If you’re renting an apartment (or any property, for that matter), you won’t have much say in how it’s maintained. It’s up to your landlord how often the common areas get cleaned and whether or not your apartment needs to meet certain standards of cleanliness. While most landlords probably won’t check in on you to see if you keep a tidy home, they may have specific guidelines as to what they expect from their tenants. To begin with, there are no laws which restrict a landlord from telling their tenants how to keep their house. However, this sort of rule is pretty uncommon. Regardless of whether a landlord can make these demands from their tenants, we recommend reading the lease agreement thoroughly before signing it. That way you know upfront what your responsibilities are and what the expectations of your landlord are. If you don’t want to read all that legalese, here are some things to look out for when renting an apartment:
Cleaning Responsibilities
Most rental agreements have a cleaning clause that specifies that tenants are responsible for keeping the house clean. However, this clause is usually vague and doesn’t include a specific cleaning schedule or instructions. If you’re looking at an apartment and the lease has cleaning instructions, it’s important to ask what they entail. If specific areas of your apartment must be kept clean, like the kitchen or bathroom, make sure you understand what “clean” means. If you’re unsure about what cleaning responsibilities your landlord expects you to have, there are a few key areas that you should be sure to ask about: – Window Cleaning – Most people don’t think about cleaning their windows often. It’s a pretty tedious task, but it’s important to remove all traces of dirt from them. Your landlord may expect you to regularly clean your windows. If they do, they may provide you with a window cleaning solution or have instructions on how you should do it. – Bathroom Cleaning – Most landlords expect you to clean the tub, toilet, and sink regularly. If you have a bathtub, you should scrub it every few weeks to prevent hard water buildup and stains. Cleaning the toilet regularly prevents the buildup of bacteria and germs. You can buy cleaners that are specially formulated to clean toilets. You should scrub the sink regularly to prevent buildup and maintain the shine. – Kitchen Cleaning – Again, you should clean the sink regularly to prevent buildup. You should also clean the stove regularly to remove grease. You should also clean the countertops regularly. Depending on your landlord, you may need to do this daily or bi-weekly.
Responsibilities You Should Care About
If you feel like your landlord’s cleaning expectations are too high, you can negotiate with them. Landlords typically have cleaning clauses in their lease because they don’t want to be responsible for cleaning their property. Therefore, they may expect their tenants to clean specific areas of their apartment several times a week. If part of your lease requires you to clean your bathroom regularly, you can ask if you can clean your bathroom and bedroom once a week instead of once a day. If you have a roommate, you can negotiate to clean bathrooms and bedrooms once a week instead of every day.
Standard of Repair
Some leases have clauses which dictate that the landlord must keep certain areas of your apartment in good repair. If your lease has this type of clause, it’s important to know what areas are covered. If your lease requires your landlord to keep your kitchen, bathroom, and roof in good repair, you can report them for shoddy work if they don’t repair your bathroom after it breaks. You should be sure to check the roof of your apartment periodically. If you notice a leak, it’s important to report it to your landlord. If they don’t address the issue, you can use their lease violation against them.
Repairs That Must Be Made by Landlord
If your lease has a specific maintenance clause, your landlord must repair certain items on the property. This is usually limited to items which affect multiple units or the entire property. If your lease has a clause that your landlord must repair all exterior walls, they must repair all exterior walls. They don’t need to repair damage that’s limited to your apartment. If your lease has a clause that your landlord must repair all exterior walls and roofs, they must repair all exterior walls and roofs. They don’t need to repair damage that’s limited to your apartment. They must repair damage on your exterior wall and the exterior wall of every unit on the property.
Conclusion
If your landlord has cleaning expectations for you, read your lease agreement thoroughly to see what they are. If your lease has a clause about repairs, make sure you report any issues to your landlord as soon as possible so they can fix them. Remember, landlords are responsible for keeping their property maintained and clean. If you see issues on the property, report them to your landlord.