- Not paying rent on time. This is obviously a major factor when it comes to someone being a bad tenant. Your South Burlington property manager has every right to start eviction proceedings against you if you’re late on your rent. Not just that, but struggling to pay your rent on time can endanger your credit score.
- Making too much noise or disturbing other tenants. Repeatedly causing noise or upsetting the rest of the tenants will give your landlord many complaints about you. The more complaints your landlord receives, the less likely your lease will be renewed when it comes up for renewal.
- Damaging the property or not taking care of it. Here is another typical characteristic of an irresponsible tenant. If you cause damage to the property or fail to maintain it, your landlord will be forced to spend cash fixing it. This can be quite costly for them, and they may choose to hold back your security deposit or, in serious situations, evict you.
- Not reporting maintenance and repair issues. Maintenance and repair issues that are not reported promptly can cost your landlord a lot of money. You also risk causing damage to your own property in addition to the house (like water leaks that turn into a flood!). This is why it’s critical to inform your landlord of any problems as soon as possible.
- Having pets when you’re not supposed to. You might feel that your landlord will not notice that you keep pets when they are not permitted, but they will. If your lease specifically forbids pets, this is a clear violation of the terms of your lease and it may get you evicted.
- Bringing in unauthorized guests. Unsanctioned guests or residents are given the same treatment. Your landlord should know who lives in your rental home for liability reasons, including family members who stay for days on end. Unauthorized guests may cause legal complications for you and your landlord if something goes wrong.
- Smoking inside or using drugs. Another common trait of a bad tenant is this. Smoking inside or using drugs (if the drugs are illegal) can get you evicted, arrested, or both, by a frustrated landlord if your lease prohibits these and you do them anyway.
- Ignore your lease terms. If you disregard any of your lease terms, including those discussed previously, you may believe it will make little difference in the short term. However, your landlord will eventually discover this – and they will not be agreeable with it. This may result in you receiving a warning or even being evicted from the property.
Since you know how not to be a bad tenant, be sure you stay clear of these activities! The last thing you’d want is to receive a bad reputation or get blacklisted, which makes it harder (if not impossible) to rent a new place. If you are in the market for a new rental home, browse our listings. We can help you find a quality rental home in South Burlington.