Top 5 Attributes Of A Bad Landlord

Finding a bad landlord isn’t hard at all especially in Lagos. Bad landlords have a reputation that shapes the face of their entire neighbourhood. This article reveals signs that tell your landlord is a bad person.

Dealing with a terrible landlord is worse than having a boss you will never be able to please. There are so many bad landlords in Nigeria that being a tenant can be as frustrating as remaining unemployed for years. Even the best and most tranquil tenant cannot be saved from the drama of a terrible or bad landlord.

Here are 5 attributes of a bad landlord;

1. Intimidating and Insensitive Landlords

In as much as owning a property and putting it up for rent is some people’s means of livelihood, it is not enough reason to be insensitive. It is okay to request for rent when due but just because a person is your tenant doesn’t give you the right to intimidate or threaten him especially when the law says he has his rights as a tenant that shouldn’t be infringed on.

Some landlords have formed the habit of requesting for their rents long before the expiration of a tenant’s rent. They would tell you that all they are doing is remind you about the due date of the property you rented from them even if that due date is some 3-6 months away. At some point you may want to avoid the calls because the calls will begin to sound more like a threat than a reminder. Worse still, when you don’t renew your rent when due they begin to threaten you with all forms of legal action and jungle justice when all avenues used to get you to pay or get you out of the property has been to no avail.

2. Greedy Landlords

Another category of Landlords to avoid are the greedy ones who are fond of increasing rent every year. These ones have no interest of the tenant at heart and are always looking for opportunities to throw an old tenant out of their property to pave way for a more desperate new tenant that they can exploit.

3. The Busy Bodies

Some landlords derive joy in blowing issues out of proportion. They are specialist in making mountains out of molehills. Those are the landlords that will send you lengthy letters about what you are not doing right or what you should do and not do on their property. Atimes they knock at your door at will especially during odd hours, disturbing your privacy, only to discuss issues bothering them and your stay in the compound. They can go on talking for long periods not considering the fact that you have a life of your own asides being their tenant.

Asking them to back off can make the situation even more awkward and ruin positive renting experiences.

Read also: How To Avoid Bad Tenants

4. The Stingy and Lazy Landlords

Another category of landlords are those that will never or seldomly spend their money on repairs, maintenance or general upkeep of their property. They are always on the look-out for that tenant that will do their dirty works. These type of landlords are mere opportunists.

5. The Leeches

There are also landlords who will always complain to you about money just so you pay your rent long before its due or when due. These categories of landlord find new ways to siphon money from an unsuspecting tenant. You can call them leeches.

God help you if you are poor and struggling to make ends meet. If renting an apartment is the biggest achievement of one’s life and was a one-off thing then such person is in for a hard time with his/her landlord when his/her rent expires and has not garnered enough money to renew at the time of expiration. If the landlord happens to have an inkling of his/her dilemma, he will get the person kicked out the very day the rent expires. Such landlords are oppressors who are not sensitive to the plight of their tenant especially when there is still legally a grace period for such tenant to redeem his/her image.

That is why it is advisable to work towards becoming a landlord as soon as possible even if it means squatting or putting up with a friend, family member or relative. You can deal with a bad boss when you think of the money you earn on the job but you can’t deal with a bad landlord whose only duty is to intimidate you and intrude your privacy

Have you ever dealt with a landlord that falls into one of these categories?  If so, how did you handle it?