Other Ways to Improve the Landlord and Tenant Relationship

Landlords sometimes are having headaches especially with tenants who are refusing to pay for their rent. It usually results in the tenant's eviction, but in some cases, tenants would not leave the property, giving the landlord an option to contact the authorities, and the problem would change into a bigger, wider conflict that would soon branch out. However, an alternative to this scenario states like, "what if landlords would just do business with their tenants?" It has been proposed that in order to avert any violent eviction scenario, landlords should just make business deals with their tenants who cannot pay. There are so many questions surrounding this proposal, and there can be pros and cons, but with proper observation and execution, this could probably work. Some recommendations are being studied carefully, and these are the following:

1. Tenants Should Be Given the Ability to Sublease Units

With the rise of Airbnb and other related applications and website, the idea of allowing tenants to sublease their units rises. It allows them to make extra money, while at the same time being able to pay for the landlord. What happens in this scenario is that the tenant would post a single room from the property they are renting to be used by travelers who are using Airbnb and other similar apps. They could also post their whole property to be used by other people while on a vacation, earning profit from the process. This may sound like a good idea, but the risk for the property owner can be high. Risks can range from maintenance issues, security issues, or if the sub leaser would never want to leave the property. However, if the tenant has been with the landlord for a long time and can be trusted, this scenario is plausible, making it a win-win situation on either party. Tenants would earn from Airbnb and other similar apps, while at the same time being able to pay the landlord on time.

2. Tenants Should Be Given a Chance to Become Property Managers

In this scenario, the tenant would work for the property owner in exchange for free rent. They could look after the property, fix some minor flaws, or even collect the rent from their fellow tenants. However, it can turn out into a nightmare for the property manager. Inexperience tenants who wanted to act as a manager could make things worse, like being not able to fix things but destroying them further, scaring the good tenants away, and running off with the money collected from the rent. In this scenario, strong trust between the tenant and the property owner is needed.

3. Contractors Should Be Allowed to Rent in Exchange of Services

Professional contractors, like landscaping crews, handymen and other people providing similar services could sometimes find their need to rent a property. Property owners could barter one of their units to these professionals in exchange of their service. When they fix things inside the property, the owner must do an inspection to check if it was done properly. The property owners should also consider the value of their property on the market, in order for them not to lose money. If both parties agree with this type of system, then it could become beneficial to all of them – with the professionals having free unit and the owner feeling secured as professionals are taking care of his property.