I recall the very first time I began hunting for a property to rent. I had planned to move in with a few of my girl friends and we were excited at the prospect of gaining our independence and moving into our very own home. We began looking over the classifieds for property rentals and discovered a lot of homes which appealed to us. We eventually decided on a house just outside the town which was spacious and didn't cost too much money, the downside being that it was not the best kept place in town. All of us decided by investing in some paint and with passion we could turn it around.
Our landlord guaranteed us that the things which would have to be done were all minor, that the house was strong. Now, we being the naive, bright eyed girls that we had been, trusted our landlord and thought that everything will go well.
The house was painted by the landlord but as it was cheap paint which was used it started peeling after a while and we chose to repaint it. To cut a long story short we later found issues with damp, mouldy ceiling boards and also other complications. When we reported this to the landlord he made all types of excuses as to why it was not his liability to repair it etc. Once we moved he didn't wish to give our deposit back stating that we chopped nails in the wall etc. We in our naivety in terms of property rentals and contract did not have all the evidence which we required to fight our claim. In the hope this doesn't happen to you, here are a few details that you must remember when looking for property rentals.
Read your contract You have to go through your contract meticulously. Your contract is a legal document, an agreement concerning the two parties. If you sign a contract then you expected for legal reasons to keep your side of the deal. Your contract ought to have the basic information and also the list of obligations of both tenant and landlord. It should also state the amount of months notice and under which conditions deposits will not be repaid.
Should you find that the contract which your landlord has given you lacks this kind of information then you can ask for another contract to be drawn up. A contract which clearly states the agreement gotten into by both sides on all matters regarding the property rental.
I recommend that you have a inspection with the landlord to view the property together, so that you are both conscious of the condition of the home prior to you moving in. I'd also advise that you take your digital camera with you when performing this walk through. If you and your landlord encounter imperfections or problems you must take a picture of the faults. Understand that your landlord can refuse to give you back your deposit due to a fault with the property. If you cannot provide evidence this fault was there prior to you moving in then it will be your word against his/hers.
Our landlord guaranteed us that the things which would have to be done were all minor, that the house was strong. Now, we being the naive, bright eyed girls that we had been, trusted our landlord and thought that everything will go well.
The house was painted by the landlord but as it was cheap paint which was used it started peeling after a while and we chose to repaint it. To cut a long story short we later found issues with damp, mouldy ceiling boards and also other complications. When we reported this to the landlord he made all types of excuses as to why it was not his liability to repair it etc. Once we moved he didn't wish to give our deposit back stating that we chopped nails in the wall etc. We in our naivety in terms of property rentals and contract did not have all the evidence which we required to fight our claim. In the hope this doesn't happen to you, here are a few details that you must remember when looking for property rentals.
Read your contract You have to go through your contract meticulously. Your contract is a legal document, an agreement concerning the two parties. If you sign a contract then you expected for legal reasons to keep your side of the deal. Your contract ought to have the basic information and also the list of obligations of both tenant and landlord. It should also state the amount of months notice and under which conditions deposits will not be repaid.
Should you find that the contract which your landlord has given you lacks this kind of information then you can ask for another contract to be drawn up. A contract which clearly states the agreement gotten into by both sides on all matters regarding the property rental.
I recommend that you have a inspection with the landlord to view the property together, so that you are both conscious of the condition of the home prior to you moving in. I'd also advise that you take your digital camera with you when performing this walk through. If you and your landlord encounter imperfections or problems you must take a picture of the faults. Understand that your landlord can refuse to give you back your deposit due to a fault with the property. If you cannot provide evidence this fault was there prior to you moving in then it will be your word against his/hers.