A tenant has so many rights backed by the law and a wise tenant will never want to trade his rights for anything. Any attempt to do that may put you in a lot of trouble legally; such a mistake can even make the landlord or the letting agent trample on your rights.  If you do not want to fall into this error, you should always consult a lawyer for professional advice.

While you have rights as a tenant; you also have some responsibilities that you must always bear in mind.  The same law that backs your rights as a tenancy also demands your responsibility to the private apartment and the landlord.  In the course of this write-up, we will show you some of those responsibilities that you need to bear in mind as a tenant

Your responsibilities as a tenant

First of all, you have the responsibility to care for the property properly.  You should not cause any form of damage to the property in any way during the period you inhabit that rented property.  You should also switch off the water at the mains and switch off the power supply to the apartment when you are going out.  If there is any issue about the property, it should be reported without delay to the landlord or the estate agent through whom you got the apartment. Prompt reporting of any fault ensures that such a fault can be fixed before they culminate into further damages.

Furthermore, you are required to pay your rent on time as agreed when you were renting the apartment.  The rent must be paid on time so long as you are still occupying that apartment, irrespective of your relationship with the landlord.  Even if the landlord has not repaired any damage in the building after such damage has been reported, this is never a good reason to withhold the rent.

All bills and charges should also be paid on time. Any bill you are required to pay will be listed in the tenancy agreement. Since you have appended your signature to the tenancy agreement, it means you have already accepted to pay the bills. Consequently, you should always pay them on time.  Some of the bills you will have to pay include the following:

• TV license fees
• Utility bills
• Council tax

Other bills to be paid can be determined by your location.

Any damage you cause must be repaired without delay. You are also responsible for every guest that occupies your rented apartment, be it a friend or a family member.  Find out if the tenancy agreement allows you to sublet the rented apartment. You should never do this if there is no provision for that in the agreement.