What should a Tenant to do if:
- they want a Pet?
- they are having difficulty coming up with Rent?
- they want to add someone to their existing Lease Agreement?
- they have a calamity in the family and they need to move before the lease is up?
- they have a questions or concerns regarding their rented Premises?
All of these questions have the same answer:
Communicate with your Landlord!
Many Tenants believe that once they have signed the Lease Agreement they are locked into a silent and monolithic existence with their Landlord, or that nothing can be done if the Tenant encounters difficulty with some aspect involving their rented Premises. However, this just is not the case. Landlords value Tenants that communicate with them.
While Tenants are legally restricted by the Terms of their Lease Agreement (you did thoroughly read your Agreement, right?), as are Landlords, for a short duration those terms could potentially be bent a little simply by communicating with their Landlord. The key word here is communicate.
Landlords value regular and forthcoming communication from their Tenants, and at the Landlord’s discretion, will do what they can to reasonably accommodate the needs of their Tenants. Keep in mind that every situation is different and nuances of each situation will affect potential outcomes.
With that said, Landlords value happy Tenants and Landlords have the power to wave points in the Lease Agreement or to make temporary accommodations, however, aside from Lease Agreement provisions to the contrary, permanent changes to a signed Lease Agreement requires agreement and signatures from both Parties.
Be VERY sure you communicate clearly and regularly with your Landlord.