Renting a place is a fascinating pastime, especially if you have a good sense of humor. How much hassle you have to go through before you find the long-awaited apartment! And finally you have reached your goal: the variant is found, the rent is fixed, the documents are prepared, but that is not all, the most interesting thing is still to come – building relations with the landlord.

Renting an apartment is not so much a business as a personal matter, because you have to deal with the owner. What kind of landlords are there and how to deal with them? We show you 6 types of landlords and tell you what to expect from them and how to “recognize” them.

The skilled businessman

The motto: “You to me, I for you, nothing personal.
Perhaps one of the most comfortable options for both parties. Renting an apartment is a transaction in which everyone gets what they want: a rented place and a fixed fee on time. Such an owner will hardly invite you for a cup of tea and will not bring souvenirs from the vacation, but with him you can constructively solve business and household issues, such as fixing plumbing or replacing furniture. Renting an apartment is necessarily accompanied by an agreement, which fixes all the key points of the transaction.

Advice: “The landlord is not trying to impress you (i.e. to dust your eyes), and believe me – it is better for you. All you need to do is to be legally literate, to make sure all the documents are in order and the agreement is correct.

Pathfinder

Motto: “No bank cards, I will come by myself every month for the money”.
Usually it is a lady (however, a pathfinder can also be a man), to call whom suspicious is to show extraordinary tactfulness. “Sure I won’t get in trouble?” – he or she asks you at the first meeting. The peculiarity of people of this type is the absolute conviction that their apartment will certainly be a hostel for illegal immigrants, a brothel or a drug den. By the way, “detectives” are often neighbors, or rather – female neighbors – inquisitive old ladies, looking closely (sometimes through the keyhole) and listening (with an ear to the wall) to the new tenants. Afterwards, the owners are told in detail and in color: “what’s going on over there!”. However, to “secure” yourself from these “helpers” is not difficult, most likely, the owners of the apartment know the temperament of the neighbors and perceive their stories in the series of “didn’t sleep a wink all night” and “made orgies here” respectively. It’s harder if Miss Marple or Mr. Sherlock are your landlords. In order to “please” you will have to become a paragon of piety. But even here you can find the pluses: for people with this character, the change of tenant – a disaster, so if you still manage to establish itself in the eyes of the “detective” on the favorable side, to extend the lease will not be difficult.

Tip: “It all depends on the severity of the “diagnosis. If the mistrust of the landlord is limited to a monthly procession with raised eyebrows on the apartment rooms, and everything else in the lease is fine with you – perhaps it is worth discounting the peculiarities of the character. However, if the “symptoms of the detective” progresses, and you are bombarded with unwarranted accusations, you should consider a change of home.

Auntie

Motto: “Still, not strangers!”
Most often this is an elderly (and usually) single lady who treats her tenants as her own children, grandchildren, or at least – nephews who came to conquer the city from the provinces. Her peculiarity is a genuine interest in the matters concerning your life (family, work, relations) and a constant readiness to take an active part in settling your problems. Conversations on the phone about rent or minor household problems invariably end with a discussion of your recent date or getting a new job.

Tip: “If you lack attention and care, consider that now you have one less problem. If the idea of renting came just from an overabundance of such custody, you should settle the degree of “kinship” with your landlord on shore.”

Pick-up

The motto: “One does not prevent the other.

“Rent a room for a girl-student, in the apartment lives an unmarried man of pleasant appearance, without bad habits. Of course, we are exaggerating, but ads of this kind are not uncommon. I would like to believe that those same college girls do not respond to such “offers. But in life another thing happens – when a solid gray-haired gentleman comes once or twice to his lodger: the first time – to pick up a vase, the second – to help with the rearrangement, and clean up, and suddenly he’s got a bottle of wine with him. As you know, marriages are made in heaven, and who knows, maybe the landlord is that soulmate, but in most cases, such a “turn” – a thing very unpleasant.

Advice: “If you notice in the behavior of the owner “strange”, more like a “hint”, delicately but firmly tell him that he does not share his intentions. If there is an adequate person in front of you, such a response will put everything in its place, but if not: hands at your feet and run!

Lord of the Palace

Motto: “You’re lucky!”
This gentleman considers himself a resident of the 19th century and must be sighing that serfdom was abolished, that everyone became “equal” and even “flocked” to the capital, so there’s nowhere to live and there are “immigrants” all around. Appropriate format of the relationship (from the perspective of the “lord of the palace”) between him and you about the following: he – the lord, you – a serf, the rent – the tribute. And, of course, do not forget that “you’re still lucky”, “yes at that price …”.

Of course, there are not such “tragic” cases, but this type of landlord is always recognizable by the master’s tone and warnings like: “Just try to ruin something!” Of course, it’s okay to pay for damaged property, but is it really worth it to mess with such a landlord?

Advice: “If the blue blood of the landlord showed up at the first meeting, as if casually thrown in the phrase about the “queue” of “people like you,” you should think about giving your turn to the “next” …”.

Always away

Motto: “Don’t call, I’ll probably be gone.”
You saw him only once, at the conclusion of the deal. The only confirmation of his existence – the monthly payments, which safely go to his card. It would seem – what could be better? But in addition to the fact that such a landlord does not “cause problems”, he prefers not to deal with them at all, including avoiding their decisions.

You can wait for a month to check the meter readings or investments after a flood, tripled by the neighbors from above – and not wait. Most likely, the apartment owner will either text you (or you?) back occasionally with promises to “get it done next week,” or simply not pick up the phone. But there’s an upside: Most of the time, people who are unconcerned about what’s going on in their apartment aren’t in a hurry to raise their rent (or more often, they’re just unaware that the rent has gone up).

Advice: “If you are convinced that the relationship with the landlord is limited to a monthly transfer of money to his card – you have found your ideal! But if you are against such an approach, an extended contract stipulating the responsibilities of both parties can help to prevent misunderstandings (especially financial ones).

We have listed some typical portraits of landlords and shared ideas on how to behave with a particular landlord.

As a rule, there are “mixed” types in life. Perhaps you might benefit from an approach in which you discount (within reason) your landlord’s personality and try to resolve all issues within the framework of business communication. And remember, renting is pretty much an “Everyday Thing!” and any issue can be solved, the main thing is to find an approach…