Are you renting your home? There are numerous benefits to this option. For instance, there’s less risk. A big problem about owning a home is that if anything happens to income you could end up with serious financial problems. In contrast, if you are renting, a landlord is far more likely to be lenient compared with a mortgage company. They could give you several months free from rent while you catch up and restore your income. If you won a property, there’s a good chance you’ll lose the house. There are other benefits to renting as well. It provides a far more flexible lifestyle and will allow you to move around quickly whether you’re looking for work or relocating for more personal reasons. However, you do need to be aware of your rights and responsibilities as a renter. 

If you do not understand where your responsibilities begin and end, then you could end up with serious problems. For instance, you could find that your landlord takes advantage of the situation and treats you unfairly. This could lead to you losing your home. So, let’s break down how to make sure that you are aware of where your responsibilities begin and end as a tenant. 

Read Your Tenancy Contract

The first step should always be to make sure that you are reading your tenancy contract carefully. These contracts can be long and stretch over multiple pages which makes people inclined to ignore them completely. They can also be difficult to understand however it’s always in your best interest to try. These contracts can include key information. For instance, there are responsibilities that we’re going to explore that are usually held by the landlord. However, a contract like this can pass them over to the tenant. When you sign that contract, you might be accepting these responsibilities in full. Ignorance will not be accepted as a reason for not upholding these responsibilities either. 

If you are struggling to understand your tenancy contract, then you can consult with a legal advisor. Alternatively, you might find that the agent representing the landlord will be able to explain details to you. Most of this will be the typical legal jargon however there could be nuggets of information that you require and that should not be overlooked. 

Some key details to watch out for include the upkeep of the building itself. Again, this usually will be the landlord’s responsibility. However, a tenancy contract can ensure that there are certain steps the tenant must take. For instance, it might state that you need to ensure the pipes don’t freeze by always keeping the heating on through winter, even if it is on a low setting. Or, it could mention that the home needs to be kept free of issues with condensation by leaving the window open when the washer or dryer is switched on. 

Know Health And Safety Rules

One of the most important things to understand as a tenant is the rules regarding health and safety. Something to be aware of here is that health and safety will almost always fall into the hands of the landlord. They need to make sure that your home is safe for you, your family, and whoever else might be living there or visiting. There are lots of examples of poor health and safety. For instance, this could relate to damp growing on the walls. Assuming you didn’t cause this due to your actions, it will be the responsibility of the landlord to fix it. Or, in terms of health, this might include ensuring that you have hot running water. This is a basic requirement and if there is a problem that is stopping you from getting water to keep clean, then your landlord should be expected to fix this immediately. 

A lot of people wonder whether there are certain situations where landlords can avoid fixing issues. For instance, through the COVID-19 pandemic, many tenants seem to believe that landlords are not required to send people to fix problems that they are facing with their home. This might be true for minor issues however, problems with health and safety must still be addressed. If you are not being provided with safe rental housing then you do have legal rights and you could even potentially sue your landlord. Particularly, if a problem here does result in an accident or injury. 

 

Follow The Rules

 

 A landlord will always lay out the rules that a tenant must follow and again, these will be explained in full through your contract. However, if you have any questions or you think something isn’t clear, there’s nothing stopping you from asking and getting all the details that you need. 

 

For instance, you might want to think about things like pets. A lot of landlords will not allow you to have pets on their property. However, for the right pet, some will make an exception and this will likely be contingent on you agreeing to additional requirements. If you breach a contract then a landlord does have every right to take action against you. That’s why it’s vital that you understand what their rules are. 

Of course, you might believe that you are being unfairly punished when you didn’t breach the contract at all. If that’s the case, then it’s still crucial that you understand how to fight back. There is a structure in place to help tenants that have been treated unfairly and you must follow this. You can even fight against eviction but often it’s better to move on and escape an landlord that has treated yours poorly. 

 

We hope this helps you understand some of the ways that you can stay on top of rights and responsibilities as a renter. In doing so, you can make sure that you do avoid issues such as legal complaints and get big benefits like ensuring that your rent deposit is paid back in full. You will also be able to make sure that a landlord doesn’t have the power to push you around by relying on your ignorance.