Giving info about unemployment to landlord?

[hers]

Is it customary to let your landlord know if you or your roommate/spouse/SO is out of work?

 

I only ask b/c I'm not sure if I should let my landlord know that my husband is unemployed right now. Our landlord wrote me an email tonight thanking me for paying on time the past 2 months we've been here.

 

I was wondering if I should respond with something like "You're welcome. Also, I just wanted to keep you informed that my husband's job let him go last month so he is out of work right now. He's steadily looking for work. Rent remains our top financial priority."

 

I don't expect special allowances or anything, of course, but if it comes up that we may be late or anything like that (hopefully not, as we have some money saved up), I want him to at least know why.

 

Nothing in our lease states this but I was just wondering if I shoudl let him know, just as a courtesy/information type of thing. If I should, what should I say?

 

If it matters, he's a private owner, so it's not a management company or realty company or anyhting. Just a retired guy who rents out a townhouse he owns.

[OptomisticGirl]

When I was let go from the plant and was unemployed for a month I let our land person know just in case we had to be a little late and it wasn't random. I didn't go out of my way to do it - I think I mentioned it when I paid the rent one month and they were like 'cool, just keep us informed!'

[hers]

That's what I was thinking. I don't think I'd do it randomly (though we did do that with our last landlord b/c we texted often since he lived out of state). This is the first time we've even heard from the landlord at this new place so I was thinking of just responding with letting him know. I figure better safe than sorry, right? I just don't know what to say.

[OptomisticGirl]

I would, but that's me. I would just say what you put in the OP - short and simple.

[abitbroken]

Nope. As long as you can pay the rent, it is none of their business. If they are a personal friend, then maybe. But I would really just stick to keeping it to your self and doing the best you can to pay. Should there come a time when you can't afford where you are, start looking for a cheaper place and tell the landlord why you are looking. Maybe they will be sympathetic and give you a break or let you use part of your first/last you gave them, but I really don't think anything is their business. You don't want them to start looking for a new tenant - that just adds to the stress.

 

I think that if you saw the landlord every day - maybe. But for someone you only really heard from once - nope.

[FreedomRing]

Nope. As long as you can pay the rent, it is none of their business. If they are a personal friend, then maybe. But I would really just stick to keeping it to your self and doing the best you can to pay. Should there come a time when you can't afford where you are, start looking for a cheaper place and tell the landlord why you are looking. Maybe they will be sympathetic and give you a break or let you use part of your first/last you gave them, but I really don't think anything is their business. You don't want them to start looking for a new tenant - that just adds to the stress.

 

I think that if you saw the landlord every day - maybe. But for someone you only really heard from once - nope.

 

I agree with this^^^^^^^

[Huntress0527]

No, I didn't let my landlord know that my husband is out of work. As long as you pay on time it's none of their business. I also second everything abitbroken said!

[Batya33]

Agree with abitbroken - you can truthfully say, if it comes to needing more time to pay, that you had enough to cover x number of months despite the unemployment and you did not anticipate the unemployment lasting this long.

[hers]

Ok. I guess it's better not to write him then b

[david7]

Nope. As long as you can pay the rent, it is none of their business. If they are a personal friend, then maybe. But I would really just stick to keeping it to your self and doing the best you can to pay. Should there come a time when you can't afford where you are, start looking for a cheaper place and tell the landlord why you are looking. Maybe they will be sympathetic and give you a break or let you use part of your first/last you gave them, but I really don't think anything is their business. You don't want them to start looking for a new tenant - that just adds to the stress.

 

I think that if you saw the landlord every day - maybe. But for someone you only really heard from once - nope.

 

I agree with this too.

[blueidealist24]

I wouldn't say anything unless you have difficulty paying the rent. You wouldn't want him worrying that you can't pay when you really have enough savings to do so.

[hers]

This thread is a few months old. We did end up tellinghim but not till after my husband secured another job. and the only reason we told him was bc we needed to send rent late bc his last unemployment check and his first paycheck had a large gap of time in between and it was going to mess us up some. But he was understanding and cooperative about our paying late. He's a nice guy.