Face Your Fears with RB: Negotiating and Communicating with Your Property Owner

Filipino culture has ingrained upon the youth that those older than them must be respected at all times. By the conventional meaning of respect, it refers to blindly obeying what authorities say, without having the chance to voice out what the young ones need and want to express.

Communication is a valuable skill that an individual must nurture. It is a dialectical exchange among parties, and not a one-way relation. So in celebration of the Halloween Season, Rentalbee believes it’s the perfect time to face your fears. Be bold and challenge the norms by leveling up your healthy negotiating and communicating game! Here are the ways:

1. Devise your course of action.

You will encounter different situations in which you will have to converse with your property owner: from inquiring about the coliving space amenities and price range, to verifying information on the lease and business operation documents, to asking for help in any room-related issues. Before you meet them, do your homework and gather as many relevant facts and perspectives as you can about the property, the landlord, and the roomie community. This background knowledge will help you plan out the possible responses to unique discussions!

2. Keep calm, but be assertive.

Keep a clear, focused mind, by engaging in the conversation with your property owner with utmost confidence, but do not overdo it, though! What this means is that you stand up for matters of importance to you, because you deserve to be heard. For example, if you feel like the renting deal and payment terms are unfair, or if there’s something about the room you would want to scrutinize, feel free to do so in a respectful manner. Being critical can also save yourself from getting deceived by property owners with malicious intentions. You’d want to be known as the “Model Roomie,” but never shrink yourself to accomodate for others.

3. Know the power you hold.

If conflict with your property owners arises (which is unlikely if you rent with Rentalbee!), it is vital to know your boundaries. There are a lot of novice roomies whose coliving lives are miserable, because they do not know how to leave the door when it is necessary, or report to respective authorities in the instances where property owners take advantage of roomies who are clueless of their rights and safety nets.

Developing your interpersonal resources such as communication skills will also make you a holistic roomie, and an even more decent person towards people you will be interacting with as you progress through adulthood. Just always remember that it is valid for the youth to initiate meaningful dialogues with older people, or people with authority, especially if you will both benefit from it!

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