5 Things to Watch out for While Renting

Renting: it can be a blessing or a curse. On one hand, it’s often more affordable, more flexible, and less responsibility-dense than home ownership. On the contrary, there are many pitfalls well-intentioned renters can easily fall into with their landlords. Regardless of whether you’ve been renting for years or you just started, watch out for these five common problems:

Renters Beware: 5 Big Issues People Face While Renting

From bad landlords to dangerous living situations, these five red flags are worth paying attention to:

1. The house is dirty or dingy when you go to view the apartment

If the house is messy, filled with dead bugs, or displaying evidence of rodent droppings when you do your first walk through, get out immediately. Landlords and property management companies that take pride in their units keep them clean for would-be renters, and a breakdown in that tradition is a sign of bad things to come.

2. Your landlord has questions about your family status, national origin, or relationship status

Under the Fair Housing Act, landlords aren’t legally allowed to ask where you were born. Nor should they ask if you have children (or how many) or if you have a spouse or partner. Asking these questions or, worse, denying an application or raising the rent once you answer them, is grounds for a lawsuit. While landlords get to screen tenants, they’re only legally allowed to make rental decisions based on information like credit reports and background checks.

3. Your landlord wants a deposit that is nonrefundable

Deposits are refundable in a rental housing situation. If your landlord asks for a nonrefundable deposit, ask additional questions. While some owners charge a cleaning or move-in fee, a non-refundable deposit is fishy.

4. The lease features questionable language

While few people read the contents of their lease agreement in full, it’s important to be on the lookout for fishy language within it. Any insistence that you pay your landlord’s legal fees, were there to be a dispute, for example, isn’t lawful and should be taken into question.

5. The landlord has the house on the market and wants you to get out

It’s not against the law for a landlord to sell a home renters are living in. Yet it is illegal for him or her to do so and kick you out immediately. In most cases, you’ll be permitted to live in the home until the lease runs out unless there’s language in your lease that allows the landlord to break it early.

Peace of Mind While Renting

Renting can be tough. Yet knowing about these five common pitfalls can help you protect yourself and enjoy secure housing both now and in the future. What’s more, it takes a great deal of the stress out of renting to understand what your rights are and what a landlord might do that violates them!