There are some things you cannot maintain on your own. Indeed, there are some things you should not maintain on your own, because they are your landlord’s responsibilities.

So, do not be afraid to go to your landlord about repairs. You will not be annoying, your landlord will actually be thankful — they need to know what is wrong with the property. Besides, if you leave things until you move out, the repairs may cost your landlord more money.

You need to respect your lease. If you signed it knowing that you could not have pets or that you could only have a certain number of other people living in the place, you need to obey those rules. After all, you agreed with them in the first place.

It is important to be the best tenant you can be, for a variety of reasons. You need your landlord’s good graces, even after you have moved out of your apartment or rental home.

There are many things you can do to be a good tenant, and they are actually quite easy. For example, simply paying your rent when it is due every month goes a long way towards making you a desirable tenant. Late payments are allowed in the event of an emergency, but you never want to make a habit out of it.

You also need to maintain both your home and your yard — or your part of the yard, if your landlords are on site. Just keep things neat and tidy, to prevent as much wear and tear as you can.

Maintenance is another important part of being a landlord. The appliances need to be kept up, the electrical needs to be in order, the heating and air conditioning systems need to be working well, and the plumbing needs to be in tact as well. For that matter, make sure you address any needs and repairs as quickly as you possibly can.

You need to take some responsibility for the safety of your tenants as well. For instance, in addition to providing safe locks, you should also think about smoke and fire alarms, security alarms, outdoor lightly, good parking areas, and even outdoor lighting.

The privacy of your tenants is important as well. Make sure you give them at least twenty four hours before you enter their unit.

As always, make sure that the lease is exactly how you want it and that it details payments as well as security deposits.

So now you know how to become a landlord. The next step is being a good landlord — because that will inspire good tenants.

You need, of course, to make sure you know all of your rights as well as your responsibilities, as they exist under the landlord tenant laws in your area.

So, what you should do first is get in contact with the rental housing authorities in your area. You can talk to a real estate attorney as well; that way, you will be sure to have a clear, strong understanding of your responsibilities and your legal rights when you are a landlord. Typically there are state laws as well as more specific local laws.

It is likewise important to make sure you are familiar with housing and building codes, health regulations, and safety regulations.

After you have screened your tenant and have decided that they are okay to live there, the next step is going to be making sure that you are aware of everything that is wrong in the house before the tenant moves in.  That is why taking a picture of the place before anyone moves in is so important.

When you are a landlord, you are responsible for so many things and you definitely want to make sure that if you get taken to court for anything at all – that you are certainly going to be able to proof your tenants wrong.  Always cover your back!

You also want to make sure that you keep track of any of the repairs that you do to the house or any receipts that you think might be useful.

Becoming a landlord is stressful.  You have to be responsible not only for another person it seems like but also for another house and what happens to that particular house.  There are a ton of things that you need to look for when you become a landlord and in the next couple blogs that is exactly what we are going to touch on.

First and foremost, you need to make sure that you screen all of your tenants.  While you do not want to judge a book by its cover, you certainly want to make sure that you make a smart decision when you allow someone to live in a space that you own.

You also want to make sure that you check up on their credit as well as their rental history, as those can be two key points when you are looking at a new tenant.  More in the next post!