How to Get to Know Your Landlord

By Kylie Exline on December 7, 2016

When moving into a new apartment, it is usually a pretty decent idea to get to know your landlord. Not in the “let’s be best friends” way, but more in the acquaintance sense where they’ll lend you sugar if you happen to be neighbors. Or if anything, understand when you need an extra week (or two) to get them the rent. You know, the basics.

There are obvious ways to get to know them, but there are many ways that you can go wrong with good intentions. And we want this to be a positive experience for everyone. To discover what to do, continue reading below.

Speak to past tenants.

Although you should always get to know someone yourself rather than only relying on someone else’s perception of them, sometimes it helps. By speaking to past tenants, you can get a general idea of how they reacted to them — for example, if you throw a rager, are in fact late on paying your bills, or have a puppy that tends to get into the flowers out front. They can give you a heads-up, if you know what I mean.

You can also easily look up their reviews online, seeing what others have had to say about their landlord ways. Once again, do not make the mistake of believing them 100 percent, but it would be a good idea to have something to go off of when you make your decision.

Speaking to past tenants means that you can discover any of their poor or great qualities as a landlord. The truth of the matter is, they will either be beyond bonkers or really amazing. Basically, it is a flip of a coin. In any case, this definitely allows you to get to know your landlord whether you like it or not.

Invite them to something.

If striving to get to know your landlord, you can always hang out with them. Once again, this individual does not need to be the peanut butter to your jelly, but you could always end up gaining a friend out of where you decide to live. And that is always worth it, right? Maybe if you get a discount out of it, that is. *Wink wink.

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You can hang out with them in a variety of ways. You can get a cup of coffee, go to the dog park, or invite them over for a random BBQ. It pretty much will only take one time of hanging out in order for you to judge their character and sort of decide whether you like them. That is if we are being realistic, people.

Sometimes a small gesture can go a long way, as we all know. Although it can potentially be a tad weird if you become besties with your landlord, most likely because they are probably a lot older than you, there is nothing wrong with being cordial and polite. How else will you get to know your landlord?

Share respect.

If attempting to get to know your landlord, a good start is to share the obvious respect that should be given. Let’s say that your professor has the final say on your grade for the class. Would you then treat them with zero respect knowing the agency that they hold? Probably not. So why treat your landlord with a lack of respect?

There is a fine line between having respect and going overboard. It is not expected of you to know their deepest darkest secrets, but rather to understand their entitlement over you. The goal is to have a content relationship with them and to know how they are as a person. At least this allows you the chance to get to know them if you so desire.

Plus, they do hold a say on whether they will allow you to renew your lease at the end of it. Wouldn’t want them hating you that much because you accidentally called them drunk one night thinking they were your ex. It happens. So yeah, respect goes a long way.

Clearly there are a ton of ways to get to properly know your landlord, some ways obviously better than others. You can always ask past tenants if they have any insight, though be cautious of what they do tell you. It would also go a long way to invite them to a cookout just to introduce yourself and learn a bit about them. Lastly, include respect because for one, you should. And for two, in the end they still are sort of superior to you.

It really is not that big of a deal to want to get to know your landlord better, just be careful to not cross any lines if it is obvious on their end that they strictly want a professional relationship. And if not, you can always invite them to your next party.

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