How to make a positive landlord-tenant relationship

On average, most folks who rent their homes have a less-than-positive image of their landlord. The landlord, they say, is lazy, wealthy, mean-spirited, and an idiot. And that’s from the tenants who like their landlord.  Why is this relationship destined to be bad?

To find out more, FOX 5 real estate expert John Adams examined the landlord-tenant relationship.

Adams says the two parties to the rental transaction, the buyer and the renter, are looking for different outcomes from the rental relationship.  

Neither side is right or wrong.  Each side is, appropriately, looking out for their own disparate interests.  

The relationship between landlord and tenant is, by its very nature, an adversarial one, but there are two ways to make that relationship as positive as it can possibly be.

First, both sides need to read and clearly understand their rights and responsibilities under the lease agreement and under Georgia law. Unfortunately, lawyers and legislators often do a poor job of making the law understandable, and judges can easily make things worse.

That may be, but every renter can and should read and fully understand his written rental agreement.  It is the glue that holds each party together in the rental, and it provides solutions for most of the problems that may arise along the way.

Second, both the renter and landlord need to be committed to the documentation of all communications between the parties.  

If you are the tenant and the water heater gives out, don’t just call the landlord and leave a message.  You will later have no evidence of notifying the landlord of the condition. Without some proof of notification, you might as well have not called at all. Instead, follow up the call with an email to the landlord which proves that he was notified at 3:22 p.m. EST on the 14th of November.

If you are the landlord, don’t just leave a voice mail saying that you have called 22 plumbers and because it is Thanksgiving Day, no one will come out and fix it today. Instead, find a way to document the circumstance so that you can later show that you took reasonable steps to make the repair promptly.  

In other words, Adams' advice to both landlords and tenants is this: put it in writing and get it in writing. At least then you have some proof of what actually happened.  

Documented communication is the key to a good landlord-tenant relationship.

Landlords, you should commit to nothing less than a written response to all tenant requests within 24 hours, no matter what. You must make reasonable attempts to make needed repairs in a timely manner under Georgia law.

Renters, for your own protection, make all communications with your landlord in writing.  Your email account provides a permanent record of what happened and when.  Don’t expect your landlord to be your friend and grant you favors. He can’t.

Atlanta native John Adams has been a real estate broker and investor in residential real estate for the past four decades.