Three Steps to Take If Your Landlord Is Also Your Neighbor
About a quarter of people have at least one neighbor they absolutely hate , citing reasons such as noise or trespass problems. It’s one thing if the jerk next door is just a stranger you don’t get along with. But what if they literally own the place you’re renting?
If you are in this situation (or already are), there are three things you need to do immediately to prevent your living situation from turning into a nightmare.
Establish a relationship
When it comes to neighbors and landlords, communication is key. You will need to interact with your landlord and neighbors, so the first thing you should do when moving into a new property adjacent to the landlord is to establish those relationships. There are not only psychological and practical benefits to interacting with neighbors in general; you also don’t want your first face-to-face meeting with your landlord to be asking them to fix a problem.
Establishing a friendly relationship with your landlord will make it much easier to resolve problems and make requests. But it also transforms you from a name on payment to a neighbor, to a real person your landlord can empathize with.
Set boundaries
However, establishing this type of relationship with your landlord doesn’t mean you have to become best friends with them – it’s a business relationship and you should treat it as such. It’s okay to be friendly, but you also need to set boundaries otherwise things will get very awkward if you have an argument with your landlord.
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Communication. Separate and isolate your interactions: You should have a specific way of communicating with your landlord about apartment-related issues rather than friendly banter with your neighbors. Pretend you don’t live in the neighborhood and ask the landlord how he prefers to hear from tenants—text messages? Email? By phone? Then stick to it. Unless your landlord explicitly says he wants you to knock on his door every day and complain about a leaky faucet, treat him almost like two separate people: your neighbor and your landlord.
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Don’t pester them (and don’t let them pester you). It’s a two-way street. No, you shouldn’t knock on your landlord’s door every time you have a question or problem. But you also shouldn’t tolerate a landlord who abuses his proximity to constantly interfere with your day or constantly comment on your lifestyle decisions. There’s not much you can do legally unless they cross the line into harassing or violating your privacy (see below), but you can at least politely (but firmly) insist on the method of communication you’ve established, but also make sure you follow these rules as well . rules.
Protect your privacy
One way your landlord living next door can get on your nerves is by worrying that he will act as the fun police, constantly peering through your windows and policing your lifestyle. A nosy neighbor is annoying enough, but when that neighbor can knock on your door and demand that you stop doing something because he owns the place, you can feel powerless and violated.
So take a few steps:
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Check the current laws in your area. Landlords do enjoy a ” right of entry ” and can generally enter your apartment under certain conditions, but a tenant also has a right to privacy and “quiet enjoyment”. Landlord access may also be specified in the lease. While most homeowners have better things to do than wander through your apartment, it’s good to know your rights before you come home to find them rummaging through your refrigerator.
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Add privacy in a way that is convenient for tenants. The old adage that good fences make good neighbors applies here: if you stop your neighbors from invading your privacy, they’re less likely to do so. And taking some smart steps to increase the privacy of your new home will also reduce the likelihood that your homeowner might innocently notice something you don’t necessarily want them to see. Some things you can do without risking your deposit include installing renter-friendly window film , using removable tension rods to install curtains, installing potted plants in outdoor areas, and installing a screen on your patio . None of these steps will jeopardize your deposit, but they will give you a sense of true privacy inside your home.
There’s no reason living next door to a homeowner has to be a nightmare, but the key to avoiding a nightmare scenario is to be proactive. Set some boundaries, establish lines of communication and protect your privacy, and it would be great to have your landlord as a neighbor.