Landlord/Tenant Deals

[homealone]

Most often a deal can be made between a landlord and a tenant. I have done something like this myself.

Though to make sure that this doesn't come back to bite you in the ass later, make sure that you get this deal in writing.

I lived in a duplex at one time, my neighbor didnt have a lawnmower to cut the grass on her side, so I did it and the amount of rent owed was lowered.

Deals like this are really handy when you need to save money,but as I said make sure that you have it in writing.

A friend of mine is having some problems like this with his landlord right now. The house he is renting needs several repairs. They came to an agreement that if my friend makes the needed repairs that his rent would be free until all repairs that they agreed upon were completed.

Though sadfully they did't put this agreement in writing and now my friend is fighting this and will mostly end up losing his rental.

[House on the Prairie]

Yikes. This definitely should have been put in writing. If the tenant paid for the repairs, or worked on them himself, he should have every single receipt as well as an agreed "per hour" charge for each repair. I feel the landlord should have been given a good faith estimate on the repairs and a timeline those repairs were to be completed. The tenant, while performing a service to the landlord, should also realize that it's not his home, and should not expect to be compensated for repairs that the landlord may not have wanted or that should have come together more quickly or easily. Both are providing favors to the other, and perhaps both are getting taken advantage of. This is why it's important to get the details of the arrangement out in the open, in writing, so there are no surprises when the landlord expects the repairs to be done and the tenant doesn't pay his rent.

[House on the Prairie]

On a different note, when my husband and I were renting, we made modest improvements to the 1950s home we were living in--all with the landlord's permission. We stripped wallpaper, repainted rooms, upgraded faucets, etc. We did this because we wanted the place to feel like home. When we invited the landlord and his family over for dinner to see the end result, he was really happy with it. This put us in some unexpected good graces, so much, in fact, that we received our full deposit when we moved out, and we were able to move out a month early (after we found a house to own). Not something we planned on, but it wasn't a bad reward!

[flippinout]

Any and all agreements made with a landlord should definitely be in writing and in fact, having it notarized would be another safety feature for the renter.

Otherwise the landlord can do as he pleases even saying that no such agreement was ever made.

Much better to be safe than sorry.