A few weeks ago, I tried to call the company that manages the building I live in, as there was a problem with my heat. Unfortunately, it seems as though the building does not exist on the weekend, as multiple phone calls and voicemails went unanswered as my apartment became colder and colder. I was rather perturbed that the issue was not addressed until Monday morning.

This past weekend, we received quite a bit of snow, and my neighbors felt the same frustration when nobody showed up to plow the driveway. They eventually got a hold of the owners, but this was still concerning — would there be any way to contact them if a fire broke out at 2 in the morning? What if the roof caves in or the foundation cracks and a wall comes down? These are obviously not things that happen every day, but if something did happen, would we get the cold shoulder? This time of year it would be a very, very cold shoulder indeed.

I have a feeling if a tenant was a second late on their rent, someone would be right over nailing an eviction notice to the door. Notice how I haven’t mentioned “landlord” as of yet — I believe that being a landlord is a trade, much like the grocer, the machinist, or the banker. A good landlord gets to know their tenants. A good landlord is quick to respond, and often present on their property, not with the purpose of getting tenants in trouble or intimidating them, but rather to tend to the building, clean up the yard, fix things, and so on. A good landlord is flexible, understanding, and trustworthy, especially when tenants are also flexible, understanding and trustworthy; there are some things that maybe can’t be fixed right away, and some activities that a landlord will not allow in or around their building — it is their property, after all.

Unfortunately, the trade of being a good landlord is becoming yet another trade of the past, and renting from a “property management company” just doesn’t have the same feeling as renting from a landlord — someone who is a member of the community, and someone who puts their heart and soul into providing a space for others to live.

Matt Abbey

Athol