Attorney Steve Ruby West Virginia Discusses How to Build a Healthy Landlord-Tenant Relationship
Attorney Steve Ruby West Virginia discusses how to build a healthy landlord-tenant relationship.
Having a healthy relationship with your landlord or tenant can greatly affect your rental or homeownership experience. Attorney Steve Ruby West Virginia is an expert in landlord-tenant relationships and has helped settle countless disputes between the two parties. However, Ruby explains that best way to settle a dispute is to avoid having one in the first place.
“Obviously, it’s impossible to avoid all confrontations between landlords and tenants, but fostering a great relationship between the two can stop disputes before they turn ugly,” Steve Ruby West Virginia said.
Steve Ruby West Virginia explained that having a positive healthy landlord-tenant relationship doesn’t have to be difficult. For landlords, he stated, it involved doing plenty of research. Ruby described that landlords must take their time when selecting tenants. Sure, a landlord wants to rent a home as quickly as possible, but renting to an irresponsible tenant can cost far more time and money in the long run. Steve Ruby West Virginia suggested fulling screening all tenants, including speaking with previous landlords, viewing criminal records, and assessing credit history.
“These steps may feel time consuming as a landlord, but stopping an irresponsible tenant before they rent your home will save you time, money, and countless hours of frustration, especially if you end up in court,” Steve Ruby West Virginia said.
Steve Ruby West Virginia explained that while his previous advice was solely for landlords, setting expectations is a step both parties can take. He stated that both parties should meet before or when signing the lease to discuss the landlord and the tenant’s expectations for each other. Important topics to discuss are how tenant complaints are handled, the process for resolving maintenance requests, and what each party is responsible for doing in regards to maintaining the home. This is a time for landlords to make tenants aware of any important guidelines in the lease and a time for tenants to ask questions.
“The key to a healthy landlord-tenant relationship is the key to any healthy relationship — open communication,” Steve Ruby West Virginia said.
Steve Ruby West Virginia stated that landlords and tenants can create a healthy relationship by being open and honest with each other from the start and throughout the rental experience. Tenants and landlords must address one another’s inquiries in a timely fashion.
Steve Ruby West Virginia finished by stating it’s important for both parties to respect each other. It’s essential for tenants to communicate immediately upon knowing if they’ll be moving soon, and a landlord should inform a tenant of a rent increase as early as possible. Treating one another with dignity will lead to mutual respect and an ability to resolve issues without involving the court process.
Steve Ruby West Virginia added that he and his team of attorneys are always available to mediate relationships between landlords and tenants as well as provide a variety of other services.