Questions to Ask When you Rent

You have finally found it, the perfect apartment, the one that you have been dreaming of for years and the one that you want to spend the rest of your life in - or at least the next few years.

However, everyone knows that nothing is that perfect and your mission, before you sign the lease, is to find out what is wrong and get it fixed.

After all, you don't want to have to live with a leaking dishwasher, dripping tap, broken door or noisy neighbours for the next year do you?

In The Beginning

When you first come across the advertisement for the apartment and decide to follow it through with a call, there are a few things you should bear in mind.

First of all, you should clarify exactly what is being described to you in the advert. You must try to work through the estate agent speak, for example, a cozy outdoor space could actually mean a little patio overshadowed by a tall office block.

You should find out what the total square footage of the apartment is along with the size of each room and then double check the rent and the availability of the apartment.

In The Apartment

If after the initial telephone conversation you decide to go and view the apartment then you should go with a few things in mind.

For a start, whilst walking through, you should check that all of the appliances work and that all of the sinks drain without and leaks.

Check things like storage space, any traces of insects or rodents and if there is enough natural light in the apartment.

You should also enquire as to whether the apartment will be professionally cleaned before you move in and, if it looks a bit grotty, you are well within you're rights to ask the landlord to paint the rooms.

Also, try and make a trip to the area at different times of the day to check out what the difference is. Your neighbours, for example, may be noisy at night time, or perhaps the area gets a little scarier during the late hours.

Before Putting Pen to Paper

So you have walked through the apartment and still want to go ahead and move in, there are still some questions that need to be asked before you sign the lease.

First of all, be prepared to negotiate. You may have come across things when you walked through the apartment that weren't necessarily up to standards and it is these things that will enable you to get the rent on the apartment lowered to make up for them.

You will need to find out exactly when the rent is due, how to pay it and what the landlord will do if the rent is paid late - for example, you may have to pay a late fee.

And finally, you will need to find out when you can pick up the keys and move your stuff in. Once you have found this out, you can start the preparations for moving day.

However, amid all the excitement you must remember to get a copy of the lease and keep it in a safe place.