The landlord is the owner of the house you are currently staying and the owner needs to keep his property secure. Period. Hence there are certain things you should abide as a good tenant which includes being open about certain matters to the landlord.
ADOPTING A PET
When you arrived to your rented home, you never had any pet or the intention to adopt one. When the owner inquired too, you mentioned that you didn’t or didn’t plan to. But somehow down the road, you found in love with a puppy or cat and took him/her in. Now you are trying to keep it a secret. This is not correct and could jeopardize the trust the landlord has on you. Once the trust is broken, then your landlord might try to evict you both from the premises.
SOMEONE MOVED-IN WITH YOU
We all come across situations where a relative of ours or a good friend or your girl/boyfriend moves-in temporarily to find a job or during a bad breakup or for any other matter. You should inform and get the permission beforehand from the landlord. The owner is worried about the value and maintenance of his property and the more people occupy the property, the more wear and tear. There could be limitation on the number of person that could be accommodated into the house due to its size and facilities etc. Hence it is advisable to get prior permission from landlord and if requested to pay a higher rent than to keep a low profile or hide the fact someone is living along with you.
YOU LOST YOUR HOUSE KEY
One day you lost the house key. This happens. It is beter to say the truth about where and when you lost it as this is directly connected to the safety and secureness of the owner’s property. Depending on the situation the owner might charge to get an extra key or even charge for the replacement of the door locks. But the safety of the property and yourself matters more than the cost of the replacement.
CLOGGED TOILET, WATER STAINS & ANY DAMAGES
Sudden water stains could be due to a leaky roof and a plumbing issue. The problem will only continue to worsen overtime which would cause major issues later like short circuits. Also if there is a clogged toilet due to your irresponsible behaviour of flushing foreign objects, please do not try to self-repair as in case the damage worsens, you will be held responsible for both hiding the issue and causing a major problem. So it is best to honest with the landlord and try to limit a major setback.