Landlord Versus Tenant Responsibilities

Landlords, let’s start with you. When it comes to creating a lease agreement, it is important that you ask yourself what responsibilities you can follow through on as a landlord before you write up and print out that lease agreement. Don’t sign up for something that you can’t follow through on. Being a landlord is a huge responsibility. Some of the most common responsibilities a landlord has been collecting rent payments, communicating with tenants, paying for and making repairs, taking care of yard maintenance, and doing the necessary work to keep the house or apartment in good condition. These are not things that might happen. These are things that will happen. It is important to know and to prepare for these responsibilities before taking on the role of a landlord. If worse came to worse and you did not own up to these responsibilities, it could do severe damage to your reputation as a landlord, or you could end up in an unwanted court case.

The cost to cover those damages will either come out of your security deposit or your own pocket. Tenants are also responsible for making landlords aware of any repairs that need to be made to the rental property. If your landlord doesn’t check in that often or lives out of the city or state, the only way they will know if anything needs to be repaired is if you let them know. Landscaping and yard maintenance is another big one. It is important to know whether or not it is your responsibility to keep up with the yard or landscaping. Lastly, in the case that a rodent problem occurs, the responsibility could fall on you or your landlord depending on if you as a tenant did or did not cause the problem. This meaning, it could end up being your responsibility if you did not make it a priority to keep the house clean and free from food crumbs or trash. Again, the best way to stay safe in these situations is to make it a priority to be as intentional as possible when it comes to making your rent payments & keeping the place clean.