What questions should I ask my potential landlord before renting?
Asked by
Jellie (
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May 25th, 2011
I am currently looking to shift my residence and am looking at places for rent. There is one place that I really like and suits my needs but since this is the first time I’m going to be renting a place and going through the formalities, I’m nervous about a few things. What questions should I ask my landlord before confirming a deal? Or to put it another way, what assurances shall I get from him?
Also please answer this question generally and not specific to any particular rent act/law in any country as it may not apply to me.
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14 Answers
How much is down payment? Are utilities covered? Is parking provided? How long is lease? What are options if you wish to renew? [if relevant—do you allow pets?]
I’d ask about the crime rate in the area if its new to you, are any utilities includes, rent, generally about how much will rent go up annually, things of that nature .. You may also google the apartment complex and check reviews, that would probably be pretty accurate as to what sort of place its like to live in.. (:
Here’s a list of 100+ Questions you can ask the landlord.
There are just too many questions you can ask, so I figured it would be best that I link some of them instead of typing out a long list.
I would get specifics on parking, visitors, pets, noise issues, how they handle tenant disputes, and how they deal with needed repairs.
What you should look at is the rental agreement. That is the document that will cover the relationship including what the landlord will do and what you are required to do.
Is the deposit refundable? Under what circumstances? If it is a house, Is the mortgage up to date? (Right now a lot of people are bailing on their mortgage, moving out, and renting the house until it is foreclosed. It’s important to make sure you don’t rent one of those houses.)
Is it a lease or a month to month? Who is responsible for utilities? Water? Garbage? Sewer? Electricity? Gas? What about the yard? Pest control? Pool? Who does maintenance?
Any Rules I should be aware of? Any decorating restrictions?
Make absolutely sure that the landlord is current on the mortgage and that there is no chance that the property is going to be foreclosed upon.
Not exactly on topic, but close: After you move in, plan to take detailed photos of all damage you find in your apartment. If it’s not too bad, you can simply fill out the form (they usually give you a form). Anyway, turn in that to the landlord in the first week or so, and keep a copy of everything for yourself. Some landlords have been known to blame damage done by previous tenants on the current one. This will protect you when it’s time to move again.
Another thing that can be troublesome: some larger-scale landlords have coin-operated laundry machines, which can be expensive… & they don’t always work well, costing even more money.
If you have trouble dealing with difficult people, meet the neighbors before signing any leases
You probably might want to talk to current or previous tenants or even find reviews online, if its a larger landlord company (honestly, I’m a bit hesitant to rent from many of these). if you can, find them on your own, rather than the ones your landlord would want you to talk to. Ask them if they know any other tennants, also… there definitely are slumlords around, who don’t maintain their places, yet will love to sue or fine as many tenants as they can get away with, & are just otherwise cold people. Others are responsible with some sense of basic decency, & while hopefully it won’t matter, but there are times when it makes a world of difference when a person with so much power over your living conditions is relatively reasonable & caring.
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