There’s a saying that in a place without laws, there’s no worry about offenders. Baba Dosunmu found himself having to take one of his tenants to the police station. What led to this? Quite a bit! Baba Dosunmu was known for his laid-back nature, believing that adults should know right from wrong without being told. He maintained this approach with his tenants until he rented to an unpredictable individual.
Jude was someone with the most annoying behavior. The first few weeks he moved in, he had a series of tussles with the other tenants because of how he left thrash all over the compound instead of taking them to the bin in front of the house. As if that was not enough, he became a nuisance to the entire household as he blasted his stereo every time he washed his car. Jude hardly ever washed during the daytime but would choose to around 11 pm when everyone was almost fast asleep.
With the arrival of Mrs. Hassan’s baby, a battle emerged between Mr. Hassan and Jude. The challenge arose from the difficulty of getting the baby to sleep amidst the disruptive noise after a tiring day. The breaking point came when three women engaged in a heated fight within his apartment. In the midst of the chaos, one of them seized a small fan and hurled it into a well, causing vandalism to his living space. Amid their anger, one of the agitated individuals even damaged the Landlord’s car windshield, under the mistaken belief that it belonged to Jude (who had falsely claimed ownership of nearly all the cars in the complex). The situation escalated to such a degree that it led to utter chaos, and the final straw was when the landlord felt compelled to involve the police, dragging Jude to the police station.
With this experience, will Baba Dosunmu still allow tenants into his house without giving them rules?
Why are rules important?
1. So that tenants will be familiar with what you can tolerate
Some tenants will behave badly if you allow them by not passing any memo concerning what you tolerate on your property and what you don’t. They will trample on you because they are aware that if it’s important, you would have mentioned it. This is why it’s crucial to set down rules and regulations on your property. This will curb anyone’s excesses because there will be a penalty attached to any rule being flouted.
2. Your house won’t be treated without any show of concern
It is very common for people not to treat your property right. This can be a great concern for many landlords. Many people have this lackadaisical attitude when it comes to a rented apartment. You would hear things like, “oh, it’s not my house, no one should expect me to take care of it.” These people have forgotten that they are going to be house owners someday and the way they treated someone else’s house is the way they would treat theirs.
But this carefree attitude of them can be restrained if there are strictly laid down rules from the onset.
3. So that situations that can give your house a bad name tag won’t occur
Consider Jude’s situation as an example, and you’ll realize that the house ends up carrying the weight of a negative reputation. While this case is relatively minor in comparison to the more distressing situations that occur in some residences, having a negative reputation attached to a house is detrimental. It conveys an unfavorable impression to individuals and may lead to reduced interest in renting or purchasing the property down the line. It’s worth noting that obtaining a negative reputation is straightforward, but rectifying it poses a significant challenge.
4. So you can have the right to evict an erring tenant
Having established rules and regulations, handling the eviction of a tenant displaying extreme irresponsibility becomes a manageable process. In fact, this approach often fosters a greater appreciation for the property, encouraging tenants to treat it with respect and care.
5. You can have your peace and everyone else
A peaceful house is something everyone should want but it becomes a pain in the neck when you have to deal with tenants making life unbearable for you as the landlord and other co-tenants. With laid down rules, you can always refer to it anytime you find yourself in such a situation.
Let people know that they are trespassing if need be.
Meanwhile, this is not to say that all landlords are perfect. Some can be quite a handful as well.
Dennis Isong helps individuals invest right in Real estate. For questions on this article or enquiring about Real estate. Email: Dennis@Landproperty.ng or Whatsapp/Call +2348164741041