Whenever I have landed in a new city, I have found that it’s quite convenient to rent an apartment. But I have also experienced that finding an apartment was just the first step. There were many other steps to go with it, and here’s what I learned to ask a potential landlord or a leasing office before renting their property :
i) When to move-in?
Once, I was told that I could occupy the apartment in a week’s time, so I walked into the leasing office with my baggage while the apartment was not ready to move-in yet. The carpet was not cleaned, the walls were not painted and the faucets were still leaking. So, please get the moving-in date cleared to the last minute and hour.
ii) What’s the length of lease and penalties for breaking it?
What happens a lot of the times is that, we commit to a lease of 6 months or 11 months, but are unable to honor it as our job can force us to move to a new location unexpectedly. Hence its very important to know the length of the lease period and what would be the lease breakage charges if any; would it be 50% of the deposit amount or 25% of the deposit amount etc.
iii) What are the utilities/amenities included in the rent amount?
A few apartments which are semi-furnished, provide us with lot of utilities. So, make sure you have a list of the items and the ones that need to be replaced/replenished before you vacate the place. The amenities could include car-park area, swimming pool, badminton/tennis courts etc. Always make full use of the amenities provided.
iv) Are there restrictions on guest visits or having pets?
A lot of rental houses pose a restriction on pets and their habits, while some of them charge an extra amount for lawn maintenance due to pets. Even guests are unwelcome in some apartments, due to security/parking reasons. So, it becomes very important to find out about these restrictions.
v) What is the rental due date and mode of payment?
The most important of all questions is the due date for paying the rent. You may unnecessarily ending up paying a let fee by not knowing this date. Also, some leasing offices accept cards and/or cheques and a very few of them handle cash. So, make sure about the mode of payment at your rental house.
This post was first published on Yahoo Network
crazyrals 