When you first saw that nice rental home in the classifieds, you may not have anticipated you would be the one making any necessary improvements like: mowing the lawn or trimming the hedges that is until you read the lease contract on the day of signing. Now what?
There are a number of options that you could utilize based on your situation when it comes to maintaining your landscaping.
1. Rent garden tools.
If you know, that you don't plan on owning a home anytime soon and you aren't interested in purchasing garden equipment or using a landscaper, why not rent your tools? You can get everything you need for your landscaping tasks at stores like, a Home Depot or Lowes. Also, conduct a search for tool rental and include the city and state that you live to see what comes up.
2. Hire a professional landscaper.
You may want the best treatment for your property. Check with your neighbors to find out who they use to maintain their landscaping.
3. Ask a relative or friends.
What better way to keep some money in your pocket while helping a relative or friend who is frequently borrowing or asking others, give them a weekly job to do. To date, professionals can charge from $50 plus for weeding, trimming, and lawn care a month. They also will charge an additional fee for fertilizing. Think of the money you will save when you get someone you know to do it. However, you may acquire a headache if your relative or friend is unreliable.
The outside of the home is the first thing that anyone sees when driving by and therefore it must be well-maintained. Besides, it is a reflection of you and your family. Also, keep in mind that city officials may visit your home with a warning and possibly a citation if you fail to keep up the property.
Nicholl McGuire
Thursday
Check the Plumbing!
Most people are so impressed with the basic appearance of an apartment before moving in that they fail to check the plumbing. They don't bother to let the hot water run. They don't bend down and open the cabinets to check for water leaks and they won't take a look at the kind of water heater that is in the unit. Unfortunately, some landlords are hoping that the potential resident doesn't check for these things. Sometimes they prefer to wait until money is in hand before they make any necessary repairs. If the landlord does make some improvements, it may be just enough to band-aid the problem, so that he or she can save money. When this happens, a resident finds out real soon that all that glitters isn't gold and before long he or she is disheartened about the unit.
Save yourself a headache or two and find out what the trouble spots are before signing a lease and if you have already done so, be sure that you note your findings, take photos, and mark the day and time you talked to your landlord about the problems in your unit. Review your lease contract to find out what repairs your landlord is responsible for. If you don't see any improvement after repeated requests, seek legal representation, your city office and/or health department.
Nicholl McGuire
Save yourself a headache or two and find out what the trouble spots are before signing a lease and if you have already done so, be sure that you note your findings, take photos, and mark the day and time you talked to your landlord about the problems in your unit. Review your lease contract to find out what repairs your landlord is responsible for. If you don't see any improvement after repeated requests, seek legal representation, your city office and/or health department.
Nicholl McGuire
Tuesday
Move Out Date
So you are looking to move out your current apartment, but when? If you give ample notice, your landlord will love you. However, too late and you may ruffle some feathers, not only that, you may find yourself paying prorated rent for an apartment you are not staying in.
Most lease contracts require at least a 30 day notice prior to the end of your lease. While others may mention a 60 day notice. The move-out date alerts your landlord, so that he or she will begin marketing the unit for the next resident.
Most landlords want a written notice, so there is no question about whether a resident is staying or going. They also would like to be made aware of any problems in the unit before a resident moves out. Conduct a preliminary walk-through with your landlord to be sure that you both are on the same page regarding what repairs need to be made before you leave. For instance, some residents like to paint the walls different colors. Most landlords require that a resident paints the walls back to their original colors.
Don't waste time thinking about "when and if I move," know what you are going to do in advance to avoid any unnecessary charges.
Nicholl McGuire
Most lease contracts require at least a 30 day notice prior to the end of your lease. While others may mention a 60 day notice. The move-out date alerts your landlord, so that he or she will begin marketing the unit for the next resident.
Most landlords want a written notice, so there is no question about whether a resident is staying or going. They also would like to be made aware of any problems in the unit before a resident moves out. Conduct a preliminary walk-through with your landlord to be sure that you both are on the same page regarding what repairs need to be made before you leave. For instance, some residents like to paint the walls different colors. Most landlords require that a resident paints the walls back to their original colors.
Don't waste time thinking about "when and if I move," know what you are going to do in advance to avoid any unnecessary charges.
Nicholl McGuire
Monday
Got a New Job? Want Out of Your Lease?
You signed an apartment lease contract that won't make it easy for you to break it without paying out some substantial money. Losing money is the bad news, but knowing that there is a way to get out of the contract is the good news! Depending on what the contract says, how fast management can get someone in the unit, and how reasonable you are through the process, may get you out of some fees.
There are those contracts that may allow you to break your lease if you should get employment hundreds of miles away or outside of the state. Other contracts will outline the penalty for breaking a lease early. Whatever the contract says, consider working with management. Maybe a future resident will need to come to your home to view the place while you are still there, give permission to enter. Management may have noticed some problems in your unit that may need to be addressed by you, roll up your sleeves. Whatever the issue about your apartment, keep in mind that: you need to terminate your lease and management needs to rent your unit. Think about how you can offer your assistance. Who knows, your place may be rented before you leave?
Nicholl McGuire
There are those contracts that may allow you to break your lease if you should get employment hundreds of miles away or outside of the state. Other contracts will outline the penalty for breaking a lease early. Whatever the contract says, consider working with management. Maybe a future resident will need to come to your home to view the place while you are still there, give permission to enter. Management may have noticed some problems in your unit that may need to be addressed by you, roll up your sleeves. Whatever the issue about your apartment, keep in mind that: you need to terminate your lease and management needs to rent your unit. Think about how you can offer your assistance. Who knows, your place may be rented before you leave?
Nicholl McGuire
Where's Maintenance?
You pay rent each month for the luxury of having things like a pool, courtesy patrol and most of all 24 hour emergency maintenance. However, what happens when maintenance isn't doing their job?
Sometimes there will be those property management companies that pride themselves on exceptional maintenance service, but this doesn't happen often. Unfortunately, more times than expected, a new renter experiences a rude awakening after the first month of living at an apartment complex. Maintenance isn't moving as fast as they did during the early days. A typical service call is not answered within 24 hours, maybe 48 hours, 72 hours or as long as a week later. Sometimes service issues are never answered. Before long, the resident is spending his or her own money to fix a problem in the apartment even though management doesn't want that to happen. They fear that a problem in the apartment may not be fixed properly, so they want their staff to be the ones to fix it. But what's a resident to do when maintenance isn't showing up?
When management and maintenance aren't doing their parts, sometimes a resident will contact outside help like the police, Health Department, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, or contact an attorney. This is so that a case may be built against management for a future lawsuit. Disgruntled landlords may retaliate by finding fault with a "trouble-making" resident in an attempt to legally evict him or her or provide an option for a resident to leave the residence if he or she feels there is no way to satisfy him or her. However, many landlords will eventually get someone over to see the problem in the apartment. However, if a resident was to contact a workmen, outside the management company, most repairs would not be done because permission must be granted by the property owner.
Nicholl McGuire
Sometimes there will be those property management companies that pride themselves on exceptional maintenance service, but this doesn't happen often. Unfortunately, more times than expected, a new renter experiences a rude awakening after the first month of living at an apartment complex. Maintenance isn't moving as fast as they did during the early days. A typical service call is not answered within 24 hours, maybe 48 hours, 72 hours or as long as a week later. Sometimes service issues are never answered. Before long, the resident is spending his or her own money to fix a problem in the apartment even though management doesn't want that to happen. They fear that a problem in the apartment may not be fixed properly, so they want their staff to be the ones to fix it. But what's a resident to do when maintenance isn't showing up?
When management and maintenance aren't doing their parts, sometimes a resident will contact outside help like the police, Health Department, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, or contact an attorney. This is so that a case may be built against management for a future lawsuit. Disgruntled landlords may retaliate by finding fault with a "trouble-making" resident in an attempt to legally evict him or her or provide an option for a resident to leave the residence if he or she feels there is no way to satisfy him or her. However, many landlords will eventually get someone over to see the problem in the apartment. However, if a resident was to contact a workmen, outside the management company, most repairs would not be done because permission must be granted by the property owner.
Nicholl McGuire
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