and remedy for most conflicts. As a landlord, if there's any communications or notices that are relevant to your tenant, let them know. Things such as maintenance work, water outages, parkade cleaning etc. may only be communicated to the owner of the property and not the person living in the property, so it wouldn’t hurt to let them know.
As the landlord, if you are responsible for paying the utility bills, then you need to make sure you pay them on time to ensure your tenant(s) have adequate access to heat, water and electricity. It’s against the law to make your tenant(s) live in a property that does not have these utilities.
Honour the Lease
There are certain clauses in the lease that stand out such as the ones that deal with rent, security deposits and lease terms that are very important to tenants. As a rule of thumb, the lease is a legally binding contract so understanding it and honouring it is a part of the law. Both the landlord and tenant are accountable for this so take the time to read and understand it.
Read, Understand and Uphold the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA)
There are certain items such as discrimination, dispute resolution, general maintenance and preventing rodent and insect infestation that standout in the RTA. These are unique to each province but as a landlord, understanding and honouring it will go a long way in keeping your tenant(s) happy.