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As I covered in Part One, it is extremely important to get employment offers in their entirety in writing from any prospective employers. This serves to protect you if they try to change their offer later on and also helps to consolidate all the info in one place so that you can easily review and compare offers. There is another area where it is vital to get obligations in writing and that is when renting an apartment.

Your lease is just as, if not more important than, your employment contract. It contains details regarding what you, the tenant, are responsible for as well as the obligations of the landlord. It will contain your monthly rent payments and the due date, contact information in the event something needs fixing around the house as well as lots of important information regarding the termination of the lease and the needed steps to get your security deposit returned.

Here are some more problems that arose for both others and myself while dealing with landlords and leases and more evidence that you should always make sure to get it in writing.

• Upon reaching the last month of a tenancy agreement, there was dispute as to whether or not last month’s rent had been paid up front. In the lease, it was clearly noted that only first month’s rent and a security deposit had been paid up front, and thus the tenant was responsible for paying that last month of rent. Also of note here, ALWAYS get a copy of your lease after signing – law requires it but you should always take the initiative here to protect yourself.

• A tenant was not given the full balance of their security deposit nor the resulting interest that it gathered over the two-year tenancy. However, after checking the lease, the parameters had been met for full return of the deposit and it mentioned that the interest accrued would be given to the tenant as well and the full amount was eventually returned.

• After a plumbing problem backed up sewage into the showers and toilets on the first level of the building, the landlord was called in to assess and resolve the issue. He tried to force the cost of the plumber’s work onto the tenants, but after conferring with the lease it was written that solely the lessor, not the lessee(s), would handle these types of costs.

• A friend of mine had all the yard work on the property taken care of by the landlord as part of the lease agreement. During the winter months, the walk and driveway had not been shoveled or salted, as had been the case with previous storms. In the lease was the number to call in the event that any work needed to be done, or hadn’t been taken care of, with regards to the property and the issue was quickly remedied.

As we can see through the examples here and in the preceding part to this article it can save you a lot of money if you keep up your end of the lease agreement and have a hard copy to back yourself up with. Additionally, it can just plain make your life easier and make the relationship with your landlord a smooth and pleasant one as opposed to an adversarial one.

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