Landlord's Rules - Living peacefully as a renter

by Brie Britzius | photos by Ilana McQuinn

Fall semester heralds the start of a new school year, the beginning of football season and, for many students, a move to their first apartment or house. Moving into a place off-campus can be both exciting and nerve racking. You can do a lot of things as a tenant to make that transition and your stay better.

University of Georgia students and Chris Peterson, an independent commercial and residential landlord in Athens, shared their experiences with ugazine on rental living. The following tips are a compilation of their opinions supplemented by their own stories and information from the Athens-Clarke County Code of Ordinances.

Top Ten Tips for Better Landlord-Tenant Relationships

1. Pay rent on time. You can avoid late fees and angry landlords this way. Riverwalk Townhomes, for instance, assesses late fees of $30 the first day rent is late and $5 for every day after that.

2. Take care of the property. Even though you are renting, you should treat the property like it's your own home.

When you move into a residence, especially a commercial property, you will fill out a property condition form. This protects both you and the landlord, because if there are damages at the end of your stay this form documents who is responsible for repairs.

Students in free-standing residences should also be conscious of the property's external condition.

"I appreciate a clean yard, especially if it's a house in a neighborhood," Peterson says.

3. Don't be a high-maintenance tenant. Calling for repairs at inappropriate times (such as late at night or on holidays), calling every day to complain unnecessarily and being unreasonably demanding will irritate your landlord. It could also make it harder to resolve other issues.

"Don't call for unimportant things at night," Peterson says. "Make sure you give me enough time to respond to requests."

4. Establish good communication. Keeping communication with your landlord open and polite will go a long way toward a pleasant stay.

"Ask nicely for work orders," says Ali Rothgeb, a fourth-year geography and economics major from Portland, Ore. "Being harsh and demanding won't get you anywhere - except maybe bumped to the bottom of the list."

5. Be on good terms with your neighbors. It seems like a round-about way to get along with your landlord, but it's never a good idea to be the one apartment all the others complain about.

The Athens-Clarke County Ordinance outlines what constitutes a noise violation. Concerning apartments, the law explains that it is illegal if any noise is audible beyond five feet. If you are in a free-standing residence, any noise that is audible beyond the property line is illegal between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

6. Keep guests in line. If you have friends over or are having a party, be conscious of your neighbors. They could report you if they are bothered by guests' behavior. Also, any damages caused by your guests may be charged to your account.

When you have a party, parking cars can be tricky. One place you don't want to send your friends is onto the lawn. County ordinance explains that any vehicles not on a designated parking area like a driveway or the street can be ticketed.

7. No live-in friends or significant others. This can be an issue, especially if they are not on the contract, since they have no legal grounds to live in the residence and use its resources. It can also cause tension with roommates and neighbors when there is an extra person living in the residence.

This could become a county issue too. County ordinance states that two or more people living in a single-family residence must be related by several conditions including blood and marriage.

8. Go to community events. Your office staff spends time putting events together, and they really appreciate when you attend and thank them for their work.

Michelle Kneubuhler, an alumna psychology major from Powder Springs, Ga. says there can be other benefits from attending events.

"I won reduced rent one year in the Easter Egg Hunt my apartment organized," Kneubuhler says.

9. No unregistered pets. It's not a good idea to hide pets if there is a no-pet clause in your contract. If the landlord finds out, you could face heavy fines or even eviction depending on the conditions of your lease.

10. Make friends. Visit your office staff and say "hi" to your landlord. They'll remember your face and they will be more forgiving of your mistakes. It's also a good idea to be considerate of your landlord's time.

"Show up on time for meetings with your landlord," Peterson says. "There's nothing that makes a landlord angrier [than] when you're late to meet or with paying rent."