Questions to Ask Before Signing a Lease

Questions to Ask Before Signing a Lease

Asking the right questions to your prospective landlord or property manager before signing a lease is very important.  A lease agreement is a contractual agreement between the tenant and landlord, allowing the tenant to pay for the rent of the property owned by the landlord. When you meet your prospective landlord, take advantage of the time to ask all possible questions you have in mind so you can make sure you are well prepared and comfortable stay during your entire lease.  

• How is rent the paid? All landlords have their own way on how they will accept the rent payment. Some landlords accept check payment to be sent to a specific location. And many landlords are now accepting online rent payment because it’s more convenient to tenants.

• Ask what happens when you fail to pay the rent. There are different things that your landlord can do if you fail to pay your rent. Examples are: some landlord might right away send you a notice if late payment is frequent, some will just ask for late payment fee, and some might report you to a credit reporting agency.

• Is the security deposit refundable? Most of the time, renters get their security deposit back as long as there’s no major damage on the property has done.

• Ask your landlord if there is any utility bill included in the rent and what are utilities you are responsible to pay if there’s any. Some rental properties cover few utility expenses and let the rest of the utility bills to the renter to pay.

• If you have a pet, ask if you are allowed to keep pets in the apartment. And what is the pet policy (if applicable? There are landlords who do not accept a pet in their rental property due to possible damage to property. And there are also some landlords who accept a pet in their rental property but might charge you with either pet deposit, pet fee or pet rent. So it is important to know about your landlord’s pet policy right from the beginning.

• Can you get a co-tenant? To save some money, some tenant’s get a co-tenant to split the payment for rent. But ensure to ask your landlord first if you are allowed to do so and what are the necessary steps you should do before getting a co-tenant.

• To what extent you can decorate or personalize your unit? Renting in an apartment normally does not allow you to make any decoration or personalize your apartment unit in the way you want it to look like.

• How will the landlord or property manager manage their maintenance issue? There will be unexpected times when something in your unit apartment stop working or break. And so it is important to ask your prospective landlord who is responsible for fixing these issues or what is your landlord’s responsibility in fixing it.

It is important to read everything, understand and know what you should ask the landlord before signing a lease to know your rights and responsibilities. It will help protect you from any surprises about the property’s regulations.