More than half of Russians have rented housing at least once in their lives, and every second person had conflicts with landlords, according to survey data. According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, disputes often arise due to unclear agreements or their violations – both by apartment owners and tenants. The former often neglect personal boundaries, while the latter do not want to be responsible for damaged property. How to build good relationships when renting and renting housing – in the publication.
What Tenants and Landlords Expect
The share of Russians who have rented housing at least once is considerable – 63%. And more than half of them had quarrels with their landlords. Tenants point to several popular prohibitions: for example, every third apartment owner does not allow keeping or having animals, and every fourth does not allow inviting guests or living with a partner.
Slightly fewer (23 and 22%) owners do not agree to changes in the interior or replacement of furniture. A fifth of tenants said that they could be forced to move out if there was something wrong with the house. And only 12.5% did not name any prohibitions.
Tenants also noted that every fifth landlord comes to them at any time without warning. For only 15%, all communication is exclusively remote.
At the same time, in October it was reported that prices on the rental housing market in Russia have risen sharply, by an average of 10–15%. This is due to the unavailability of mortgages: for loans that are not concessional, rates have risen to 15%, so it is more profitable to rent housing rather than buy.
— Today there is a decrease in the number of purchase and sale transactions on the Tuesday real estate market, including due to an increase in the key rate. If the trend continues, then, in our opinion, this will affect rental transactions, and we can expect an increase in demand for rental housing,” said Olga Sautina, senior partner at the law firm Nedelko and Partners, who specializes in real estate issues, in an interview with Izvestia , construction and dispute resolution.
According to experts, apartment owners and tenants need to clearly understand what each of them expects from the other. This will avoid most conflicts. For example, renters today are looking for more than just a roof over their headsexplained co-owner of the Wellside real estate agency Alexander Sedov.
“They are looking for housing that suits their lifestyle and preferences, for example, convenient location, high-quality renovation, availability of household appliances and the Internet. Security and transparency of transactions also play a significant role. Given the increased demand, tenants have become more demanding and selective, he said.
Sedov added that landlords, in turn, care about the reliability and solvency of tenants. In the face of increased demand, they also seek to maximize the profitability of their real estate, which leads to an increase in rental prices.
“However, in order to attract and retain good tenants, landlords are now more often investing in improving the condition of their properties and providing additional services,” the expert emphasized.
What you need to agree on before renting and renting an apartment
Most often, the causes of conflicts between the tenant and the landlord are non-payment of rent, failure to comply with the terms of the contract, damage to property and violation of personal boundaries of tenants. Managing partner of the Moscow law office “Matyunins and Partners”, lawyer Oleg Matyunin advises carefully study the contract before signing and ask questions if anything is unclear.
— A typical case: the contract was downloaded on the Internet or was not signed at all, we agreed on one person staying, but in the end there are five living, and every week someone new. We hoped that after 10 pm it would be quiet, but the neighbors complained about screams and music until two in the morning. They expected that payments would be received regularly, but in fact, after the first month of rent, delays began. We dreamed of not having to do any repairs for another five years, but six months later everything was in trash… And so on,” he explained.
The tenant should also take care of himself at the stage of concluding the contract: firstly, make sure that the owner has all the necessary documents and extracts from the Unified State Register, secondly, check the technical condition of the apartment, thirdly, carefully read the terms and conditions of payment, fourthly, pay attention to neighbors and surrounding infrastructure.
— The act of acceptance and transfer of the apartment indicates: the general condition of the premises, the furnishings and valuables being transferred, their condition, the condition and meter readings in the apartment. For example, if there is a crack on the tile, then it should be reflected in the act. If the seal on the meter is broken, indicate that the seal is broken. It’s even better to attach photographs with all the “sensitive” moments to the document. These are cracks, chips, dirt, holes and the like,” Matyunin noted.
Olga Sautina emphasized that if one of the parties violates the terms of the agreement, then a conflict is inevitable. That is why you need to take it as seriously as possible.
— You absolutely cannot sign an agreement without reading it or relying on chance. In addition, in practice there are often disputes when the parties actually begin to fulfill the agreement before it is signed, relying only on oral agreements. This is not recommended,” she told Izvestia.
Wherein the owner and tenant need to discuss issues related to guests and animals in advance, Andrey Bubnov, head of support for digital insurance products of the BestDoctor group of companies, which also deals with real estate insurance, told Izvestia. According to him, the owner of the apartment may well agree to accommodate the pet for an additional fee. It would be a good idea to discuss your habits in advance.
— It is important to warn about smoking in the apartment: even if you hide this fact, almost always after eviction there remains a smell in the apartment or a coating on the glass, if we are talking about electronic cigarettes. The owner should tell where smoking is allowed. At the same time, it is important to take into account the human factor: the tenant will not want to run to the corner of the house to smoke or from the fifth floor to the first, closing and opening the locks. We need to make this path as easy as possible for him. Then the attitude will be more humane and understanding. You shouldn’t immediately scare people with collateral; this will not build a trusting relationship,” the expert explained.
How to avoid conflicts after moving into rental housing
When the contract is concluded and the tenant and the landlord have come to an agreement on key points, all that remains is to follow all the conditions, experts say.
— The owner must not interfere in the personal life of the tenant. Visits to the rented premises must occur only after notification to the tenant and at the specified time. For example, in one case, the landlord broke into the tenant’s apartment, which led to litigation and compensation for moral damages,” noted Alexander Sedov.
He added that the landlord should not arbitrarily raise the rent and ignore requests for repairs. “There was a story where the landlord ignored a roof leak, which led to a collapse and damage to the tenant’s property,” the expert said.
According to him, the tenant, in turn, should not delay payments, change anything without the consent of the owner and use the premises for other purposes.
As Oleg Matyunin noted, the contract is also important in cases where it is necessary to legally terminate it, for example, in case of failure to pay rent on time.
“In this case, the landlord demands the tenant to move out and starts looking for more responsible tenants, but it’s not that simple. A homeowner may have a situation where a non-paying tenant does not want to leave the apartment. Based on the norms of the law, you cannot independently enter your own apartment and force the residents out of it.. Imagine: shouting, insults, throwing things, pushing people onto the stairs. The tenant can contact the police with a statement about arbitrariness on the part of the owner. First, the owner must draw up a written claim against the tenant demanding eviction and payment of overdue debt for the actual time spent. In case of non-compliance, sue, the lawyer explained.
If the employer complies with the terms of the contract, the document protects him. The tenant can expect to live in the rented apartment at least until the end of the contract. It is possible to terminate it earlier, but with penalties for one party or another – and it is also better to spell out this point.
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