The homes for rent are the properties of a person who doesn’t live there but earns a profit by costing others to live temporarily. It means you need not be tied to the property for the long term, and you may live in a rented home for any period like six months, one year, two years, or five years for your work purposes or others. People prefer rental houses either for saving bills of repairs, taxes, insurance, and other architectural expenses or for the flexibility of location changes.

If you have started looking for a rental property, you must be aware of all the aspects of safe and comfortable living.

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8 points you cannot ignore if you’re taking a home on rent

1. Research about the locality

Even before knowing about the house, you must research well about the amenities in the locality. Make sure an excellent workplace, an educational institution, transportation facility, and social infrastructures like hospitals, markets, and bank branches are all in proximity to your prospective house.

Research about the locality pricing like traveling costs, cost of necessities like bread and butter, and expenses of a restaurant if there is any. The owner needs to inform all paid and unpaid services such as door-to-door service charges, extra parking venue, swimming pool, club, and RWA to the tenant.

All the facilities are a must for smooth and safe day-to-day living operations. Moreover, it can be an added advantage if the locality has CCTV surveillance systems and guards to protect homes, social infrastructure, and vehicles.

2. Carefully read the rent agreement

Observing the fraudulent acts which have become common, it becomes vital to take every action appropriately. Before finalizing the rent agreement, carefully read between the lines. Make sure the period, costs, terms and conditions, and rules and regulations are aligning with your agreed terms. For instance, read the clauses and confirm who would pay the maintenance charges of water, taxes, electricity board, wiring, outdoor damage repair, heavy interior damages, wall coloring, etc.

Read the apparent inclusions in the rental agreement. The key points to remember are

Including start and end date of the tenancy
Frequency and amount of rent payment
Service charges
Security deposit amount paid
About the termination of the agreement
Provisions like power water and electricity facility

Finding any statement disagreeable in the original document, immediately revert to the landlord. Only after clarifying, make your signatures and fix the deal.

3. Visual appeal of the home

Visual appeal matters the most. It should be appealing enough to create memories. The architecture, decoration, and setting are crux points to make you feel comfortable and fresh in it.

Check if the apartment is freshly painted and designed. If your first visit demands a change in the setting for next time, do perform before shifting. Besides, fix with the owner about the professional cleanup of every corner, cabinet, fixture, counter, and carpet. Also take some time to ensure the pest-free site with no bugs and dens.

4. Observe the infrastructure condition

If the tenant pays for a fully furnished house, he has the right to check the goods’ condition. All the appliances and furniture should be in the working condition and aesthetically appealing. All the taps and bathroom tiles must not have leakage. It is the most inconvenient factor if the newcomer finds the bathroom sink dropped, electrical fixtures broken, constantly running tabs, and lights not working.

If your agreement doesn’t ensure the granted goods, it’s your responsibility to do the basic personal check and fix everything, including plumbing, sanitary, and electrical fittings, before shifting.

5. Make a note of your rights

Since it is someone else’s property, you would not be accessible to all the owner’s rights. You need to go through the rent agreement to check your limited rights. You can consult about them with the lender in case of any confusion or demand for an additional facility. For example, a landlord does not have any issue with your visitors’ background and lifestyle. He is allowed to reach or leave home at any time of day and night, late or early. Whatever the case is, he is not liable to ask to vacate the property as long as the agreement’s duration exists.

6. Spying

Sometimes, mere transparency between the landlord and the tenant is not sufficient. It would help if you visited the neighbors to know their opinions about the past experiences of previous tenants, locality, and landlord. Neighbors can give a clear and honest picture of the authenticity of the property.

Besides, perform the rudimentary checking of meters before stepping into the rented accommodation. Check the accuracy of the bills, electric meters, and their dues. It is vital to update the maintenance charges to avoid future disputes.

7. Ensuring safety

Safety is the prominent point to ponder upon. Ensure the working condition of doors, windows, and locks. One may ask for the number of thefts that occurred in the locality during the past. Also, get an update about the recent chemical activities done in or around the house to remember for the safety of your pet or children.

Additionally, check the lighting system in the street, garage, and around the house landscape. There could be incompatible switchboards and broken switchplates, which can harm you or your children.

Ask the Wi-Fi network credentials of the area and lockdown them. Moreover, check the security cameras, and if they are not any, install them as per the requirement.

Most importantly, the lease agreement should have the signature of a credible authority to ensure overall property safety.

8. Agreement period and rent increase percentage

The agreement between the owner and tenant should clearly state the lock-in period. After the minimum stay duration, you should know what the conditions would be. There should be a discussion on the advance notice period for vacating the flat, rent increase percentage in case of continuance, and permitted hikes in rent. Also, it would be good if you had confirmed the rent-paying date and the possession of flat documents.