How to Spot a Neglectful Landlord Before You Move In
Seriously, there’s nothing like walking into a cute apartment, imagining your furniture in it, and then having that tiny voice in the back of your head tell you that this is going to be a giant disaster. Sure, good for you that you finally found a place that’s pet-friendly to rent, but with this landlord, like, is it actually even worth it?
Yeah, needless to say here, finding a place is stressful enough. Well, that, and adding a landlord who ghosts, avoids responsibility, and pretends peeling paint is “just cosmetic,” is the last thing anyone needs. Like, there’s absolutely no denying any of that sort of stuff here. So, okay, now with all of that said here, the goal is not just to find four walls and a door. It’s to figure out who you’re about to be stuck dealing with for the next year, maybe longer.
The apartment is one thing. The person managing it, that’s where the real experience lives.
Pay Attention to How They Communicate from Day One
Yeah, it’s that simple, honestly. So, before you even see the place, the landlord or agent is already showing you who they are. Very rarely are they “wearing a mask” to try and fool you; well, it could happen. Do they take ages to reply to messages? Do they ignore half your questions? Are you getting one-word answers like they’re doing you a favor just by responding at all? That’s a preview. If they can’t be bothered now, when they want your money, they’re not magically turning into a superstar once they’ve got it.
Maybe it’s obvious to you here, but a decent landlord answers basic questions clearly. And so if every answer is vague, rushed, or weirdly defensive, that’s a little red flag waving right in front of your face (but should be obvious enough).
Just Trust Your Gut
A good guide to finding an apartment is not just about square footage and location; it’s about spotting the energy around the person who owns or manages the place. Yeah, those other things obviously matter, but the person who manages is going to make a giant difference. If you’re throwing thousands a month to live there, and stuck to a contract, you don’t want to feel dismissed if you’re dealing with issues, right? So yeah, you absolutely have to trust your gut feeling if something aint right.
Look at the Building Like a Detective
Yeah, if you’re wanting to rent a room from there, you have the right to scrutinize, yeah, you really do. So, during the view, just look around on the way up. Are the hallways reasonably clean, or is there dust, trash, and old junk shoved in corners? Are light bulbs out in common areas for no reason? Does the stair rail feel loose?
But yeah, absolutely, like those little maintenance things say a lot. Yeah, ask the questions, well, at least ask yourself that, look outside the building too (that’s also a pretty good indicator too). Think of it like this: if those things that anyone can see are issues, what’s behind closed doors is going to be so much worse.
Are Repairs Coming Up?
Well, you already know the first reason why this question needs to be asked, but the second reason is whether or not the tenant has to bear responsibility for repairs, because some landlords do push that. No, legally speaking, unless it states in some special contract, the tenant shouldn’t be the one footing the bill due to the landlord’s negligence.
