Can a Landlord Tell You How Clean to Keep Your House?

How clean to keep your house or use certain amenities in an apartment building is often a cause of dispute among landlords and tenants.

Tenants believe those decisions should be at their discretion and convenience. Landlords, on the other hand, have rules they want tenants to abide by.

how clean to keep your house
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As for the question, the quick answer is a “yes”. Your landlord can tell you how clean to keep your house. However, it will have a lot to do with the provision in the lease agreement you signed.

To avoid any disagreement and feeling hard done by, you will do yourself a lot of good to understand the agreement before you sign on the dotted line.

 

Tenancy Regulations

Tenants, as well as landlords, have a duty by law they must abide by during the course of their relationship. In the case of the tenant, keeping the house clean is one of them.

Landlords and management reserve the right to dictate how their property should be used.

However, there’s still some gray area as not all the provisions in a lease agreement can be enforced.

For property owners who need to protect themselves (and their properties) from unruly tenants, understanding the law in your area and a solid lease agreement is what you need.

As a tenant who does not want a nosy landlord to have an excuse to monitor how you live, be aware of the tenancy laws too and understand the agreement before signing it.

Lease agreements and property laws are different depending on location. This brings us back to the importance of doing due diligence before committing to renting a place.

 

This video will give you a better understanding of your rights whether you’re the landlord or the tenant.

 

 

 

What is considered as dirt or mess in a rented apartment?

Not keeping your house clean will damage the property one way or another. If the property owner has to incur significant cost repairing or cleaning the place you vacated, you didn’t do well. Some of the things considered as dirt and can devalue a house or apartment are as follows:

  • Clutter – Have you ever watched the show “Hoarders”? The TV show about people and their clutter. Those are bad examples of how clean to keep your house. Having too many pieces of stuff in your home to collect dust has a lot of disadvantages to your health and the property.
  • Garbage that has been over a week
  • Mold and grout on bathroom walls
  • Rodent infestation
  • Toxic chemical lying around
  • Unpleasant smells, etc.

 

If you stay in a rented place in any or a combination of these conditions, your landlord has the right to make you clean. If you don’t, he or she can start an eviction process. It is only reasonable that when you borrow something, you return it in the same condition you got it. This principle applies to a rented home too.

 

How to keep your home clean

Whether you live alone, with family or pets keeping your house clean is not always an easy task. However, whatever the condition, how clean to keep your home is still your responsibility. With the right equipment, you can get your cleaning chores done with less effort and in no time.

Get a vacuum cleaner

Bissell Pet Hair Eraser 1650A Upright Vacuum with Tangle Free BrushrollVacuum cleaners come in different types and sizes. If you have a family, you might want to go for an upright vacuum to handle the cleaning load. If you stay in a small apartment, you can easily keep your floors clean with a cordless vacuum.

Some vacuums can help you clean furniture, drapes and blinds, and even as high as the ceiling. Be sure to watch out for the attachments included with the vacuum as it determines the type of cleaning you can do above the floor.

If you have very little time to do house chores, you can opt for a robot vacuum. This one will clean without your intervention and you can even control it from your smartphone while at work!

If you want to take things to the next level, you can go for the i7+, s9+, or the IQ. These ones caniRobot Roomba S9 (9150) Robot Vacuum- Wi-Fi Connected, Smart Mapping, Powerful Suction, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, Corners empty their own dust cups! Your home will always be clean whether you’re around or not.

It’s safe to say no one wants trouble; at least not one you can easily avoid. To ensure this, make sure you abide by your lease agreement. In this context, keep your apartment clean.

Even if you don’t like your landlord, do it for your own sake. Studies have shown that a clean home can positively influence a person’s mental well being (source).

In many ways, it’s a win-win for you. Moreover, we have told you one of the easiest ways to keep your home clean. Just to remind you again, depending on the lease agreement, yes, your landlord can tell you how clean to keep your house.

 

Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, Blue

To get yours now, click here

 

 

 

 

 

We’ll leave you with a video full of professional cleaning tips and advice. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Can a Landlord Tell You How Clean to Keep Your House? — FAQs

Can your landlord evict you for clutter?

If your apartment has so much clutter that it can be considered a fire hazard, restrict access for emergency personnel, cause odor, attract vermin, etc. the landlord has a right to force you to clean it up. If you refuse, he or she can choose to evict you from the apartment. It is not a good idea to live in clutter; not only does it affect you physically, your mental well being is also affected.

 

What are some reasons you can get evicted for?

There are different reasons why a landlord can evict you from a rented home. Fortunately, he cannot legitimately evict you because he believes he can get more money from someone else or he wants a better looking tenant. The following are some cogent reasons you can get served an eviction notice:

  • Violation of lease
  • Not paying the rent
  • The need to upgrade the place
  • Landlord wants to move in
  • Drug related or illegal activity
  • Lease expires

 

What information is a landlord required to disclose?

When renting an apartment there are some information that landlords are required to disclose to their new tenants. These disclosure is mandatory in most states in the US. The information are:

  • Shared utilities
  • Security deposit
  • nonrefundable fees
  • Responsibility for maintaining smoke alarms
  • Sex offenders in the neighborhood
  • Smoking policy
  • Death in the unit
  • Identity of the new owner
  • Property under foreclosure
  • Environmental hazards
  • Methamphetamine contamination
  • Right to inspection

 

What states are the landlords not required to disclose information to new tenants?

In most states in the the US, the landlord is mandated by law to disclose certain information to their new tenants. However, some states where the landlord can choose to withhold certain information from their tenants. It’s important to know which states do not require it to be better prepared. Those states are:

  • Arkansas
  • Idaho
  • Missouri
  • Vermont
  • Colorado
  • Mississippi
  • Louisiana

 

How can I clean the walls in my apartment?

If your walls are covered in latex paint, the best way to clean the walls is by washing them with warm water and an all-purpose but non-abrasive soap. Insert a sponge into the warm solution and squeeze out excess water. Gently scrub the wall while paying extra attention to areas that are touched often such as around plugs and switches, doors, etc. Do not scrub too hard to avoid streaks.

 

Do I have to pay rent if I’m getting evicted?

A landlord can serve you the eviction notice for several legitimate reasons which not paying rent is one of. If you get an eviction notice, you’re still liable to pay the rent you were owing until you move out of the house. It only makes sense since you’re still occupying the place. However, once you move out, even if it’s before the expiration of your lease, the landlord will have to bear the cost until they get another tenant.

 

Is the landlord responsible for getting rid of bed bugs in an apartment?

By law, a landlord is supposed to offer habitable housing. Also, by law, most courts, at least do not consider an apartment infested with bed bugs habitable. So, in such a case, the landlord is responsible for getting rid of the bed bugs. However, if the place was inspected and verified the apartment to be free of bed bugs, it only makes sense to assume the tenant introduced the infestation and they’ll be responsible for exterminating it.