Checklist For Signing A Lease With A New Landlord

When one finds the right apartment, one tends to sign the lease in a hurry but this excitement often leads to mistakes. Before committing to any lease for rent, you should be sure about what you are getting into. It’s very tempting to lease a new apartment while overlooking important issues related to provisions and other details. While most agreements end well there are instances of many people having to face the heat due to their ignorance of the clauses in the agreement. To ensure a peaceful occupancy and a simple exit, you should check out the following things before signing up the lease.

1. Is the condition of the property documented?

While renting a car, you will always look for any pre-existing dents and have them documented. An apartment is the same. Don’t sign the contract until you are absolutely satisfied with the condition of the property and in case of any deficiencies, have them documented. A thorough home inspection is important because it helps you determine if everything in the house works or not, if there is any damage from before and making notes of such deficiencies if present. Your landlord should provide you with a list of all the components that he has fitted into the house before you have taken over. It should include proper itemisation, along with separate lists for separate rooms. The kitchen and washrooms should have especially detailed lists, along with the acknowledgement of the working condition of each of them.

2. Is there a possibility of you having roommates?

You may believe that it’s common for people to live with roommates in rental houses and apartments but that does not mean it is something all landlords allow. If you sign a lease with a roommate too, a situation might arise wherein, they have to move out and someone else will want to move in. You should not assume that it is alright to do so without the permission of the landlord. Get to know what the rules are. The same advice should be followed for subletting too.

3. Are there any clauses for landlord inspection?

Almost every lease has some sort of clause that allows the landlord to inspect the property once you have moved in there. However, the terms and conditions of that inspection vary hugely. You should be especially careful of any language that enables the landlord to visit the property for an inspection unannounced and more careful for any language that provides for unlimited inspections. As you can probably imagine, it will be inconvenient if this happens regularly. You should try your best to keep these inspections limited and never without prior and proper notice, along with a suitable reason. Most places have laws that provide substantial rights to people who live in rental properties. You should look out for any provisions added with subtlety into the lease that attempts to restrict those rights.