Do not lie to your landlord as it can cost you dearly

Property Management Blog

When living in a rented place, it is imperative that you follow the rules of the house and behave like a good tenant. Yes, you can live freely in the place owned by your landlord, but you cannot forget the fact that the property is ultimately his and not yours. One of the important rules to follow when living in a rented property is to speak truth to your landlord. Lying to him is not only a bad policy but it can also have severe consequences for you. It can damage the relationship you are enjoying with your landlord and you also stand to lose the trust in his eyes.

Lies about rent payment


If your landlord asks you for the monthly rent, saying that the check s in the mail seems to be an easy option when the truth is that you forgot about rent because of a busy schedule or your illness. You know that your lie will be caught ultimately but you are tempted to lie by saying that you have mailed the check to your landlord.

The cost of telling a lie does not transpire immediately but if you have a habit of misguiding your landlord, he will slowly lose trust in you. The best course of action for you is to make a contact with him on your own rather than to wait for him to remind you about rent. In fact, by telling him the truth, you allow him to arrange finances in time to repay the lender. He will be happy that you told him truth and he may even give you some grace period to pay your rent.

Lying about pets


Many tenants, upon inspection of their rental property, try to hide their dog or cat from the landlord. They are thus able; to hide the fact of a pet form him and avoid possible eviction on grounds of violations of lease terms. If you landlord has a strict policy of not allowing pets in his property, lying to him about your pet can have serious consequences for you. In the worst scenario, your landlord can give you notice of eviction. If he is lenient, he can slap a penalty and forfeit the security deposit that you paid at the time of moving in. You cannot defend yourself as you have clearly violated the terms of your lease agreement.

Instead of lying, you should talk to your landlord before adopting or buying a pet. If he has prior knowledge, he may charge a pet deposit and give you permission to have a pet. However, lying to your landlord about a pet can land you in serious trouble.

Lying about your guests


There are many tenants who hide about the fact that have someone living with them who have not been mentioned in the lease agreement. You can lie about a friend who has overstayed by saying he stayed over the night. But it is difficult to hoodwink your landlord about your friend who has been living with you without your landlord’s permission for long.  You are sharing the apartment and paying only half the rent, but you are in clear violation of the terms of the lease agreement. By lying to your landlord, you run the risk of eviction and forfeiting your advance deposit.

Honesty is the best policy they say, and you can avoid troubles with your landlord by abiding by the house rules and the terms of your lease agreement. If you are honest and do not lie, you can ask for a referral for your next rented place from your landlord. Lying can give you temporary benefits but it costs you dearly in the long run.

If you’d like to talk more about property management, or you need help with Everest Property Management, please contact us at Everest Realty. 

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