Codes of Ethics

Every industry has acceptable behaviors that people must follow. Legal law helps maintain acceptable behaviors by punishing people who conduct unacceptable behaviors. However, there some behaviors are sophisticated, such that they are beyond the scope of legal law. Such situations are best approached using ethical codes, which outline what is acceptable in conflicting choices. Ethical codes are used to enforce general ethical principles as illustrated in the Texas Apartment Association, as shown in the provided Bed Bug Addendum.

Follow The Law

In the apartment lease contract, the code of ethics extends the reach of legal law in ensuring tenants and landlords honor the lease agreement. For instance, renters are obliged to pay rent before the first day of each month. In that case, the landlord specified when the rent is due; otherwise, the tenant will violate the contract (law). The contract abides renters to Texas law, such that they cannot offset rent unless with legal approval, usually an affidavit. The lease depends on the protection of the state laws, which details what is lawful for tenants and landlords. In

Be Honest And Transparent

When filing in the moving–in–general information of the apartment lease contract, parties are required to be honest. Precisely, they should provide correct details about themselves, such as names and addresses. The landlord should declare all the costs of the rental lease contract and the due dates for all processes, such as payment of rent and move out. Honesty and transparency abide landlords to declare the services and utilities available in their properties to avoid deceptive advertising. That way, renters are protected from hidden charges, deceptive contracts, and unlawful termination of the lease.

Maintain Confidentiality

On the same section moving in – general information and the summary of key information, renters provide their personal information, which the abiding parties should protect. In a country where identity theft is a critical threat to people, both the landlord and the renter should keep the details of the contract confidential. While the landlord access personal details about the renter, the renter also becomes aware of the property’s ownership, which is an informal financial declaration of the landlord to the renter. Both the renter and landlord enter into a commitment to respect the sensitive nature of the information each declares. That means non shall distribute or share personal information and address of their abiding party. Maintaining privacy conforms to the privacy laws enforced by the state.

Give Credit Where It Deserves

On general clauses, the move-out procedure requires renters to comment on the reason and rate their experience in the apartment. On this, the code of ethics requires that people give credit where it deserves. If the lease experience has been good, they should indicate that, and if it did not meet their expectation, they should indicate why. The state laws require the tenant’s security deposit to be refunded 30 days after moving out (Texas State Law Library, 2021). However, corrupt landlords claim the contract was breached to avoid refunding the renters. The code of ethics requires that they give credit where it deserves, honors their clients’ commitment, and refund the security deposit.

Avoid Conflict Of Interest

Lastly, all the sections of the document ensure that the lease is fair, such that there is no conflict of interest. The landlord is after making profits, while the renter is after quality and affordable housing. Ensuring that both provide honest information and abides by the tenancy agreement meets the needs of both the landlord and the tenant. Therefore, the landlord shall not be deceptive to lure clients into leasing substandard houses, apply hidden charges, or refuse to refund their security deposits. On the other hand, renters shall not use fake identities and the apartment for purposes not declared in the apartment lease contract. Overall, the codes of ethics ensure acceptable behavior in the rental industry before they escalate to be controlled by legal law.

References

Texas State Law Library. (2021). Landlord/Tenant Law. Texas State Law Library. Retrieved 6 October 2021, from https://guides.sll.texas.gov/landlord-tenant-law/security-deposits.