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When it comes to the landlord’s responsibilities to the tenant, there are many that will differ depending on the local laws and the individual signed contracts. However, this article will cover the most basic ones that will apply to the majority of the cases.
Cleanliness is the most basic of your responsibilities you will have as a landlord. Your task will be to make sure the house and the room are well maintained and clean. Of course, this does not include washing the dishes or clothes for your tenant. Instead, your responsibility will be to focus on bigger cleanliness problems like a pest problem. This would also include addressing mold issues the room or house may have, making sure the house is clean for your tenant. Additionally, you may also have to make sure the common areas like the kitchen, hallways, or living room are clean (free of garbage, mopped up and vacuum). Nevertheless, you may have contracts with your tenants in which they could also take part of the responsibility, helping to clean and maintain common areas as part of their deal.
Safety and cleanliness are synonymous with each other. For example, mold is part of cleanliness and safety, as it can do harm to the tenant if not attended. Of course, safety definitely has a higher priority, since violating this would result in higher consequences. Additionally, safety includes other aspects, from installing smoke detectors to maintaining a house or room with functioning locks. One tip for this would be to change your locks when you change tenants. This will decrease the possibility of future theft in case the previous tenant may have lost their key, or even made a copy of it. Other safety aspects are broken utensils or furniture that could harm your tenants. If you are renting more than one room out, you should be sure to perform extensive background checks to reduce the potential for theft between the tenants. In other words, you should do a thorough inspection of your house and room to find potential threats that could harm your tenants. By addressing all these issues before you rent out your property, you will not only keep tenants safe and you out of liability, but also reduce the number of complaints and times you have to fix these problems while the tenant is living with you.
Throughout your tenant’s stay, some appliances and furniture may be endure normal wear and tear in the process. These problems will be reported by the tenants, and you would have the responsibility of responding to these repairs in a timely manner. Of course, the speed at which you respond will depend on the importance of the repair. For example, you may not need to address a chipped table immediately, but you will need to fix a smoke detector as soon as possible, since it ultimately affects the safety of the house.
Quietness is another factor, that although may not be as vital as the other ones, is quite desired from the tenant. This is not just a matter of responsibility, but of respect, as you would also expect your tenants to maintain quietness when needed. This is particularly important for someone renting out a room, as you will be cohabitating with each other, and hence will need to respect each other’s preferences. In fact, this responsibility is not just for the benefit of your tenant and yourself, but also to your neighbors, as you would not want to disturb your neighbors.
At the beginning of the rent, your tenant will be giving you a security deposit (Which basically covers the landlord in case the tenant is not able to pay rent or damages something in the room), and it is your legal responsibility to keep it properly, so you can give it back when the rent ends. One factor to point out is that this will differ depending on the state you are living in.
Privacy is quite an important one, especially for someone who is renting out a room, as you will be living with your tenant. In other words, you should not be violating your tenant’s privacy, such as entering their room or looking through their belongings without their permission. If you are planning on having an inspection of the room for damages or safety purposes, you should ask for permission or give an early notice to your tenants.
Pets are a factor landlords can decide whether to accept or not. However, when it comes to service animals, it is your responsibility to allow your tenant to keep their service animal, as it is vital to their well-being. Additionally, you cannot charge a pet deposit for the animal. In fact, you should not be denying anyone based on a support animal, as it would be seen as discrimination against disability.
There are many other responsibilities a landlord may have, and they may also vary depending on the state that you are living in. However, this article should have provided you with a basic comprehension of your responsibilities for when you start renting out your room.
