The behavior of the Vilnius landlord surprised me if I was going to move out of the rented apartment – imagine how I felt

An unpleasant experience in Vilnius

Probably an ordinary person who has had to rent a house has stories about the relationship with the owner. Here, for example, the reader Gabrielė says that when he saw the real face of the owner of the apartment he was renting, he only announced the move.

According to the girl, a few years ago she and her partner lived in an old apartment in Karoliniškės.

“Everything in the year of life was not bad, at that time there were only some nuances. One of them is that the hostess of the apartment always wanted to take the rent money herself and asked to leave it on the table. They did not specify specific days and times, nor did they take the remaining money for a few weeks. So I constantly felt the stress that she would come unexpectedly and see a not very tidy kitchen, which in the morning she does not always manage to tidy up. Well, in general, it’s not fun when someone else visits your house, and especially if you don’t know when to do it specifically ”, says the interlocutor.

The girl goes on to say that another reason for the annoyance was an unjustified rent increase.

After a year there, when the lease had to be extended, we were told that the rent was going up. During those years, the hosts did not drive a nail into the wall, they did not change anything, we did not get any extra profit or at least the slightest repair, in the end no new device. However, at the end of the contract, the owners increased the rent even more. On the one hand, I understand that prices go up throughout the year, on the other hand, in exchange for a high price, when the apartment wears out even more during the year, it would be possible to replace a small wardrobe ”, says Gabrielė.

Still, according to the girl, what surprised her the most was the behavior of the hosts before moving in. 2 years later, he decided to look for another apartment and a month before moving he communicated it to the owner.

And then it started. We had a month or two to live, but the owners began showing this apartment to potential new tenants. I understand that they are necessary, but they have been treated in a very disrespectful way. Let’s say I ran to conferences in the morning, dropping my clothes and unmade bed, and while I was at conferences I wrote a message that in half an hour some people would be coming to see the apartment. Really small, at least I wanted someone to see my clothes, the bed, and even more, to walk around the house while I was still living there. The next time, I quietly prepared dinner and kept my bathrobe when suddenly someone started to close the door. And then the whole gang of potential tenants who wanted to inspect the apartment collapsed. Imagine how I felt when I was standing quietly in the kitchen and waiting for nothing, and then strangers with the hostess in front opened the door and walked in. It was very uncomfortable and uncomfortable, ”recalls the girl, adding that there were many cases of this type, so in the last months of the contract she felt very uncomfortable in the apartment and was constantly afraid that someone would walk and see them when she was not there. at home.

Visits are not tolerated

Conflicts and disagreements between tenants and landlords are not uncommon. Delfi Būstas has written about them more than once. Marius Čiulada, director of the Ober-Haus Old Town office, has already said that the tenant, who rents the apartment, hopes to “buy” a temporary home.

“The tenant expects all the appliances and equipment to work, not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer. If not, the tenant will certainly complain. Also, the tenant does not want excessive attention or frequent communication with the owner, too frequent visits or inspections are not acceptable ”, emphasized M. Čiulada.

How to avoid conflicts? A real estate expert says that a home lease is a reciprocal business arrangement in which the landlord entrusts the tenant with their rental real estate and the tenant receives a temporary home for that rental. Therefore, according to the interlocutor, the lease must discuss the essentials: the object of the lease, both parties, the lease price, the lease term, the payment terms, the household items, the transfer deed with the furniture and appliances listed.

“Basically, the broader the agreement, the calmer the dream of both parties will be and there will be no misunderstandings or unfulfilled expectations in the future,” stressed Čiulada.

How to avoid conflicts between landlords and tenants? According to the real estate specialist, benevolence is needed from both parties.

“The tenant needs to understand that for a few hundred euros he is entrusted to manage high-value assets and needs to be saved, and the landlord needs to understand that this will be someone’s temporary home and respect those expectations,” emphasizes the interlocutor.

Estate agents emphasize that the rental market in Lithuania is still young, the owners are usually people of the older generation who still do not accept the western rental market model, when the rent is charged only by bank transfer, communication with renters is rare, their needs are considered. In any case, the main tool that can facilitate the relationship between tenant and landlord is the rental of a home.