Whether you’re looking for a high-rise apartment or a single-family home, deciding to sign a new lease is a big deal. You don’t want to commit yourself to anything until you have all the facts in-hand. With that in mind, we’ve laid out four essential questions to ask when you’re searching for your next rental. These should give you a clear picture of what you can expect if you decide to sign on the dotted line.
What are the terms – and costs – of the lease?
Ideally, if you’re seriously considering renting the apartment, you’ll know when the lease starts, but there are other terms that you to consider, as well. You should inquire how long the lease lasts and if there are any pertinent rules or regulations that you should be made aware of before you sign on the dotted line, including any policies regarding guests or subletting.
In addition, you’ll want to get a sense of the overall costs of renting the unit. Obviously, you’ll want to find out how much the monthly rent will be, but you’ll also want to ask about upfront costs like whether you’ll be expected to provide the first and last month’s rent upon move-in or if there’s a security deposit. You should also ask about utilities. Find out which ones, if any, are included in the lease and find out how much the others cost so that you can total up how much you’d spend each month in housing costs.
Are pets allowed? If so, is there a fee?
Obviously, if you have pets, you’re going to want to find a rental that is pet-friendly. However, keep in mind that not all leases are created equal. In addition to simply finding out if pets are allowed, you’re going to want to ask follow-up questions. Find out what the landlord’s specific pet-related policies are, such as restrictions against certain breeds or limits on weight.
Even if you don’t have pets quite yet, if you can see them in your future, you may want to consider going pet-friendly from the get-go. In either scenerio, you’ll also want to ask if there is an additional fee for having a pet under your lease. Sometimes landlords collect additional deposits to cover the cost of fixing any potential damage that a pet might incur.
What happens if there’s a maintenance issue? Who should I call?
The reality is, you’re never going to find an apartment completely maintenance-free. Clogged garbage disposals and broken HVAC units happen to the best of us. When it’s your turn to have a maintenance issue, you don’t want to frantically be searching for the right person to call. Instead, ask who’s responsible for the work so that you know up front and get that person’s number on speed dial.
You should also ask if there are any maintenance tasks that you’d be responsible for as the tenant. Sometimes tenants will be expected to do some ongoing tasks like landscaping or snow removal. You’ll want to know ahead of time what’s expected of you so that you can decide whether or not you’re willing to take on that level of upkeep.
What will it take to break the lease?
No one likes to go into a new lease thinking that they’ll need to break it, but sometimes unavoidable life circumstances do get in the way. No matter why you may want to leave, it’s a good idea to find out what it takes to break the lease before you agree to move in. You could be required to pay the remaining months rent, face legal action, or receive a negative mark on your credit report.
If you find out that the consequences of breaking the lease are too steep to realistically face, you may want to inquire about the landlord’s policies on subletting. That way, if things were to go sour with that living arrangement, you’d still have the option to find someone to pay your rent for the remainder of the lease while you move on to greener pastures.