Top three actions that you should avoid as a tenant

Once you have found the perfect place to live, there is a lease agreement that has to be signed. The landlord will have a copy for you so that you, as a tenant, can understand all the conditions that come with the rental unit. For the sake of your rental history, the relationship with your landlord should be smooth and without any bumps. Regarding this, there are three actions that you should avoid at all costs:

1. Not paying rent

It sounds obvious but, this is the number one cause for eviction. Sometimes it is not a problem of money but a problem of time. Many tenants forget the date they are supposed to pay, and they end up paying late all the time. This can cause friction with the landlord, and if it happens all the time, they can terminate the tenancy.

If your budget makes it difficult to pay on time when the rent is due, then it is better to talk to the landlord and explain the reasons. This way you can terminate the tenancy without damaging your rental history and without damaging the cordial relationship with the landlord.

2. Damage to the property

The rental unit has to be kept in the same conditions it was received. Improvements can be made once settled with the landlord, but downgrades or damage to the rental property are definitively not allowed. If there is reasonable damage, and this damage is not fixed, the landlord can file for eviction. Destruction by natural disasters is, of course, not included in this point. In some cases, if there is some serious damage, but the tenant talks to the landlord and pays for the repairs, eviction can be avoided.

Some lease agreements are very specific about who has to pay for repairs. Landlord and tenant can share that responsibility according to the type of repair that has to be done. But if the tenant damages the property, Terminating a Tenancy is one possible result since few options are left.

3. Complaints and illegal activities

Complaints can be included in the list of reasons to get evicted, so be friendly to your neighbors and to other tenants. If they complain once, there might be a warning, but if it happens again, your landlord can get some witnesses and file for eviction. Do not become a nuisance.

Regarding illegal activities, it is pretty obvious that if you get arrested for conducting some illegal activities, your landlord can immediately take action and evict you. This will be done following the legal process available for such an end, but it can be done very fast.

How can an eviction damage your rental history?

Every time you break a lease, you risk having an eviction on your record, and this can impact your future rental prospects. If you have to move from the city, get a new job and therefore a new place to live, this new landlord is going to do some research about you first. He or she will check your credit history, criminal background, and rental payment history. A lease agreement is legally binding, you took responsibility for a specific period of time and are obliged to do so until the lease expires. If you don’t plan on renting again then, there is nothing to worry about. However, if you need to continue renting a place, you better take care of your reputation as a tenant.

Types of notices you can be served as a tenant

According to the type of fault, you can receive different types of notices by Calculating The Notice Period. If nothing went wrong and the landlord just doesn’t want to renew the lease, you will get a 30-day notice to quit. However, if there is some fault, you will be given less time to quit the premises. This is a 3-day notice, and it can be served to cure a breach in the contract, to pay what is due or to quit the rental unit.

In some cases, there is the possibility of paying the amount of money that is due, and the eviction process finished there. In any case, the best thing to do is to find a professional lawyer to help you with the case, and to guide you as a tenant to follow the legal steps that need to be taken.