When picking a house for university, there are lots of things to think about. The location, the price and of course the condition of the property are always important considerations. However, something people always forget is the actual landlord. There are a lot of great ones out there, who are professional and actually care about their tenants. But you may not be so lucky. Here is what happened with me and my landlord.
Lack of communication
We found that our landlord would often disappear off the face of the earth, especially when we needed him. We would send a texts or email, the issue would be dealt with, but he just wouldn’t respond. Eventually, I had to write a very blunt message, explaining that he should be responding to our emails. Given that he was our landlord, it was so important that he acknowledged our messages. Even when he dealt with the issues we raised, he just wouldn’t give us an ‘okay’, or anything for that matter. He did eventually begin responding, which obviously is the bare minimum. But at least my message worked.
It’s paramount to have a landlord who communicates and responds to your messages. There could be something really wrong, or you may have an important question. If you find yourself being ignored by your landlord, be direct and explain that you should be acknowledged. It’s also important to remember that you are paying them for a service and, as your landlord, they should be available to you 24/7.
Surprise visits
Our landlord had a bad habit of making unexpected visits to the house. He would sometimes let us know. But there were instances when he didn’t. As the house was full of young women, it was particularly daunting for us. I want to make it clear that he never acted inappropriately. But sometimes he would walk in the house to check something or drop something off, and we would all be confused as he never told us. We did discuss this with him, and he’d just say that he forgot to let us know. We recognised that it was an accident, but it was still very awkward knowing he could turn up at any moment.
If this happens to you, do the same as us and communicate the issue with them. The only way to resolve these kinds of problems is to tell your landlord about them. If you have trouble being direct, ask someone else to compose an email.
Experience
Our landlord had never had tenants before so, to be fair to him, he was very new to it all. He was very pleasant to speak to. But you could tell he was unsure of himself at times. There’s nothing wrong with this of course. Everyone has to start somewhere. Because he was in charge of our home, it was important that he was able to deal with certain issues effectively. Overall he was a good landlord, but it was easy to tell that he was inexperienced.
If you don’t want a landlord with little experience, then I recommend looking at reviews and going with an agency. Regardless of what you go for, a good landlord (regardless of their experience) should be professional and a good communicator.
Overall, my experience with this particular landlord was fine. There were just a few things for him to tweak. Eventually, things calmed down, and all the little issues disappeared. I think the main thing to remember is to communicate with your landlord if you have any issues. If you are genuinely having issues with a landlord, perhaps take it further. At the end of the day, this is your temporary home. You should feel happy and safe.
Read next: What it’s really like having no money at university