Are you an irresponsible tenant? Listed here are eight things that might make you one if you’re not convinced. A bad tenant can get into difficult circumstances like getting evicted, withholding your security deposit, or even being excluded from renting again. Keep away from these behaviors if you don’t want to deal with any of those consequences!
- Not paying rent on time. This is probably the biggest issue in assessing whether or not you will be a reliable tenant. Your Spring Branch property manager has the power to start eviction proceedings on you if you’re late to pay rent. Not only that, but not paying your rent on time can hurt your credit score.
- Making too much noise or disturbing other tenants. Your landlord will have a lot of complaints against you if you’re always making noise or disturbing other tenants. When it comes time to renew your lease, the more complaints your landlord receives, the less likely they may want to renew it.
- Damaging the property or not taking care of it. This is another frequent characteristic of a bad tenant. Your landlord would have to spend money to fix the property if you destroy it or will not take care of it. This can be quite costly for them, and they may choose to hold back your security deposit or, in serious situations, evict you.
- Not reporting maintenance and repair issues. If you do not promptly report maintenance and repair issues, you risk costing your landlord a lot of money. You also run the risk of causing damage to your personal property in addition to the house (think water leaks that turn into a flood!). This is why it’s important to notify your landlord right away if there are any issues.
- Having pets when you’re not supposed to. You could presume that your landlord will not notice if you have pets when you are not allowed to, but they will. If your lease expressly prohibits pets, this is a violation of the lease terms and may result in your eviction from the property.
- Bringing in unauthorized guests. Likewise, uninvited guests or residents are not permitted. The landlord deserves to be aware of everyone who lives in your rental home, like family members who stay for extended periods of time, for liability reasons. Illegitimate guests might create legal headaches for you and your landlord if something gets out of control.
- Smoking inside or using drugs. Another common trait of a bad tenant is this. If your lease explains that you cannot use drugs or smoke inside and you do it anyway, your landlord will be furious and may have you arrested (if the drugs are illegal) or evicted – or both.
- Ignore your lease terms. You might think that ignoring any of your lease terms, including the ones we’ve already reviewed, won’t make a difference in the short term. However, your landlord will eventually discover this – and they will not be agreeable with it. This may result in you receiving a warning or even being evicted from the property.
Now that you’re aware of how not to be a bad tenant, avoid the mentioned behaviors! The last thing you’d want is to receive a bad reputation or get blacklisted, which makes it harder (if not impossible) to rent a new place. If you are in the market for a new rental home, browse our listings. We can help you find a quality rental home in Spring Branch.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
