Once you move off-campus, there is no longer a campus public safety officer at your beck and call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So when you lock yourself out of your room at midnight on a Sunday, they won’t be there within five minutes to let you in. Well, who do you call? Your landlord.

Now your landlord may not be the easiest person to deal with. Chances are he manages several other properties and has a lot of other issues to deal with. However, when you have a problem that needs immediate action, you need to get him to take care of it as soon as possible. CL has four tips to help you be as classy as possible when calling your landlord.

Get to the point. When you call your landlord, he doesn’t want to hear a sob story. Tell him exactly what is wrong and what he needs to take care of. If you are locked out of your house, tell him just that. He is much more likely to respond positively and quickly if you seem to be calm and rational.

Be firm. Don’t let your landlord walk all over you. If you need something done that day, tell him that he needs to be there. If he is late, call him and ask where he is and how much longer he will be. If you are not firm with him, he will take his time and you may never see him.

Make a list. If you have multiple issues that need the landlord’s attention, make him a list. This will be easier for him and you. He can take care of all of your problems at the same time, which will hopefully make living in your house a lot better.

Be classy! No matter how difficult a situation becomes, don’t lose your cool. Never yell at your landlord or lose control of the situation because nothing will get solved that way. Keeping a level head or taking control of the situation will help get things done as quickly as possible.

Dealing with a landlord may be difficult at first, but if you show him that you are assertive and in control, he will be there to help. If you’re having problems your landlord can’t solve, be sure to check out Alyssa’s article with CL’s Roommate Rules.