Questions to Ask Before Picking a Rental Property
When you make the decision to move into a new home, there are a lot of questions that you need to have answered. You need to know what you can afford, whether you should stay in the same neighborhood, how many rooms you need, and more. Another big decision to make is whether or not you will be purchasing or renting a home.
While there are both positives and negatives to both, once the decision is made, there are a number of questions to be asked. This article specifically will be taking a look at what questions ought to be asked if you decide to take the rental route.
How Will Maintenance be Handled?
How will the property maintenance be handled? Should you be making the repairs yourself or will the landlord handle them? What about emergency repairs? If your potential landlord says that you are responsible for any repairs, find out how they plan on reimbursing you for any associated costs and your time. Keep in mind, that a rental property is still their property so any repairs that you make will be benefiting their pocket – and therefore should not be hurting yours.
What About Pets?
Being upfront about having or hoping to get a pet in the future is a mature way of approaching a relationship with your potential landlord. Often times, if they are open to pets you will be expected to pay some sort of security deposit to cover any sort of damage that your pet might cause.
Utilities
How are utilities factored into your rent and your monthly budget? Ask your potential landlord if you will be responsible for paying the utilities or if the cost the utilities are included in your monthly rent. It is crucial that you take the time to figure out the details about your monthly utility bills prior to signing the lease in order to ensure that you can afford the rental property without breaking your budget.
Breaking the LeaseThis is an absolutely critical question to ask before signing any lease: What’s the penalty for breaking the lease early? Most leases have a time limit and a repercussion for breaking the lease. The reality is that life happens, things change, situations arise, and sometimes you end up needing to move prior to your lease being up. Although it might be awkward to ask, it is absolutely important that you find out the fee in advance so you can add it into your budget should you need to move.
Making the Property Your Own
Are there any changes can you make to the property without upsetting your landlord? Ask your landlord how much you can alter the home. Can you paint the walls? If so what are the parameters? Are you allowed to paint them a bright color? What about making holes in the wall to hang pictures, or hang accent pieces? Not being able to decorate your home the way you want may impact your decision. Knowing this information ahead of time can make a huge impact on your overall feeling of the house. Keep in mind that if your landlord says “no” to painting or hanging pictures, there are other ways that you can make the house your own, however, it can take some serious creativity and time.