So, here I am, a 37 year old woman still renting. Where did I go wrong? Needless to say, I am a renter, for now. I have had some good rental experience and some horrible experiences, so I am here to tell you what I wish I would have known before renting. Some back story, I rented my first apartment with a former friend when I was 20 years old and have been renting for 17 years now. Some of these tips will be obvious and some will shock you.
Tip #1 - Know Your Tenant’s Rights
When I first starting renting at 20 years old, I did not know anything about tenant rights and I went into the entire process blind. I know right, foolishness at its finest. My former friend and I signed our lives away on the dotted line and didn’t pay attention to any details. Luckily for us, the apartment complex where we lived knew our rights and treated us with the utmost respect. It was when I moved out, on my own at 25 years old, where I really wish I knew my rights. I was so desperate to find a place, after leaving a 5-year relationship, I could not wait to sign on the dotted line. This place was old and had shady dealings from the moment I signed that lease agreement. The apartment’s previous habitant was a hoarder with a terrible pest control problem and it smelled like that. This first experience was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it taught me to look into my rights as a tenant. A curse because it made me have to look up my rights as a tenant. Disclaimer: the rights of a tenant will vary from state to state. For us Floridians, the Department of Agriculture’s website, will provide all you need to know about the Landlord/Tenant laws for this state. The website starts with a “Before You Rent” section and ends with a “When You Decided To Move” section. I encourage you to please read your state’s landlord/tenant laws and educate yourself.
Tip #2 - Do This Before Moving In
DO A WALK-THRU! I, strongly, encourage a walk-thru before moving into any rental property, especially if you are putting down a hefty security deposit. Most rental property management companies are banking on the fact you do not know your rights. They will nickel and dime you, if you let them. I want to persuade you all to record and take pictures during the review of the place you would like to rent. I would advise to take another person with you (another set of eyes are needed) as that person can see things you may have missed. Also, pictures and videos have time stamps and dates showing the damages and items needing to be fixed before moving in.
Tip #3 - Another Walk-Thru
Yes, do another walk-thru after you have moved all of your furniture and personal belongings into your new place. This is called a move-in inspection and it lets the rental property management know what items still need to be fixed upon your arrival. I will tell you this, even though my love and I did a move-in inspection, things are still not fixed. Shameful I know, but we will be pressing them to maintain their contractual agreement in compliances with the laws or we can terminate our leasing agreement. Take video and pictures of your move-in inspection as well. This will allow for you to be able to dispute charges later, if that is needed. Believe me, it will be needed.
Tip #4 - Have A Folder
Now this may seem like a weird tip, but it’s really not. Create a folder for each place you rent and keep this folder for, at least, 7 years after moving out. I motivate you to document your leasing agreement, every email, every maintenance request, every rent payment, and so forth. Rental properties are sharks. They prey on the uneducated tenant with hopes they just pay rent (and more) and not require any maintenance. My love and I, recently, had some issues with our new place. First the rental office sprung an extra $1100 for move-in costs and then tried to charge us even more for their miscalculation of the move-in costs. These people had the audacity to say the move-in agreement was not legally binding (which was true), so thus making them in the clear. What they did not expect was for us to read the entire leasing agreement (a legally bind contract) which stated ALL move-in costs must be paid BEFORE the release of keys. We paid the amount they originally told us and they released the keys. The acceptance of payment and the releasing of keys forfeited their right to charge us anything extra. I ensure you creating a folder for every transaction between you and your landlord, will provide you some sense of security.
Tip #5 - Do A Walk-Thru After Moving Out
I know, I know, you are like why are there so many walk-thru’s? Seems like all we are doing is walking! I get it. This process can be a lot, but it is for your own protection. After you have removed your personal belongings and have cleaned the dwelling (per the move-out instructions if applicable), take pictures and record your move-out inspection. Given the times we are in and how companies losing out on money, beware of excess charges that dwindle away your security deposit. My love and I are in a situation, right now where they have almost taken our entire security deposit. Luckily, for them, I have taken pictures and video of the entire process. I, also, have documentation (see Tip #4) with proof showing all of our landlord/tenant conversations.
Here’s a bonus tip, have your own renter’s insurance. Renter’s insurance ensures that if anything were to happen while you are renting, you are able to recover material items with a small deposit. A great renter’s insurance agency is https://manage.myassurantpolicy.com/?ReturnUrl=%2FPolicy%2FSelection or https://www.statefarm.com/insurance/home-and-property/renters
Photo by Jarek Ceborski on Unsplash