There are a variety of reasons why you should be a good tenant, but first and foremost is you need you Landlord even after you have moved out of his property. You need him to provide a good reference, for the next Landlord and if in the future you decide you want to buy, it is just a likely the mortgage company will ask the past Landlord for a reference.
Living in rented accommodation, is like a two way street, you need your landlord and the landlord needs you, so its best to get along from the outset.
A Landlord is more likely to do the little things you would like doing, especially if you pay your rent on time. As you should contractually do anyway. The one major thing that upsets Landlords is late payments of rent. Late payments are allowed in an emergency, but you should never make a habit of it. It is a popular misconception that all Landlords are rich or well off. In lots of cases landlords are not to dissimilar to renters they have bills to pay such as mortgages and they have cash flow issues also.
When you first move in, it can be a difficult situation, as both you and your Landlord are getting to know each other. Now there can be good Landlords and bad Landlords and likewise with tenants. Time will tell on both sides. This is something both have to deal with, in either the short or long term, depending how much you like your place.
Being a good tenant can bring benefits, often a Landlord will forgo annual rent increase entitlements, if you are a good tenant. Speaking as a landlord myself, lots of my tenants have not had an increase in 5 years. Your Landlord is also more likely to to fulfil your requests in a decent time-scale, if your a good tenant.
Being a good tenants is not just someone who pays their rent on time. A good tenant is someone who does not call their Landlord for every little thing when it comes to maintenance. However, don't be afraid of going to your Landlord with maintenance issues. In most cases you will not be annoying, your landlord will in most cases be grateful, as they do need to know what is wrong with the property, Besides, if you leave things until you move out, the repairs may cost your landlord more money But be mindful that on average it costs £45 for every time a maintenance persons goes to any property. Would you seriously want to pay that sort of money yourself, for something that all is needed is a hammer or screwdriver. There are some things that you can maintain on your own, and indeed there are some things that without a doubt are your Landlords responsibility to maintain.
When you need to call for maintenance have a look around and see if there are several others jobs that can be combined to make it actually worth while calling out the maintenance man in the first place. Take care of your home and keep it as clean as possible. Not taking care causes your home to wear out quicker, and that could cost your landlord later - and it could cost you your security deposit.
Often if a Landlord can see that you care on how you live, they will care just as much, and will want you to live in a decent environment. Which is well maintained.
One major thing your landlord will appreciate, is that you expect things done in a reasonable time scale, when you boiler breaks down, there is rarely someone sat on the street corner waiting for your call. You could actually be the 30th caller. Not the first.
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