Are you planning to rent an apartment? We have compiled a checklist of what you need to know when renting an apartment for a long time.
Renting an apartment from the owner is always a risk. Stories like this appear in police reports every now and then.
A 19-year-old student at one of the capital’s universities agreed to rent an apartment with a man who introduced himself as the owner. He received a month’s rent and a deposit equal to the rental rate, and offered to move in the next day. When the girl returned with her things, the door was opened to her by strangers who were surprised by the visit. It turned out that the man rented the apartment for a short period of time and during these few days managed to re-let it to several gullible tenants. A criminal case has been opened for fraud.
And it also happens.
“We rented a two-room apartment for a long time – we expected to live for at least five years: the child went to a nearby school. The documents were in order. During the viewing, the apartment smelled of coffee and diffusers,” recalls Alla Romanova. — We decided that it was for additional ambiance, and we moved in. But it soon became clear that this “aromatherapy” was arranged for a reason: the house had unsolvable problems with the sewage system. The bathroom smelled like we were living in a basement! Neither repairs nor flavorings helped, but only masked the problem for a short time. We had to move out.”
If tenants had been more vigilant, all these troubles could have been avoided. Is it possible to minimize risks?
We have compiled a checklist of what you need to check before renting an apartment.
An encyclopedia from Cyan.Journal will help you avoid falling for scammers when renting an apartment.
THREE MAIN RULES:
- Never pay in advance . Payment and receipt of keys – only at the same time.
- Don’t be fooled by advertisements for a great apartment for rent at a very low price . Several fraudulent schemes begin with such advertisements.
- Check all documents carefully . Especially before you sign them.
Check the documents for the apartment and the documents of the owner
To avoid becoming a victim of scammers, like that same student, you need to ask the owner and check the documents against this list.
Document confirming the right : a recent (no more than a month) extract from the Unified State Register or a certificate of registration of the right, which was issued before July 2016. These documents confirm that the apartment really belongs to the person with whom you intend to sign a lease agreement.
Document of title : agreements of private property rights, purchase and sale, donations, inheritance. These documents explain how the apartment came to be owned by the person renting the apartment.
An important point: when leasing, these title documents are optional. But if the owner does not hide anything, he usually keeps all the documents in one folder and is easily ready to show everything that interests the potential tenant.
Consent of all co-owners . From the USRN certificate (column “Object of right”) you will find out how many owners the apartment has.
If the property is jointly owned, then it is worth clarifying the term of the contract. As a rule, this is 11 months: in this case, it does not have to be registered with Rosreestr, and the consent of other co-owners is not necessary.
If the agreement is for a year or more, written consent is required from all owners – it is advisable that it be registered with a notary. The rule also applies to spouses.
Passport of the owner renting the apartment . It is advisable to check it in the register of invalid passports, just in case.
SNILS number of the owner (it is indicated in the title document – check so that the data matches).
Power of attorney (if the apartment is rented by power of attorney). Be especially careful here. Need to check:
Powers of the trustee: what exactly did the absentee owner authorize in relation to the apartment? Should we just organize shows? Or else collect certificates, sign an agreement and accept rent?
Is the power of attorney valid? This can be assessed in the appropriate register.
Do the passport details specified in the power of attorney match the passport details of the person who is presenting this document to you? In other words, is this the same trusted person in front of you?
Latest receipts for payment of utility bills . You need to look at them to see if there are debts for previous months.
If there are debts, demand that they be repaid, otherwise there is a risk that the landlord will want to attribute this amount to you. When it comes to large debts, it is better not to mess with this option: utility services will turn off or threaten to turn off the services they provide to you.
Assess and record the condition of the apartment
If you find any shortcomings, ask the landlord to either eliminate them or record them in the transfer and acceptance certificate. You can take pictures or videos of all the imperfections and attach them to the contract. Otherwise, it is possible that the owner will try to shift the repairs onto you.
General points:
- switches – do they all work properly, do the lights turn on in the rooms;
- sockets – are there any falling out or sparking ones?
- doors – do they all open and close smoothly (when you receive the keys to the apartment, do not forget to check whether they fit the locks);
- windows – do they all open and close both when open and in ventilation mode; are there any cracks on the glass;
- are there any dark, blurry spots (especially under the wallpaper) – they can be not only poorly washed out traces of children’s art, but also mold;
- are there any leaks under the batteries?
- Are there any foreign or strange odors?
Furniture:
- are there any broken elements;
- whether the legs, backs and doors of the furniture are falling off;
- are there any noticeable stains, chips or scratches;
- Is the mattress not damaged: is it dented, is there any traces of mold and other unpleasant stains on it, as well as the activity of bed bugs—accumulations of black dots and gnawed paths.
Appliances:
- household appliances that can be turned on, it is better to turn them on: suddenly the device burns out before you;
- are there any chips or cracks (for example, in an electric kettle, in the bowls of a blender or coffee maker, etc.);
- does the refrigerator work properly and is it clean (you can, of course, wash it yourself, but before signing the contract, you can ask the landlord about this).
IMPORTANT
Pay attention not only to whether the refrigerator freezes well, but also whether it is too noisy. This is especially true for studios and small apartments. It’s unlikely that a refrigerator will be a strong counter-argument against renting. But if you are a light sleeper, this can play a role.
- whether the stove is working: rotate the burners to evaluate the gas supply or, if the stove is electric, their heating;
- does the air conditioner turn on, does it work for both heating and cooling, does any strange odors appear when it is turned on.
Plumbing:
- is there water in the taps and is everything okay with it: hot water flows from the hot one, cold water flows from the cold one, there is no rust or unpleasant odor in either case;
- Do puddles appear on the floor when you turn on the water (are there any leaks);
- Is the toilet flushing normally (and are there any leaks);
- pay attention to stains in the bathrooms – they may indicate old leaks (if there are stains, ask whether the communications have been repaired since then).
Find out the adequacy of the owner and neighbors
When you rent an apartment, you get not only the space in which you will live. You have to communicate with people – and this, by the way, is not just the owner.
Owners are different – some do not trust the tenant so much that they try to constantly keep their finger on the pulse and check the apartment several times a week.
IMPORTANT
Be sure to agree on the shore how often the owner will come to visit, and write this down in the contract. Do not forget to record whether the owner can enter the apartment in your absence.
When meeting, pay attention to the behavior of the owner. Is he rude, does he speak politely, does he observe generally accepted norms of communication.
By signing an agreement, you become to a certain extent dependent on this person. If he violates your boundaries or communication norms during the viewing, what will happen when you already sign the contract.
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE OWNER DURING VIEWING
— Is the apartment being rented for the first time or have the previous tenants moved out? If you moved out, why?
— What is included in the cost of living? Who pays the bills and how?
— Are there any special rules – for example, not inviting guests or not smoking on the balcony?
— What if you don’t have animals now, but decide to have one over time?
— Is it possible to change anything in the apartment (buy a new mattress, repaint the walls, replace the old shower stall with a new one, hang shelves or change the Internet provider by drilling a hole for a new cable? Will the cost of the improvement be taken into account in the rent?
— Is the landlord planning to sell the apartment in the near future? By the way, it would be a good idea to check the ad database and make sure that it is not for sale right now.
— Is the landlord going to remove his personal belongings? It is relevant if the apartment combines a library, a china shop and a collection of souvenirs from different countries.
— Is the owner ready to give a discount?
But the owner is not the only one on whom the comfort of your stay will depend. There are also neighbors! When entering the entrance, pay attention to its condition and assess whether you will have to live next to, say, drug addicts or heavy-drinking neighbors?
LIFE HACK
It is better to look at apartments in the evening, when all the neighbors have already returned from work. This way you can evaluate the sound insulation. During the viewing, ask for a minute of silence to assess how much you can hear neighbors’ squabbles, working TVs and screaming children.
What else is important to remember
If everything is in order and you decide to rent, you will need to conclude an agreement, sign the transfer acceptance certificate and receive a receipt from the landlord that he accepted the payment.
If you agree to pay in cash, get a receipt from the owner for each monthly payment. The risk of not providing proof of payment is that the landlord may later claim that you underpaid him for something. If you transfer money online through Internet banking, you can do without a receipt.
USEFUL LINKS
- Lease agreement template
- Template of the act of acceptance and transfer from the landlord to the tenant
- Template for receipt of funds
Check list. What to keep in mind before renting an apartment
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