What to Expect from Your Landlord

Being the tenant in a rental is a situation we have all been in at one point in time or another. We have found the perfect place to live, signed all the necessary documents, and happily accepted our keys. Everything is always great with a new apartment, until it is not. Have you ever had an issue with your rental property and not know if the responsibility is yours or the landlord’s? If this is the first time you have never rented somewhere, it is no surprise that you may not know what your responsibility is, and what is the landlord’s responsibility. Our Richmond local movers can tell you what landlord obligations you need to know.

Obligations of a Landlord When Renting

Our Richmond movers want to make sure that you know what your landlord handles when you are renting. We understand that as the tenant, sometimes you can feel lost or like you have the lower hand in a situation, but that is not always the case! We have gathered the landlord obligations you need to be aware of when renting.

Abide by Fair Housing Law
By law, your landlord must provide fair housing under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The FHA prohibits the discrimination of tenants based on race, sex, religion, ethnicity, family status, or disability. Your landlord cannot deny you housing or charge you a rate based on any of the factors listed in the FHA.

Should you ever feel like you are being discriminated against for the mentioned reasons, you can file an FHA complaint with US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Have Keys Available on Move In Day
This is one of the biggest landlord obligations there is. Your landlord must have your unit available for you to move into, on the day that is agreed upon on the lease. This means the unit is vacant, your keys are ready to be handed to you, and you can move in. Should your landlord ask you to move in later, you do not have to agree, and can still move in on the original agreed upon date.

Making Sure Your Money is Secure
Most landlords will ask that you provide a security deposit upon or before moving in. Your landlord will usually request the deposit in the form of a check. However, just because you have written a check to your landlord for a security deposit does not mean that they can immediately cash it. There are local and state laws that your landlord must follow in regards to your security deposit such as what kind of account the deposit can be held in, what conditions call for the security deposit to not be returned to you, and so on.

Supplying a Copy of the Lease
Your lease agreement is one of the most important documents that you can have when renting. It is also another important landlord obligation to make sure that you have an up to date copy of the lease. Having a copy of the lease available to you means that you can look over your obligations as a tenant whenever you have any questions.

Maintaining the Rental Property
If there are any issues with the inside of your unit, it is the landlord’s responsibility to take care of them for you. These issues include things like issues with the A/C or water heater, pests inside the unit, or any other issue that would make your unit unsafe, not clean, or inhabitable. It is also important to note that there is a set period that your landlord must complete these major requests, by law.

Though maintaining the safety of your property is on the list of landlord obligations, there are some things that your landlord is not required to fix, like leaky faucets, peeling or fading paint, or noisy appliances.

Letting You Know of When They Wish to Enter the Unit
Even though you are renting the property from the landlord, this does not mean that the landlord has access to your apartment whenever they see fit. Before entering your unit, your landlord must let you know before planning to enter the unit for any reason.

Let You Know of a Raise in Rent
Another one of the biggest landlord obligations to be aware of is that your landlord must notify you of when they are planning to increase the rent. Should you choose to renew your lease agreement, if your landlord is planning to raise the price of rent, they must let you know. A landlord must let you know of rent changes in writing, 1-2 months before the change goes into effect.

Be Accessible
The last of the landlord obligations to be aware of is that your landlord must be accessible. If there is an emergency, or even when there is not an emergency, you should always have access to and be able to contact your landlord.

The list of landlord obligations may be different depending on the state you live in but one thing that stays the same is All My Sons Moving & Storage’s dedication to our customers. Our professional Richmond residential movers will be sure to make your move the best yet!