One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to living in an apartment in Dallas is the idea that if your landlord doesn’t respond instantly to any concern you have, then you have the right to withhold rent. In actuality, the number of situations where you have the legal right to withhold rent are few and far between. Let’s take a look at a few common problems you will likely be reporting to your landlord and how long you can expect to wait.

Before we start, it is important to note that rental law is different in every state, so check with experts in your area before you take any drastic action.

The most common situation in which you’ll be contacting your landlord is to repair little things around your place, such as a squeaky door or a loose baseboard. For these types of repairs, a two week window is customary, unless your landlord tells you it might be longer and they have a good reason. You are never justified to withhold rent for small repairs like this.

If your issue is larger, then you can expect faster service. For things like no heat or no hot water, immediate service is justified and it is only for cases such as these that rent can theoretically be withheld, although it is absolutely vital that you research the laws in your area to ensure that you are within your rights to do so.

We have all heard horror stories about dealing with problem landlords that won’t fix things and invade your privacy, but what happens when you are dealing with a bigger entity? Most people in the Dallas who live in apartments live in professionally managed buildings that are backed by large and powerful corporations, so what is the average guy suppose to do when you encounter problems? Here are a few tips.

Before you run off and hire a lawyer, try to solve the issue yourself. Most professionally managed properties are very conscious about their image and will work with you to solve any major problems, even if you feel they are acting unfairly. If you are having a problem keeping your temper, try taking along a friend to help you stay grounded.

If you feel that things have progressed beyond the point of talking, try to consult with a renter’s rights group in your area. You can usually find a group such as this in the phone book or online. They can easily spell out to you what your rights are and what your next move should be, and, in most cases, they are usually free.

As a last resort, consult a lawyer about your current situation. A lawyer can be expensive, but not as expensive as simply packing up your belongings in the middle of the night and heading out of town. Rental issues such as these can follow you for years, so it is best to solve them completely before leaving.

When we go to move out of an apartment, the biggest concern that we all have is that we get our security deposit back in full so that we can hand it over once again to our new apartment. Not many people, however, understand what they have to do to their old apartment to help get it in tip top shape. Here are a few basic tips you can follow.

First, grab some spackle and give yourself a tour of all of the small holes you’ve put in the wall since you moved in. Fill those holes, and then wait for the spackle to try so you can apply a small amount of paint to ensure that the walls look as good as new when you move out.

If the walls of your apartment have black streak marks and scuff marks on them, make sure you buy one of those Magic Eraser cleaning pads to get those scuff marks off. Your landlord will likely be impressed that you did some of the grunt work for them and they will be much more likely to give you back your security deposit in full.

Finally, if your lease doesn’t already ask you do, make sure you get your carpet professionally cleaned before you leave. If you have had pets, this is especially important since it can erase signs of pet stains. Most professionally managed apartment complexes will require this, but even if they don’t it is a great way to ensure you get your deposit back in full.

If you live in a typically small apartment in dallas, it can seem like a never ending chore cleaning up after Fluffy or Fido. Between the tracked litter everywhere and the mud tracked in from outdoors, having a pet can seem like a full time job, and that’s just keeping your place in top shape. Here are a few tips for apartment dwelling pet owners so they can cut down on their cleaning time each and every month.

If you own a cat, invest in a cat box tracker matt to limit the amount of litter that your cat or cats track around the apartment. This is especially important if you have hardwood floors and no carpet to hide tracked litter around your home. The mat acts as a device to separate your cat’s paws as they leave the box, causing trapped litter to fall out on the matt and not in your carpet or floor.

While it may remind you of grandma, try to invest in a plastic entranceway mat to ensure that any walked dogs will not be tracking mud all over your carpet or floor. Often times, even the most observant dog walker doesn’t realize that Fido has gotten into something messy until they see the telltale paw prints tracked across the floor, but with a plastic mat, you can tell right away without any damage being done.

We love our pets and hate to think of what life would be like without them, but we can all take small steps to reduce the mess they make in our everyday lives.