As a renter in Greensboro, maintaining a good relationship with your landlord can make life a lot easier. However, what about being friends with your landlord? Whether you are contemplating renting from a friend or developing a friendship with your current landlord, there are vital points to remember. Landlord-tenant friendships can work, but it does take effort. It’s an excellent idea to proceed carefully and abide by various simple guidelines to make sure that your rental relationship doesn’t harm your personal one.
Document Everything
The days of doing business with a handshake are long gone. If you make up your mind to rent a house from a friend, be certain that you have a detailed lease that unmistakably explains your rights and responsibilities. If there are elements of your agreement that aren’t in the lease, document everything. Not only will good documentation of your landlord’s expectations protect you should circumstances change, moreover it will aid and help to hold both you and your landlord accountable.
Separate Business and Pleasure
Friendships come in quite a lot of forms, so conditional on how close you and your landlord become, you may wish to place certain clear boundaries between your landlord-tenant interactions and your social time together. Avoid discussing issues related to the rental home in social settings, and bear in mind that just because you’re friends doesn’t suggest your landlord is available to jump at every request you make. If you expect special treatment, this could cause troubles between you and your landlord and between you and your other roommates (if any). Even though you are friends, keep in mind that being a landlord is your friend’s business, and keep it professional.
Set Boundaries
Along with keeping your business and personal relationships separate, it’s vital to set good boundaries with your friendly landlord in other ways, moreover. Your landlord might feel that it’s perfectly well to invite themselves into your home or possessions the same way a close friend might. Although doing so can, more often than not, cross a very important line between being a landlord and taking advantage of a friend. As soon as a landlord starts crossing one boundary, the possibilities are quite high that they will overstep in many other ways. It’s up to you to make sure that doesn’t take place by nipping unwelcome behaviors in the bud. Setting good boundaries can assist in keeping your relationship with your landlord from going sour.
Anticipate Awkwardness
A friendship with your landlord can definitely help you feel more comfortable talking to them regularly. But be that as it may, like all the others, those conversations can get awkward, mainly if you think you are discussing other tenants or aspects of the landlord’s business that are not directly related to your rental situation. If your landlord lives nearby or spends more time on the property, you may look pressured to engage in constant conversation or even to invite them to every social event you have. If your landlord expresses hurt feelings for not being involved in every social activity you hold in your rental home, you may have a real dilemma. Even though it may be awkward, it’s necessary to talk to your landlord and make it apparent that your friendship does not create an obligation to include them in everything you do. Also, try not to assume that your landlord will include you in all their activities or social gatherings. Neither of you will gain from blurring the lines of your relationship.
As can be seen, becoming friends with your landlord or renting from a friend can present many challenges and potential pitfalls. If you’d like to totally avoid the possibility of ruining a good friendship altogether, your most advantageous option might be to keep things polite but professional with your landlord.
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