Dos and Don’ts While Renting a Property Renting property seems good source of income for the landlord and it is but one needs to very careful while renting the property. To safeguard the property and the rights of owner government has made some rules that are supposed to be followed by the owner of the property who wants to rent out his/her property. Apart from these it is common sense that be aware of the person or the family whom you are giving your property to use on rent. Here are some basic dos and don’ts that must be followed while renting your property in order to avoid any unpleasant consequences in future.Dos1. Do check whether the prospective tenant is a trustworthy person or not.2. Check for the credibility of the tenant whether he can pay the rent on time or not.3. Take the references like employers name and phone number or previous landlord’s number, etc. from the tenant so that you can call and check whether he is reliable or not and how was his behavior, etc.4. It is always advised to get the police verification done before renting the property otherwise you may find yourself in trouble. By police verification one can know whether the tenant is having any criminal history or is involved in any illegal activity or not.5. The written agreement is a must which should contain all the details of the property and the items (furniture or electronics) given in the house along with the terms and conditions and maintenance charges, rent amount, etc.6. Deciding tenancy period in advance can save you from disputes.7. Specify the parking space for the apartment given on rent so that there won’t be any confusions and problems later.8. Do take a certain amount as security deposit to avoid future losses if any.9. Keep your property neat and clean before handling it to the tenant then only you can expect it to be kept clean.10. Do all repair works if required before moving of tenant. Check for any problems in the property time to time and try to solve them.11. Take care of any structural problem or leakages or any short circuit due to wiring fault immediately.12. If renting property to students then clear the fact that how many students are allowed in the property to avoid unnecessary noise and neighbour’s objection.13. It is the social responsibility of the owner to inform neighbours about the new tenants. It can help the owner in finding out any abnormal activities or behaviour of the tenants if noticed by any of the neighbour.14. If you don’t live in the city where the property lies then appoint someone to check property time to time on your behalf and take care of any problems if there is any.Don’ts1. Don’t give your property on rent to those who refuse to go for a police verification process and want to pay you more rent instead.2. Don’t give your property to jobless or unemployed who cannot pay the rent.3. Don’t ignore the formal procedure of renting house that involves written agreement with all possible details.4. Don’t keep your property in an untidy condition otherwise you may lose good tenants.5. Don’t drop any time to your rented property that can make the tenants uncomfortable and angry. Instead make a regular visit preferably once in a month or two months and call the tenant before going there so that their schedule is not disturbed.6. If you find something unexpected or wrong then don’t start fighting or arguing on the spot. Be calm and communicate the problem peacefully first then only take any action if the tenant refuses to compensate.7. Don’t return the security deposit before the inspection of the property as it may not be in your favour always.8. The owner should not forget to renew the agreement after the expiry date otherwise the consequences may be unpleasant.9. Don’t forget to buy insurance for your rented property to protect it from fire, natural calamities or theft, etc.10. Don’t forget to mention all the rules and regulations of the society in which the property is situated to the tenant so that it will not be a problem for other people to accommodate the new tenant.Ruchi Mahajan