7 Things to look out before renting a house

Moving to a new house is very exciting but at the same time a little scary. Finding a suitable house can be harder than it sounds. Whether your owner will allow pets in the house? Whether the apartment building will be bachelors friendly? Will you be able to find a good cook or laundry service nearby? With all these questions popping up now and then in your mind, you might feel confused. So, here we are to add a few points to your checklist before finalising your dream home.

1. Rent and Deposit

For most of us, money comes first! Check the rent and deposit asked by the owner and try to negotiate to an acceptable amount for you.

Search for the average rent in that area. You may ask the neighbourhood and the local shopkeepers, as they know the in and outs best. If it’s a gated society, you can ask the security guard also.

2. Locality

The locality is a top priority for everybody. Look for the area which is safe and also well connected to essential services like schools, malls, gyms etc. Look for the width of internal roads and their condition. Try to visit the apartment or see it in google map for such details.

If you are looking to rent a property in Pune, then Campizo might help you. Campizo rates each property with its AI algorithm based on rent, locality and various other features. The rating takes care of whether the rent is more than average. It also considers the connectivity of the locality with nearby services. So, a single number to know the place better.

3. Yearly Rent Increase

Ask the owner how much the rent will increase per year. Generally, 5–10% is ok. But, make sure you clear that out before going further as anything not discussed beforehand may create dispute later. If possible, try to include this in your rental agreement also.

4. Check the status of white goods

If you are going to pay for a furnished house, make a note to check all the appliance whether they are in working condition. Better, if you could do it before moving in so that you can bargain a better rent if something is found non-functioning or you can ask the owner to fix the issue before you move in.

In case you have already taken the house, then also its better to inform the owner about any such issue as soon as possible so that it’s maintenance cost does not come on you.

5. Water pressure

It may sound trivial, but it is very important to know the water pressure in all faucets, water supply irregularity if any and available additional water storage of the house. Almost nobody checks this before moving in, but tenants face this problem more often than we think.

6. Check for Pests

If it’s an old building, chances are it might have pests like cockroaches or any other insects. Ask the owner to do a thorough inspection, cleaning and pest control of the house before you move in. Remind them 2–3 days prior to your moving date.

7. Network and signal

It might be a small issue but do check whether proper signal strength is there for your phone network. But, even if it’s not you can check whether other network providers have good signal strength and if possible switch to them. Still, it is worth a thing to check for.

Still, think we might have missed something? Comment and let me know.