100 Questions to Ask Before Renting

Mon, 16 May 2011 04:00:03 +0100

After being in Real Estate for more than 10 years, I’ve gotten around to making a list of questions that I always consider before consulting on any property to one of my clients. There are a different set of questions that I ask for my clients who are planning to rent. Here are some of them below:

General
• How much is the rent?
• Do they need a security deposit? How much?
• Do they need first month's rent? How about last month's rent?
• How long is the lease?
• What is the penalty for terminating the lease early?
• Is there an application fee? How much?
• Are utilities included?
• Can you sublet?
• Do the people in the rental office seem intelligent / seem like they care?
• Who does apartment maintenance and how do they handle it? Are they on call 24/7?

The Apartment Building
• Are the floors wood beam supported or concrete? (bouncy/not bouncy)
• Central Air? Radiators? Electric Heat? In wall AC? AC at all?
• Elevator?
• Smoke alarms?
• Sprinklers?
• Alarms tied to Fire Station?
• Do windows open?
• Does the roof leak?
• Are the windows drafty?
• What condition are the floors in? Is the carpet soft/clean? Is the hardwood splintering?
• Is there enough closet space?
• Where will you store your vacuum cleaner?
• Where will you store your bicycle?
• Can you have a grill on your balcony?
• Does the fireplace work?
• Can you control the heat?
• Can you have a real Christmas tree?
• is there a screen door slide on the balcony?
• Does the slider lock securely?
• Is there a peep hole on the door?
• How do you let someone into the building?
• Can you monitor the front door / lobby from the apartment?
• Can you paint the walls?
• Do they allow pets? How about fish tanks? Is there a pet fee?
• Do they allow water beds?
• Is there a storage room? How big? How much does it cost?
• Is there laundry in the building/complex?
• How and where are UPS/FedEx deliveries left?
• Will your couch fit through the door?
• How about your box spring?

Kitchen
• Gas or Electric Stove?
• Kitchen sink disposal?
• Kitchen Sink sprayer?
• Microwave included in kitchen?
• How old are the appliances?
• How loud is the dishwasher?

Bathroom
• Is there a bathtub or just shower?
• Does the bathroom vent effectively?
• If the bathroom door is open, can you see the toilet from the living room?
• Are there enough towel racks in the bathroom?
• Is there enough shelf space in the bathroom?
• Are the vanity lights bright enough to shave cleanly / apply makeup effectively?

Home Office
• Are there enough outlets to plug stuff in?
• Is broadband/DSL available?
• What cable company services the city?
• Can you have 2 phone lines? (separate fax line)

Parking
• Is parking included?
• How much for a parking spot?
• Is it assigned?
• Permit from city required to park?
• What about guest parking?
• Who plows the snow?
• Is it tandem parking and will you have to coordinate parking times with the other tenants?

Neighborhood
• Do you get cell phone reception?
• Car insurance rates higher/lower?
• When is trash pickup?
• Near public transportation?
• Near a grocery store?
• Near a gas station?
• Walking distance to a bar?
• Are there sidewalks to run on?
• Is there a health club? Does it suck? When is it open? Can you bring a guest?
• Is there a pool? Does it suck? When is it open? Can you bring a guest?
• Are there tennis/basketball/volleyball courts? Do they suck? When are they open? Can you bring a guest?
• Is there a playground? Is it safe? Is it near a road? Can you hear it from your apartment?
• Is the area fully developed? Are they going to put up a new building across the street and ruin your view?
• Is it easy to get to a highway?
• What are the traffic patterns during rush hour?
• Is the apartment address easy to find?
• Are there good take-out places nearby?
• Where is the nearest cleaners?
• Where is the nearest 24 hour drug store?
• Where is the nearest House of worship?
• Where is the nearest Wal-Mart?
• Where is the nearest laundromat?
• Is there a history of theft, vandalism or other crimes?

Potential Nuisances
• How much noise comes through the walls? Are they party walls?
• Do headlights come in the windows from passing traffic?
• Do street lights shine in the bedroom windows?
• Can you hear people in the hallway?
• Can you hear the elevator?
• What are the other tenants like? (look at the cars in the lot)
• How noisy are they?
• Do they have children?
• Do kids live upstairs who will run around early in the morning on weekends and wake you up?
• Are there students living in the building?
• Are there businesses across the street that open early (before you want to wake up) and make a lot of noise?
• Is there an intersection nearby that causes traffic to back up with the result of people honking their horns in front of your windows?
• Can you hear traffic from nearby roads/highways?
• Do airplanes constantly fly over your roof?
• Can you hear the guy who lives below you snore all night?
• Are there bugs?
• Is the building old and require constant maintenance?
• Do the people with the balcony below/above/next to the apartment smoke? Does that smoke come into the apartment?
• Do the people with the balcony below/above/next to the apartment sit on their balcony on their phone constantly?
• Is there a bar across the street that has live music at night? Do they leave the door open so the whole neighborhood can hear the music?
• Are there dogs nearby that bark constantly?
• Are you near a park that will cause people to take your parking spot and turn around in your driveway?
• Is the apartment on a street that is a commuters' shortcut?
• Have there been mold or mildew problems in the apartment or adjacent apartments?

Tips
• Avoid the cheapest place available. There will be riff-raff, dents in your car doors, broken beer bottles, and screaming kids.

Checklist Before Renting

Mon, 16 May 2011 03:54:40 +0100

1. Ask yourself what you want. This seems simple enough, but it can be the question which keeps you from paying an extra $50 per month to have a tennis court when you don't even play tennis. Ask yourself if you want lots of amenities or just a nice location within walking or short driving distance of schools and features. Will paying less but driving further to work be worth it? Prioritize the features you want in an apartment or rental home before you look so you don't get dazzled by lengthy descriptions later on.

1. Ask around. Before you sign a contract, try to talk to a few of your future neighbours. Find out if maintenance follows through, if there are any problem tenants and if they would sign a lease for the same place all over again. See if anyone will tell you what the utilities usually run per month (if they're not included in the rent).

1. Read the fine print. Breaking a lease, having pets, adding roommates later and making decorative alterations are all questions you should have the answer to before you sign away six to twelve months of your future income. Also consider that although a place without a lot of rules is liberating, it may also be a sign of general indifference about how they run their rentals. Thinking about the fine print may have you returning to the first item on your checklist again and again - what do you want in a rental?

1. You live in a big city where apartments get rented out quickly, so you don't have a lot of time to think about your checklist, but don't feel bullied into a decision. Once you're seated at the leasing agent's desk you should take advantage of your opportunity to ask about the details. Have your questions written down so they know that you're organized about your decision. Good luck!

Unfurnished Suites

Mon, 16 May 2011 03:47:55 +0100

Definitely the most common way to rent out a suite - renting unfurnished is definitely the step before you buy your first home. There are st

Furnished Suites

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:48:37 +0100

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Furnished & Unfurnished

100 Questions to Ask Before Renting

Checklist Before Renting

Unfurnished Suites

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