Not everyone is in a position to own a home. It does, after all, cost a fair amount of money to get your foot on the property ladder these days, much more than it did several decades ago. And that means that, for many people, the idea of having their own home is not a realistic aim. Of course, this doesn’t have to be the end of the world. There’s value in renting — for example, you’re not as tied to one place as you would be if you owned the home. 

But the renting experience is only good if you have a good landlord. There are, after all, plenty of less than perfect landlords out there. The good news is that you can normally tell whether someone’s going to be a good landlord or not. In this blog, we’ll look at some of the key things to keep an eye out for.

Positive First Impressions 

You can tell a lot just by meeting someone. We all have a sense of whether someone is a good person or not. While that sense doesn’t always tell you everything you need to know, and sometimes it can just be wrong, it’s always good to pay attention to it. Is the landlord rude when you first meet them? Then that’s a pretty big red flag. Some landlords are only in it for the money, don’t forget!

Safety First

The decor of the property is important, but the quality of the facilities and appliances and all that is not the most important thing. The safety of the home is what matters. If the landlord has not invested in the safety of the space, then you should steer clear of the landlord since they have clearly not taken one of their key responsibilities seriously. You can ask whether they’re going to get a EICR, whether you can see the gas certificate, and what other checks they’ve carried out recently. If they have positive answers to all of them, then they’re probably a great landlord!

Responsiveness

You can’t expect your landlord to pick up the phone every time you call them. But you should expect to get through to them within an hour or so. After all, this is their job — you’re paying to rent the space, but they’re also being paid, too. If they’re unwilling to call you back or you find it difficult to get through to them, then that’s a bad sign. Hopefully, you won’t figure out that they’re not responsive after you’ve moved in. if you can’t get through to them to ask questions about the home, then you’ll know everything you need to know.

Ask the Current Tenants/Google Their Name

Finally, what do the current tenants say? If there’s no one to ask, then Google their name. If they’ve got a history of mistreating tenants, then someone will have put their name online somewhere. On the other hand, you might find a long list of glowing reviews, in which case, good news!