What do you perceive makes a good tenant?

fishpond

ognum wrote: »

Just as interesting, what makes a good landlord

Coming soon!

fishpond

Mattygroves2 wrote: »

It's the potential for damage to furniture and potentially none house trained pets that are the risk for landlords. I'm a pet owner with cats and know it's not just a case of a few hairs - last year we came in to large blood stains on the carpet and blood splatter up two walls. It all came out but only because we dealt with it when it was still fresh - not sure every tenant would have had the same motivation at 11pm after a night out.

Landlords want to limit risk and taking kids and pets out does that. The type of property is a factor though as 4 bed houses in the country will be hard to let without allowing both.

What makes a good tenant IMO is one that pays on time, repairs any damage they (or their offspring or pets) cause and generally treats it as a home which would include minor repair jobs. You wouldn't get a tradesman out to tighten a screw up on a door handle or to clear a sink blockage if you owned a house so why not do the simple jobs yourself in a rental - probably much quicker too.

Thank You x

Pixie5740

fishpond wrote: »

Not so sure I agree with the underlined, but agree 100% with the bold.

In my example I described a LL who was a complete nightmare. If she hadn't been so awful there's no way I'd have let that Sky engineer just drill a hole through the wall. It's the only bad thing I've ever done as a tenant.

Landlords can protect themselves to a certain degree through referencing and keeping abreast of the laws and regulations surrounding letting property. I know some rogue tenants will slip through the cracks but I find it slightly difficult to believe that someone who has always been a decent tenant all of a sudden turns into a nightmare. Either the current LL hasn't carried out thorough referencing or the previous LLs who provided references are telling fibs.

isisini

Good tenant:

- Pays rent on time.
- Reports any problems promptly.
- Has a long-term mentality (invested in building a good relationship with LL, will invest in making the place feel like a home)
- Asks permission before doing anything not permitted by tenancy agreement.

Good LL
- Member of a professional Landlord's association
- Understands their rights and responsibilities to the tenant
- Understands it is the tenants home, NOT the LLs
- Has a long-term mindset (willing in invest in building a good relationship with tenant which will pay off in not having a revolving door of tenants)
- Reasonable about pets, children (i.e. understands that their tenants are people with the same desires, wants and limitations as anyone else)
- Makes clear their expectation at end of tenancy with regards to cleaning, garden maintenance, etc.

BirdSeed

Originally Posted by BirdSeed
Also, it's in tenancy agreements for the tenant to report all repairs. I pay a lot of money to live in the house I rent. I don't see why I should have to make the repair myself when there's a management company being paid to do this.
Does that make you a good tenant in your eyes?






Someone commented earlier that a good tenant should carry out repairs and not complain to the landlord about everything. I am not saying I would contact the landlord for a loose hinge or to change a lightbulb but some of the repairs require further works, for example a leaking shower - leads to tiles being removed, floor coverings lifted etc. I believe a good tenant does report all maintenance issues. If I owned a house and someone else lived in it, I would take an active interest in its condition.