Tips On Building A Good Relationship with Your Landlord

Moving into a new property for rent in Malta or Gozo like an apartment for rent or a terraced house for let can be daunting, and a hell of a lot of work, especially if you are letting a property in Malta. Carrying over your possessions, setting up the furniture if unfurnished, handling the paperwork and getting your internet installed, it’s time-consuming and exhausting. But the most nail-bitingly stressful part might just be meeting your landlord.

Dealing with your landlord

Unless they’re nice, dealing with landlords of your property for rent in Malta can be a headache. They are the ones who can let you have pets, throw parties and fix whatever gets broken without deducting it from your deposit. So, striking a good note with your landlord should be high on your to-do lists. Start doing this by making a good first impression – be polite and respectful. And although being polite and thoughtful should be a badge you wear every day, make sure you are so to your landlords too. Thanks to this article here are some tips on how to build a good relationship with your landlord. 

1. Understanding the renting process

First off, it is important to understand the process of renting a property in Malta. Renting any type of real estate is essentially a trade transaction where you are purchasing a service—you pay the landlord, and the landlord provides you with the residence. This means that you shouldn’t expect any more than what’s been offered and common decency from your landlord. Having said that, you have to make sure that you do get what you’re paying for, and that the landlord is operating lawfully and respectfully.

2. Honesty is key

When dealing with a landlord, be honest. Lying or omitting information only serves to complicate matters. Accidents and mistakes happen, so being honest will not only be an asset to your reputation, but will lead to solving problems quicker and more efficiently. Learn your contract.

3. Understanding your rental contract

Tackling issues with your landlord will be a stunted affair if you do not know the contract. Think of it as the foundation for your relationship with the landlord. Expecting your landlord to pay for bulb that went bust, while it is being clearly stated in the contract that the landlord will not pay for any light bulbs that go bust, is obviously going to work to your disadvantage. To this end, familiarise yourself with the renting laws too.  

Don’t expect to get what your colleagues get either, this is a pitfall in many landlords’ vs lessee relationships, where the tenants may have signed an agreement and expect because their friend’s landlord allows them to barbecue on the balcony one feels that they may also do this, even if both properties are in the same block.  If it’s not in the contract you can expect that the landlord will close an eye.

Read your rental agreement

Reading your rental agreement after you have chosen your property for rent in Malta thoroughly will not only give you assurance and a good standpoint to solve issues, but it will also help you avoid being a victim of any abuse or oversights from your landlord. Also remember not to take it for granted that the landlord knows these laws back to front, because they might not. 

Knowing your rights

If situations arise where you need to reach a compromise, this might be the way to go about solving issues. Knowing your rights and your contract will put you in a good position, but be careful not to compromise too much. Remember that you are paying for a service, and this service happens to be a place of residence—your home.

Landlord obligations

Your landlord might be obliged by law to maintain and repair any damages that fall within health and safety, wear and tear, or defects in the property—access to water and electricity, heating and air-conditioning, bug infestations, leaking roofs however it is important that you check if there are any clauses that may differ or are excluding certain items. It has been seen where a landlord has rented a property at a much lower rate so that they don’t have to deal with the maintenance.

4. Pay your rent within the specified time frame

Pay your rent within the specified time frame and if you can’t inform your landlord.  An email, a telephone call or a face-to-face meeting will do the trick but communication is the key to any rental agreement. Anyone may go through a tough time and should you always be late in paying (even though you might have the funds) the day when you really need your landlord to cut you some slack may turn into bad karma. If you are punctual all the time, your landlord should understand that you may need some more time. Again, this goes back to having an honest relationship.

Still, your top priority is to be a good tenant irrelevant of any type of property for rent in Malta or Gozo. Make sure to follow the rules, and although it is ok to break them every once in a while, do not be abusive in any way. And by the way, a seasonal, festive gift doesn’t go amiss either. Remember the old adage ‘Treat others as you want to be treated’.