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jgcoastie · May 29, 2012, 04:21 AM

I rent the home my family and I live in now. What with transferring every couple of years it just don't make sense to buy a house...

My landlords are a young married couple, about my age, and they are first-time landlords. They printed off a generic rental agreement online, which didn't make much sense at all for the location we're in. It prohibited me from possessing firearms within the home, clothesline in the backyard (even though the landlords had one when they lived there), required them to have licensed contractors perform all repairs, instead of me just taking care of most minor repairs and letting the landlords know (with a reduced rent for the month)... And it did not have the "military clause" written in (yes, I know the S&SRA provides it in law, but it is helpful to have both parties agree to recognize its existance instead of telling them 60 days before I leave that I'm moving cross-country). Yeesh... A headache for all of us.

So when I looked at the lease and saw all of this, I proposed that we draft our own. I opened up a Word document, copied/pasted relevant info from the electronic copy of the lease agreement, and typed in revisions to address the above concerns. We each took a copy to local lawyers to review and make sure our respective sides of the coin were covered, then we signed.

Yeah, it took a little extra work (and a fair amount of cooperation between both parties) but in the end, it was worth it to make sure we had the lease agreement that we both wanted. My landlords didn't want to keep me from possessing firearms or having a clothesline, and I didn't want that young couple to bear the cost of licensed contractors to fix a leaky sink or piece of siding blown off in a storm (not to mention the contractors coming and going in my house).

Work with your landlord, especially if they are reasonable individuals. If you're dealing with a corporation or business (apartment complex), things could get a little trickier....

YMMV.

May 29, 2012, 04:21 AM	#61
jgcoastie Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 2,118	I rent the home my family and I live in now. What with transferring every couple of years it just don't make sense to buy a house... My landlords are a young married couple, about my age, and they are first-time landlords. They printed off a generic rental agreement online, which didn't make much sense at all for the location we're in. It prohibited me from possessing firearms within the home, clothesline in the backyard (even though the landlords had one when they lived there), required them to have licensed contractors perform all repairs, instead of me just taking care of most minor repairs and letting the landlords know (with a reduced rent for the month)... And it did not have the "military clause" written in (yes, I know the S&SRA provides it in law, but it is helpful to have both parties agree to recognize its existance instead of telling them 60 days before I leave that I'm moving cross-country). Yeesh... A headache for all of us. So when I looked at the lease and saw all of this, I proposed that we draft our own. I opened up a Word document, copied/pasted relevant info from the electronic copy of the lease agreement, and typed in revisions to address the above concerns. We each took a copy to local lawyers to review and make sure our respective sides of the coin were covered, then we signed. Yeah, it took a little extra work (and a fair amount of cooperation between both parties) but in the end, it was worth it to make sure we had the lease agreement that we both wanted. My landlords didn't want to keep me from possessing firearms or having a clothesline, and I didn't want that young couple to bear the cost of licensed contractors to fix a leaky sink or piece of siding blown off in a storm (not to mention the contractors coming and going in my house). Work with your landlord, especially if they are reasonable individuals. If you're dealing with a corporation or business (apartment complex), things could get a little trickier.... YMMV. __________________ "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." -Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.