Do help to maintain home

Of course, landlord is responsible for maintenance repairs. However, as the tenant, you are also liable for informing management when there’s something amiss in your rental home. You need to report all problems as soon as possible, even it is a leaky faucet or a broken stove knob. It’s deemed a result of your negligence if a small problem becomes a large one, and you may take responsibility for the repairs.

Do purchase tenant insurance

In emergency cases such as fire, flood or theft, your landlord is liable for the home. But personal items, such as your clothes, furniture, and electronic equipment are in your responsibility. In case that someone is injured in your rental home, you might be responsible for medical bills. Therefore, tenant insurance is a wise investment since it protects you against these unforeseen emergency cases. 

Don’t make big renovations

Your rental agreement should also stipulate how improvements will be handled at move-out. Valin warned:  “The owner that didn’t know you added ceiling fans in all of the bedrooms may be thrilled to find out that you improved his/her property but won’t necessarily want to reimburse you for the installation costs and purchase costs of the fans at move-out.” So, if you decide to take your fans with you, you have to pay for texturizing and re-painting the ceilings before moving out.

Don’t let your plants go wild

Valin said: “Sometimes, a tenant thinks the conversion of your thoughtfully-laid-out landscape design into a vegetable garden is a much better use of space.” However, many tenants don’t realize the increased liability and insurance costs it presented to the home owners. You can grow some plants in the rental property, but don’t forget to inform owner what you want to do and get written authorization from his/her to prevent trouble that may arise at the end of the lease contract.

Don’t use a hammer as much as possible

Your landlord may let you hang some pictures or curtains on decorative rods in the rental property. However, consider carefully any decorating idea that makes you need a hammer. In addition, just forget ideas of mounting cabinets in bathroom. That doesn’t mean you cannot decorate the home. For instance, consider applying stainless steel appliance covers to your refrigerator. The covers come in peel-and-stick or magnetic varieties and can instantly update and transform the space.