It is extremely important to find out whether a prospective place can be deemed to be suitable for your stay. Moving with all the things you’ve accumulated over time to a new place is not an easy thing to do usually and it’s bound to be a rigorous, demanding and stressful activity. The legal technicalities of renting and leasing, that most people do not really enjoy busying themselves with, also take up a lot of time and patience when you move to a new place that you have bought/rented/leased. All of this I think underscore the importance of finding a place that is most likely to satisfy your needs and meet your preferences.

Once you sign the lease or rental agreement you are legally bound to the apartment even if you later find it isn’t really what you want. Asking the landlord or builder questions ahead of time can save you a great deal of money and grief. Before you go to look at an apartment, it is a good idea to think what you need to ask the landlord beforehand and prepare a list if you think it would be useful.

1. Look at the lease and find out how much the rent is. Along with the monthly rent, you need to find out which day of the month the rent is due, the length of the term covered and under what circumstances you are allowed to break the agreement. Rental agreements are often made for a period of 11 months, with a provision of an increase in the rent of 5%-15% when it’s renewed. Some landlords might allow tenants to break a lease if they can prove they’ve been transferred to another location for their job or have purchased a house.

1. Figure out your expenses. What is the deposit? It’s common to pay a deposit that equals 5-10 months’ rent for most regions in Bangalore. Do you need to pay the deposit when you sign the lease or when you move in? Are there fees the renter automatically takes out of your deposit, such as charges for painting or repair?

1. Ask about the utilities. What utilities are you responsible for? What is the average cost of utilities for the size of the unit you are planning to rent? The utilities can make a huge difference in the cost of the apartment, so it is very important to get as much information about the utilities as possible.

1. Check if you can have your preferred satellite/cable TV provider in the building. Also try to find out if you can have your favourite telecom/Internet connection there as well.

1. Look into your lease/rental options for the flat/house. Make sure you and the landlord are on the same page about how much freedom you have to use the premises that you’re paying the rent for. Are you allowed to take in a roommate? How much can you use the areas that seem common? Are you allowed to sub-let the apartment? These questions are all important in case you reach a point where you can’t really afford the apartment, or if you have a friend or relative that you want to move in together with you. Especially try to look ahead at least for the next two-three years and see what kind of things you might need.

Tips:

• It helps to sit down first, think of your concerns and write down the questions you have. Obviously when you see the actual place you will have more questions that you can add to your list.
• Never take the broker’s word for a solid assurance without checking with the owner and confirming. If you are told something like a special exception can be made for you which is not normally allowed, try to get it in the agreement so they can’t renege on it later.

For more tips on questions to ask before you rent an apartment, please check our previous article here.

For a more exhaustive list of useful questions, please visit http://www.degraeve.com/reference/questions-to-ask-before-renting.php