Why Do We Hate Landlords?
I assume that you are one of those folks, who tent to move lots between rental flats due to your job specifics. Otherwise, you would not be reading my article. Well, I know you are with me in your dislike of landlords then. Especially, if we speak about the big agencies. Let’s damn them together!
It’s so easy to be fooled into dislikeable apartment in our days as internet and photoshop can do magic to real pictures, and marketing tricks are so available to all landlords. We commit online to rent a nicely looking flat which promises us comfortable and enjoyable stay, cleanness, nice area and good infrastructure and easy check in and check out, of course. The advertisement and the agent set up our expectations high and we are on the hook.
However, what do we find in real life?
The internet picture and the real face of the apartment usually differs as much as the face of the woman in the bar after couple drinks and the same one in the morning. What I mean is that in reality we need to deal with old smelly carpets, creaky floors, damp bedding and old basic kitchen furniture and utensils. The sold to us “beautiful view” from window faces another window, dirty roof of neighbourhood building or a fence, or even better – an A road. The “high speed” WIFI does not give you chance to check your bank balance, and your nights become a nightmare due to the drunk and noisy neighbours.
Do you recognise the above picture? I am sure you do. So how do you understand that beast – landlord, who tricks you into his trap of impersonal and worn flats. Does he hate you? Or do you hate him?
Being honest, I have been going mad about these topics for years and had lots of arguments and small courts with landlords and agencies. I always felt that they had overcharged me or had tried to take advantage of me. Wasted so much of my energy and time. So stupid. Guess what happened then? I could not win that war, because it’s too many of them and I do depend on my need to rent temporary flats. I did not have other choice but get more mature in my attitudes and behaviours and create the survival method. I did also realise for myself, that the landlords, at the end of the day, – are usual business people. They are not better or worse than other people in businesses. All of them aim to earn as much money as possible in the shortest time frame. This helped me to accept their nature. I needed to admit, that I do charge my clients for my time and product as well.
As a result of my life style, I created 5 key survival tips in the world of rental agencies. Please be my guest and feel free to utilise them.
5 survival tips in the world of landlords:
- Find reliable solid agency and stick to them. It will be slow process, but at some point they will get your needs and will start to value you as a client, so you will be setting the rules.
- Find someone who can go and check the rental accommodation for you, so you are not tricked into the unpleasant experience.
- Make sure you agreed that they will provide you with the better flat or pay penalty if the actual conditions do not meet the promised ones.
- Create your own quick method of how to make the temporary rental apartment feel like home (I will talk about this in my next article).
- Finally, should you just relax and have a pint? Is it really worth of your efforts and negative emotions? Calm down and enjoy your life.
Yours, Lifelong Tenant
