Brian Brady 
Whether you’ve bought or rented real estate in Everton Park, the chances are you’ve chosen that home for a reason. In the case of a Everton Park rental property it may be the lifestyle, surrounding schools, friendly neighbours, perfect floor plan for you/your family, or something else that has obviously drawn you in and moved you to sign a lease agreement. And we all know, as much as we might like to pack lightly at each move, we commonly accumulate more and more possessions every year.
It’s probably safe to say, once you’ve gone to the effort of finding a rental home, submitted your application, moved in, and unpacked all your things to set up your new home, you don’t really want to have to move out again any time soon. But we all know that lease agreements don’t last forever, and your landlord may terminate your lease for any number of reasons. Some reasons you can’t help: they want to move in themselves; or perhaps they can’t afford to keep the property anymore and need to sell. However, some landlords simply choose to re-list the home for rent when a lease agreement expires because of the actions of their current tenants.
If you’re happily living in a Everton Park rental home, and would like to do everything in your power to stay, here are a few tips:
- Don’t assume your landlord is any more wealthy than you – Pay your rent on time! While there tends to be a common misconception that landlords are all wealthy, I can tell you for a fact this isn’t necessarily true. I know several landlords who are young couples and young families who wanted to get their foot into the property market door, but struggle to pay their mortgage each month on top of all of their other expenses. Many landlords sacrifice going away on holidays, allowing their children to do extra curricula activities, or take on extra jobs to help alleviate the financial burden. For such landlords, the fact that the rent is paid on time is not only important to their cash flow, it’s essential! If you think paying your rent late will be okay every now and then, just remember that your landlord is unlikely to forget it, and it may help them to decide whether or not to renew your lease.
- Use common sense when it comes to maintenance requests. This one’s tricky, because it’s every tenants right to live in a house that is safe and in good order. Basically, use your common sense – If there is a very minor issue that doesn’t affect your safety or standard of living, consider reporting it at your next maintenance inspection rather than sending an email to your agent marked ‘URGENT’. On the flip side, if there’s a major issue it needs to be reported immediately. If major maintenance works are not carried out straight away it can lead to even more serious problems and can end up costing the owner a lot more, as well as being a potentially unsafe environment for you.
- Be good to your neighbours. Whether you have a barking dog, screaming fights in the backyard, lawns up your waist or use your front yard as extra storage space, your agent is likely to receive a complaint from at least one neighbour. Think of the impact you have on neighbours. If neighbours complain to the agent, landlord or (worst case scenario) police, it goes without saying that your lease renewal paperwork is far more likely to end up in the shredder than your letterbox.
- Agents will always give you notice before they come through for an inspection – so why not give the place a good clean and tidy up? It doesn’t hurt to impress the agent by showing them how well you’re looking after the home, and their feedback can go a long way towards securing your future in the house.
- This should go without saying – but you’d be surprised. If you plan to make any changes to the home – whether it’s nailing in a picture hook or creating a vegetable garden out the back – be sure to ask permission first. Landlords will often surprise you by allowing good tenants to make small changes or changes they believe may add value to the home later. But if it’s a change they don’t know about and/or don’t approve of, they’re unlikely to be overjoyed at finding out after you’ve made the changes.
If you’re unsure about tenants’ rights and responsibilities, please feel free to visit our Professionals Keith Brady Real Estate office or contact our friendly and knowledgeable Property Managers; we’d be happy to provide you with the right advice.