4 ms·

the very best experiences i’ve had as a renter have been in these sorts of situations. every time, my landlords became my neighbors. we exchange christmas card

the very best experiences i’ve had as a renter have been in these sorts of situations. every time, my landlords became my neighbors. we exchange christmas cards, even years later. if nothing else, this is a fundamentally more human way to live in community than, say, a hollow condo unit administered by a board and designed so that you’re basically not supposed to know who the other tenants are.

louprado 9y ago
On the other hand one of my childhood memories is waiting ahead of an African American family to view an apartment. The landlord said can you please "just say you are going to take the apartment on your way out". And this was in Jackson Heights, NY, historically known for its diversity. I now own two rental properties and I have them both under management. I would like to think that I wouldn't discriminate against someone with a minor mental illness, or single mother with kids, or an immigrant that isn't from my parent's country, etc. and I am glad I will never find out.
twobyfour 9y ago
Yup. I've been a renter my entire adult life, and have lived in both owner-occupied and corporate-managed buildings. (Here we don't have granny flats, just the other rooms or floors of a townhouse that's been divided into apartments.) The former care a lot about keeping their properties in good condition (after all, they live there, and typically the home is part of their nest egg). I've never known an occupant landlord to ignore a leak. Keeping the building pest-free is as important to them as to you. They want to maintain friendly relationships with the people they share walls and floors and ceilings with, and put time and effort into selecting tenants (your neighbors) who will be considerate. I've ended up becoming good friends with most of those landlords as well as with the other tenants in those buildings. One elder landlord has become like an uncle to me. I've always been reluctant to move from those apartments until forced to by unrelated circumstances The latter care about upkeep and maintenance only to the degree that it will keep the apartment rentable. Between tenants, they'll patch over any visible issues. When selecting tenants, they care only about the likelihood they'll pay rent on time, won't smash the walls with sledgehammers, and won't cause frequent law enforcement visits. You'll get neighbors who are loud or rude or steal your packages from the mail room. They pay lip service to pest control, and if you're lucky they'll cover the cost of sending an exterminator out once a month (better hope you're home to let them in). I've never wanted to stay in such an apartment once my lease was up.
- bluGill 9y ago
  I think it is more the other way: a nearby landlord can keep track on how his property is being used and take action early before there is a problem. If a tenant is likely to be caught in the act of destroying the place that are less likely to do that. Sadly as every landlord knows many tenants will not pay their rent and then destroy their apartment. This is also helped by nearby landlords probably are small enough that equal opportunity laws don't apply. Stereotypes on the appearance of bad renters is true enough to be useful even though it is often wrong and always immoral.
  - twobyfour 9y ago
    The occupant landlords I've known have been very picky about their renters, conducting extensive interviews; whereas management companies literally only do a background check and a financials check. And they've been orders of magnitude more responsive about problems with utilities, plumbing, appliances, etc. They care. And they form human relationships with their tenants. It's not just about "having an eye on you".

louprado 9y ago

On the other hand one of my childhood memories is waiting ahead of an African American family to view an apartment. The landlord said can you please "just say you are going to take the apartment on your way out". And this was in Jackson Heights, NY, historically known for its diversity. I now own two rental properties and I have them both under management. I would like to think that I wouldn't discriminate against someone with a minor mental illness, or single mother with kids, or an immigrant that isn't from my parent's country, etc. and I am glad I will never find out.

twobyfour 9y ago

Yup. I've been a renter my entire adult life, and have lived in both owner-occupied and corporate-managed buildings. (Here we don't have granny flats, just the other rooms or floors of a townhouse that's been divided into apartments.) The former care a lot about keeping their properties in good condition (after all, they live there, and typically the home is part of their nest egg). I've never known an occupant landlord to ignore a leak. Keeping the building pest-free is as important to them as to you. They want to maintain friendly relationships with the people they share walls and floors and ceilings with, and put time and effort into selecting tenants (your neighbors) who will be considerate. I've ended up becoming good friends with most of those landlords as well as with the other tenants in those buildings. One elder landlord has become like an uncle to me. I've always been reluctant to move from those apartments until forced to by unrelated circumstances The latter care about upkeep and maintenance only to the degree that it will keep the apartment rentable. Between tenants, they'll patch over any visible issues. When selecting tenants, they care only about the likelihood they'll pay rent on time, won't smash the walls with sledgehammers, and won't cause frequent law enforcement visits. You'll get neighbors who are loud or rude or steal your packages from the mail room. They pay lip service to pest control, and if you're lucky they'll cover the cost of sending an exterminator out once a month (better hope you're home to let them in). I've never wanted to stay in such an apartment once my lease was up.

bluGill 9y ago
I think it is more the other way: a nearby landlord can keep track on how his property is being used and take action early before there is a problem. If a tenant is likely to be caught in the act of destroying the place that are less likely to do that. Sadly as every landlord knows many tenants will not pay their rent and then destroy their apartment. This is also helped by nearby landlords probably are small enough that equal opportunity laws don't apply. Stereotypes on the appearance of bad renters is true enough to be useful even though it is often wrong and always immoral.
- twobyfour 9y ago
  The occupant landlords I've known have been very picky about their renters, conducting extensive interviews; whereas management companies literally only do a background check and a financials check. And they've been orders of magnitude more responsive about problems with utilities, plumbing, appliances, etc. They care. And they form human relationships with their tenants. It's not just about "having an eye on you".