Are you ready to move out of your parents’ home or the college dorm? Chances are you’ll move into an apartment. Here are questions to ask before renting an apartment or house for the first – or fifth – time.
But first: make sure you are ready. Check out this post on things to do before you rent and follow these steps on how to rent your first apartment. Once you’ve done those steps, you are ready to start touring apartments. Yay!
Also check out my video!
If this is your first time renting an apartment, here’s a quick summary of what you should do:
- know your budget (rent shouldn’t be more than 25-30% of your income)
- know your preferences (close to work, must have dishwasher, not a 4th floor walk up, etc.)
Call the landlord or property manager and ask to set up an appointment. They need to give current tenants a 12-24 hour notice before a showing so you can usually expect to get in 1-2 days from making a call. If they have a vacant apartment, you may even be able to get in that day.
Due to the small nature of an apartment, it doesn’t take long to view the entire thing so each showing doesn’t take more than 30 minutes usually. That’s why it’s important to prepare a list of questions to ask your potential landlord.
15 questions to ask before renting an apartment:
- How much do utilities cost?
- Is Budget Billing available?
- What are the lease terms?
- Guest Policy?
- Pet Policy?
- How much is due when the lease is signed?
- How is rent paid?
- Is renters insurance required?
- How often and by how much does rent go up?
- Off-street parking?
- How much notice needs to be given when moving out?
- Is there a time when moving out is not permitted?
- Is painting or using nails permitted?
- Are updates to the complex planned?
- How are emergency repairs handled?
Head over to my Etsy shop to get this printable checklist to bring with you on your apartment tours!
How much do utilities cost?
One of the first questions you should ask before renting is about the cost of utilities. Utilities are very important to factor into the rent price because along with your rent, you will need to pay these every month. Some landlords will include heat or water in the rent.
If you find a nice place to rent for $800 but the utilities are between $200-300/month, it may be better to look for a newer, more expensive place that has utilities for around $50/month. Generally, the bigger and older the dwelling, the more utilities will cost.
Check out my video about 18 ways to save money on your heating bill — they’re apartment friendly, too!
It won’t be long until you are looking for ways to save on utility costs. Bookmark these posts to come back to once you have received your first utility bill:
- How to Stay Cool Without Air Conditioning
- Save Money by Reducing Your Water Usage
- 18 Ways to Stay Warm Without Turning up the Heat
Is Budget Billing available?
Utilities are a regular expense but the amount you pay may vary from month to month. For example, your heating bill will be less in the fall than it will be in the winter. How do you budget for this?
Enter: Budget Billing. If you ask your potential landlord about it, he may say that it’s a question for the power company.
The power company may have an option for budget billing. This is where you pay the same amount each month instead of having really high bills in the summer/winter and low bills in the fall/spring.
The energy company averages out the usage over the past year for the apartment and that is your bill. They reevaluate your usage every 6 months and adjust your bill accordingly. You never pay more or less than what you actually use. Predictable bills make budgeting easier.
What are the lease terms?
Are you signing a 9 month lease, a 12 month lease? Most leases are for 1 year but if you live in a college town and the landlord is desperate, they may allow you to sign for 9 months during the school year. When does the lease start? What things are and aren’t allowed in the apartment?
These are very important questions to ask before renting because the terms of the lease won’t change when you sign – good or bad. Good: rent won’t go up unexpectedly during your lease term.
Bad: If there’s something you don’t like and you’ve already signed, then tough luck. Make sure to read the lease very thoroughly!
Some landlords have quirky rules in their lease that they may not bring up so you have to really read the lease.
For instance: our lease says that we can’t dry our clothes on drying racks outside, we aren’t allowed to do any car repairs on the premises, and we are only allowed to use white window dressings and curtains.
Guest Policy?
Most leases only allow those on the lease to stay in the apartment. That doesn’t mean you can’t have friends spend the night here and there.
But that does mean that if someone stays there longer than a certain amount of time (usually around 2 weeks) then they are considered living there and need to be on the lease. Or at the very least, the management should be made aware of an extended stay.
If you are planning on getting a roommate, make sure they are on the lease and sign it. Don’t get a roommate that your landlord doesn’t know about and hope they hold up their end of the rent.
Ideally, every person above 18 needs to fill out an application and sign the lease. That means that if they do something in violation of the lease, they are responsible.
Not you.
Pet Policy?
If you have a furry friend, ask the landlord if they allow pets. Some may for an additional fee.
How much is due when the lease is signed?
Some apartments require an application fee (we’ve paid anywhere from $100-$500 in application fees) which is usually applied to your first month’s rent but forfeited if you turn down the apartment. Only submit the applications with fees if you are sure of that place.
Along with the application fee, you need to pay a security deposit when you sign the lease. Some landlords want your first month’s rent while others want two on top of the rent you pay. This will be returned to you when you leave if your apartment is in good order.
- Related: How to Rent Your First Apartment
How is rent paid?
Another great question to ask before renting is about how the rent gets paid. More places are becoming “electronically hip” and allow you to pay rent online.
But with some it’s the good ol’ fashioned mailing of the rent check. In all the places we’ve lived, with the exception of one, we’ve had to fill out a check and mail it in.
But what if you don’t have checks? Checks are not a great way to pass money back and forth. There is so much personal information on them – your account number, routing number, address, phone number – practically everything someone needs to clean out your account, or at least make purchases online.
A more secure alternative is money orders through the post office or bank. At the post office, you can turn your cash into a check. If rent is $1000, you would pay the post office $1000 (+ a small fee) and they would give you a check worth $1000. You can then give that to your landlord.
If you lose it, you may or may not be able to get it back. There are some scam money order services around so double check with your landlord that they would accept it. Similarly, you can have the bank issue a check on your behalf.
Is renters insurance required?
Renters insurance may be required in the lease. Even if it’s not, it’s still a good idea to have. You may be able to bundle it with your car insurance. You can probably find something for around $15/month.
It covers you in case your stuff gets stolen or if your place becomes uninhabitable (roof is getting fixed, fire, etc.) and you need to stay in a hotel for a few days. Check out different policy options for full coverage details.
How often and by how much does rent go up?
Generally, rent goes up every year but this depends on your location. This study shows the average rent increases 1% a year in my state (though in our personal renting experience, we’ve seen an increase of 4% each year). That basically equates to rent going up $10/year.
At one apartment we lived at, they increased the rent every time your lease was up. We moved in the winter and a year lease would have put us moving out in the winter which they wouldn’t allow (see below) so we signed a 6 month lease instead.
After 6 months, our rent went up by $30/month. We signed a year lease after that and when it was over, the rent went up by another $30/month. So within 1.5 years, the rent had gone up by $60/month.
Before renting, ask about potential rental increases up front to avoid any bad surprises.
- Related: Why you NEED an emergency fund
Off-street parking?
If you have a car, you may want ask a question about parking or look for a place that offers off-street parking. In bigger cities this is less common because there just isn’t space for everyone to park their cars.
At our place, parking outside in the parking lot is included in the rent, but it’s an extra $45/month to park in the parking garage.
If the apartment complex doesn’t offer parking, they may know where you can find some. Check to see if the city has permits you can purchase to park your car in their lots.
How much notice needs to be given when moving out?
Some places require a 60 day written notice before you leave, even if your lease is going to be up and you’ve verbally told them you are going to be moving out. Put it in writing.
Is there a time when moving out is not permitted?
This may seem like a silly question to ask when renting but some places have a “no move out in winter” clause. This means that you can’t move out from November to February.
Well you can, but you are still on the hook for rent payments EVEN IF your lease is up in December. You would still be responsible for paying until February. How they can do that, I don’t know but if it’s in the lease and you sign it, you have to comply.
Is painting or using nails permitted?
When moving into a space, the first thing you want to do is make it your own! Hanging things on the wall go a long way to making a place feel like home. Some apartments may not let you hang things on the walls, burn candles, or paint.
In my experience, when we’ve asked if we can use nails, they’ve been fine with it, as long as we spackle them up when we leave.
Looking for budget friendly Christmas decorating ideas? Check out this video for apartment friendly ones!
I even know of some people who paint their apartments, and then repaint when they leave. We’ve painted in one of our rentals and it vastly improved the place so we didn’t need to paint it back when we left.
Most times, landlords are okay with what you do as long as you return it in the same or better shape than when you moved in. Some may even chip in for supplies. But make sure you ask first!
- Related: Apartment Friendly Fall Essentials
Are updates to the complex planned?
This is a good way to get an idea for any upcoming construction. Construction means noise, dust, limited parking, and more. It may even mean that you have to vacate your apartment for some time.
It also could mean increased rent prices. If they update the place (even if it’s just fixing the water heater or replacing the dishwasher) guess who is going to pay for that update… you, through an increased rent when your lease is up.
How are emergency repairs handled?
What happens when the water heater unexpectedly goes out or when the toilet is overflowing? These things rarely happen between the normal business hours so is there an after hours number you can call? How soon can you expect the item to be repaired?
When you’ve settled on a place and are getting ready to sign the lease, you can ask to define the gray areas around non emergency repairs or regular maintenance.
Who is responsible for changing the light bulbs or the toilet seat? What about a clogged drain?
There you have it, 15 questions to ask before renting an apartment – or a house.
Don’t forget to stop by my Etsy shop and grab your checklist to print out and take with you on apartment tours! As a thank you to my readers, I’m offering a 10% discount when you use the code: READER or use this link!
Once you find a landlord and an apartment that satisfies all of your questions, submit an application. There may be a fee to pay. But the turnaround is pretty quick – they should let you know before the week is up whether you qualify for the apartment or not.
And if you do, you are one step closer to independence!
Moving into an apartment with kids? Check out how we navigate apartment life with a toddler:
Share this with a friend who is also looking for an apartment and save it on Pinterest for future reference:
My boyfriend and I want to move in together, and we are looking for information to be able to rent the right apartment. We love that you made a list of the questions you consider we should ask to make sure that we choose the right apartment. We will start doing deep research to find the best apartment for us, and we’ll definitely follow your advice.