Questions To Ask The Landlord Before Renting His Apartment

Apartment hunting is not the easiest thing around. You may find
places not suited to your tastes or those which do are not to
your budget. Eventually, you may have to settle for something a
little less than perfect or if you’re lucky, you may just find a
home you love. However, before you finalise on the apartment,
there are a few questions you need to ask the landlord so that
there is no reason for disagreement later on during the lease
period. In fact, some of the points mentioned below may also be
included in the agreement for your safety so that the landlord
doesn’t go back on his word.  When will the unit be
available for occupation? If it’s ready to occupy and it’s
impractical for you to move in immediately, you may have to
negotiate with the landlord so that you don’t pay for unoccupied
time.  How much is the rent payable and when is it due
every month? How much is the security deposit and is it fully
refundable?  Is there a penalty fee for late payment of
the rent?  What are the terms for renewing the lease?
 Are pets allowed and if not, would it be possible to
have pets if you paid a pet deposit? If a pet-deposit policy is
in place, is it refundable if there's no damage caused to be
found when you move out?  What are the conditions if
you have to move out before the lease expires? Even if you may
think you won’t have to move out for a long time, it’s better to
keep your options safe and negotiate secure terms should you
need to move out earlier than the expiry of the lease period.
 Are any utilities included in your agreement? What are
typical bill amounts in different seasons?  Are you
allowed to share your unit with roommates and what is the policy
on subletting the place?  Can you paint the walls or
make other decorating changes?  Are you allowed to run
a home business from your apartment?  Who will be
responsible for property maintenance?  Who are your
neighbours?  How close is the nearest post office,
grocery store, bank, restaurant and public transportation?
 Asking these questions only avoids any cause for
disagreement in the future between you and your landlord.