When looking for a new apartment or rental home, it is just as important to get a landlord who fits as much as a new home. Your landlord should be fast-acting, available and willing to help when you call. A good landlord knows his responsibilities and accepts them without question.
Instructions
1. Call the landlord. Your initial call to the landlord will be to set up the showing of the apartment or house. If he responds quickly or takes a long time, it will be an example of how he will be if you need something as a tenant. Also, a landlord with many tenants will generally be slower because he has so many people to take care of.
2. Talk to other tenants. If he owns an apartment building, after the showing and he has left, go back and see if you can talk with some of the tenants. Ask them how well he responds to requests for repair, how easy he is to get a hold of, if he's friendly toward tenants.
3. Ask him questions. When you are being shown the home or apartment, ask him questions about himself as well as the house or apartment. Try to find out how long he has been a landlord, how many places does he own, how does he enjoy being a landlord. A new landlord might not understand his responsibilities or be overwhelmed.
4. Check the court records. When a landlord sues or is sued, the cases are considered public information. A trip to the courthouse and a quick tutorial on their computer program can offer a wealth of knowledge about a landlord. If he has been sued several times by tenants, then it shows he may not be responsive to their needs and they resorted to legal counsel. If he has sued many people, then the landlord may not be very forgiving of late rent or quick to resort to legal action for small issues.
