By Matt Christensen | Sep 14, 2017

Landlords wield an awful lot of power over their tenants—and where there’s power, it’s likely to be abused. We’re not saying all landlords are awful, but some sure can get annoying or offensive, or leave you in the lurch. To help you navigate these dicey scenarios, here’s a field guide to the five types of landlords you might encounter. We’ll show you how to deal with their worst behaviors so you can find a way to live happily under their roof.

1. The MIA landlord

You know that landlord who’s so impossible to reach, you wonder if he’s a figment of your imagination? Playing hard to get might work great for him, but tenants often need to get in touch with landlords for all kinds of issues, many of them urgent.

“All landlords, property managers, and building owners should be providing the tenant with emergency phone numbers,” says Denise Supplee, co-founder of SparkRental.com.

But if yours doesn’t—or rarely returns your calls or emails—it might be time to ignore polite decorum and be a squeaky wheel. Call and email daily if you must—it’s annoying, but it will likely get his attention. Or send a certified letter. Or, since you have to send a rent check every month, include a letter, pictures, or other evidence that details your problem with that check. If and when the check gets cashed, you’ll know your landlord received your complaints.

You might be tempted to withhold rent, but that’s rarely a good idea. Doing so can damage your rental payment history and credit score, or even give your landlord cause to evict you. In some states, withholding money is a viable option, but you should set that money aside in an account, because if you go to court and lose, you’ll have to pay it back.

2. The landlord without boundaries

On the opposite end of the spectrum are those landlords who are around way too much. Your landlord might call at all hours—or worse, drop by unannounced.

“A landlord is not permitted to drop by without notice,” says Supplee. That’s true even if he’s rapping on your door because you’re late on rent! In fact, in most places a landlord is required to give you 24 to 48 hours notice before visiting, and those visits are usually kept between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

So if your landlord’s barging in whenever he wants, you’ll want to politely but firmly make those restrictions clear. If you’re uncomfortable with being so direct, try something along the lines of, “I work long hours, so I prefer peace and quiet when I get home.”

If the problem persists, though, you might have to draw a harder line.

“Write down every date and time a landlord violates your privacy and send him a written request to stop,” says Supplee. “If the behavior continues, you may have to contact an attorney to file suit.”

3. The lazy landlord

Whether it’s a leaky faucet or a collapsed beam, your landlord is responsible for arranging and following through on certain repairs. So if he is dragging his feet, you have a few options.

“There’s a little-known tip called ‘repair and deduct,’” says Supplee. “Each state has its own requirements, but generally speaking, if the tenant gets the repair done, he or she can deduct the receipted amount from the rent.”

Thomas Mark, an attorney who specializes in tenant-landlord disputes, explains: “In court, you must show that the landlord knew about the problem and that he failed to repair the problem within a reasonable time.”

You can bolster your case with photos of the flaws, documented repair requests, inspection reports from professionals, and even witnesses in your apartment who can testify on your behalf.

4. The subtly discriminating landlord

Of course, you’d never choose to live under a landlord who’ll discriminate against you because of your race, gender, sexual orientation, or some other factor, but you can’t always tell right away. Some studies have shown that discrimination can manifest in subtle ways, like when landlords show you the laundry room and other facilities when showing you an apartment. Once you’ve moved in, a biased attitude might affect how long it takes them to respond to an email or phone call.

And “discrimination doesn’t have to be overt to be illegal,” says Mark. If a landlord makes you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, you could have a case. When in doubt, contact the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to find out about housing discrimination enforcement agencies in your state.

5. The BFF landlord

Being pals with your landlord: What could be better? Don’t get too excited, though, because there’s a reason—several, actually—why it’s risky to do business with friends. For example, what toll will a rent hike take on your friendship? And what about repairs? At first, your landlord buddy might rush to fix your problems, but who’s to say he won’t count on your “understanding” that he can’t get to something right away?

Bottom line: Even if you’re pals, make sure there’s a rental lease in place outlining expectations in terms of rent, repairs, and other sticky issues. If you care about your friendship—and your home—it’s the best way to avoid messy misunderstandings.

Matt Christensen, who lives in Westlake, OH, has written for Maxim, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Journal, and other publications.

By Wendy Helfenbaum | Sep 21, 2017

Every successful home search begins with a wish list. Armed with your inventory of must-haves, you’ll know how to focus your search and recognize a potential home that isn’t worth your time.

Still, there’s a strange thing that seems to happen when you’re deep in the trenches of house hunting: The more you look, the longer that wish list seems to grow. But sooner or later, you have to own up to the fact that you can’t have everything—it’s inevitable that you’ll make some compromises somewhere.

And, in these days of tight inventory and cutthroat competition from other buyers, you might feel forced to waver far afield from your hallowed wish list in order to land a home.

That’s OK—it’s important to be flexible. But there are a few times when you absolutely should draw the line. Here are seven areas where you’ll want to dig in your heels.

1. Buying a fixer-upper when you really want turnkey

You have never swung a hammer, have a phobia of power tools, and always pictured yourself in something new and shiny. But that doesn’t mean you won’t fall in love with a charming, century-old farmhouse that needs a ton of work. Now’s when you have to decide: Are you up to the financial and emotional challenges of taking on major renovations?

It’s an option you should seriously consider (with the help of an experienced general contractor) if you’re in a highly competitive market. But if you don’t think your bank account or your marriage could survive many months of upheaval, stick to your guns and insist on a turnkey home, says Mike Kessler, a broker with TSG Residential, in Davidson, NC.

“There have been times when I’ve said to clients, ‘after being with you for a week, I really think we need to look at new construction,'” Kessler says. Many of those clients, he adds, were later grateful for the course correction, saying, “We would never have been able to enjoy ourselves in [an older] house.”

2. A good school district

Even if you don’t have children, you should make sure the house you’re eyeing has desirable schools nearby, says Tina Maraj, a Realtor® with Re/Max North Orange County in Fullerton, CA.

Does it matter if you’re not looking to have a few kids? Well, things can always change. But even if they don’t, good schools typically translate to a higher resale value—potential buyers with families will want to be in the right district.

Just make sure to do your research and determine where the home sits in relation to the school district boundaries.

“Often agents will advertise a property as being near such-and-such school area, but not necessarily specify the district, which can be very confusing,” Maraj explains. “It can be a real eye-opener if a buyer closes and they’re on one side of a main street that is the dividing line between the top-rated and the lowest-rated high schools.”

Go to the school district’s website to get a map of the district boundaries.

3. The floor plan

Does the home fit your minimum criteria in terms of number of rooms and the flow of the main living areas? If not, cross it off your list, says Sarah Garza, a Realtor and military relocation specialist with Trident Homes Realty in Arnold, MD.

Garza can share some personal cautionary tales: A military spouse, she’s moved 12 times in the past 20 years, buying and selling nine homes in the process.

“I regret that I compromised on layout in the past,” she says. “When I really needed four bedrooms, I’ve gone to three and then wished I hadn’t.”

Sure, you can add on. But don’t use that option as a fallback, Maraj warns.

“You can change a layout to make it an open floor plan, but it’s a lot more difficult to change the bedroom and bathroom count,” she says. “In the long run, you could end up having a lot of problems and taking on a really big financial undertaking.”

4. The neighbors

During your search, don’t just focus on the house you’re interested in—check out the neighboring homes as well, Maraj says. Are the properties well-kept, or candidates for an episode of “Hoarders”?

The condition of the properties around you can affect your future resale value. And they can just plain drive you crazy. Make sure you look—and listen—any time you visit your prospective home.

“You can’t change the house in front of you or to the side of you,” Maraj cautions. “And if there’s a barking dog every time you’re viewing the property, that’s another thing that you absolutely cannot change.”

5. Your budget

You’ve probably already determined how much you’re willing to pay for a home—and you shouldn’t budge on that number. But you should also dig in your heels on the additional costs beyond the sticker price. That means setting a budget for your monthly payments, HOA dues, utility costs, and real estate taxes—and sticking to it. (Hint: You want to do this before you start looking at homes, and definitely before you start making offers.)

Yes, a lender will give you a pre-approval and tell you how much house you can afford. But this is just one piece of the puzzle, and the costs of homeownership can still land you in a mountain of debt if you’re not careful, Kessler points out.

“I try to do a lot of pre-planning with clients about what can they really afford, as opposed to what the bank tells you,” Kessler says. “You never want to be house poor.”

6. Commute time

If you’ve already determined that you’re willing to take on a 30-minute commute, don’t be swayed to take something that’s even a few minutes longer, Garza says.

“Sometimes buyers fall in love with all the shiny bells and whistles of a house that’s an hour away from work, and want to compromise on what they’ve told me from the beginning,” she notes. “I tell them, ‘I know it doesn’t matter right now because you really love this house, but that’s two hours every day that you’ll be sitting in the car and not enjoying your house. Is that worth it to you?’”

She adds: Until you’ve actually driven the route to and from your potential home and your office, at the times you’ll be commuting, you should never consider compromising.

In some large cities, being just a few miles from the highway can tack on an additional hour of commuting. Could you handle that after a long day in the office? Think carefully before making the sacrifice.

7. Parking

Speaking of your car, if you own one (or two), you absolutely want a guaranteed spot to park, whether that means an enclosed garage, a driveway, or assigned parking.

“There are many communities that now restrict outside parking, guest spaces, and overnight parking, which could be a real homeowner nightmare if you have to fend for yourself,” Maraj says.

To avoid frustration after you’ve closed a deal, stick to your guns about the things that are most important to you while making your choice, and ignore the rest of the noise.