People’s perception of homeowners and renters can be a funny thing. A common perception is that because the tenant doesn’t own the property they are not going to look after it the same way as if it was their own.
In some cases that is true. We have been on the receiving end of that when we rented our home for nine months, while we were live-in houseparents at a children’s home. The people who rented for the first six months were ideal tenants and looked after the place as if it was their own. In fact they did want to buy it from us at that stage but we didn’t want to sell.
The second lot of tenants who were in our home showed no such respect. We came home to find things left dirty and in need of cleaning and painting, with handprints all over walls and ceilings and the yard overgrown. The estate agent who was supposed to be keeping an eye on the place was not doing his job.
These days many places put high enough bonds so if the place is left in a mess they can at least repair some of the damage using that bond money. When our daughter and her husband left their rented property it was cleaner and in better condition that when they moved in. The estate agent was amazed. The same happened when Mick and I rented when we were first married. Everything was as clean and cared for as we could make it.
We had other friends who rented for years. They cared for the house and garden as though it was their own, even to investing their own money in the plants. Now maybe every tenant wouldn’t go that far but they should still respect the property where they are. After all, they have to live there.
In the long run, the person who is a good tenant will find it much easier when they have to leave to get a new rental property because they will, like our daughter and her husband have glowing references. If it comes to a choice between two couple or families and one has a record of looking after properties and the other doesn’t, it’s not rocket science to figure out which one a landlord will pick.
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