Good Questions to Ask Apartment Hunting
Questions to ask a landlord, letting agent or property manager while you are standing in the apartment. They cover what the rent actually includes, the full move-in cost, how repairs get handled and how fast, renewal and rent increases, and the things a twenty-minute daytime viewing will not show you.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is the rent, and which utilities are included in that figure?
Why ask it
The gap between quoted rent and what leaves your account each month is usually one to three hundred a month. Ask which specific utilities: heat, water, sewer, trash, electricity. 'Most of them' is not an answer you can budget against.
What do I need to pay before I get the keys, all in?
Why ask it
Asking for one total rather than a list of fees is harder to answer vaguely. It flushes out application fees, admin fees, first and last month, pet deposits and key deposits that otherwise appear one at a time after you have committed.
How much was the rent on this unit a year ago?
Why ask it
The trend matters more than the number. A large jump means you should expect another at renewal. Reluctance to answer is itself informative, and in some cities the previous rent is a matter of public record you can check afterwards.
How long is the lease, and what happens if I need to leave early?
Why ask it
There is a wide range here: some leases require you to pay until a replacement is found, others charge a fixed fee of one or two months. Get the specific clause, because the verbal answer and the written one often differ.
When did the current tenant move in, and why are they leaving?
Why ask it
Short tenancies in a desirable building point to a problem with the unit or the management. If the answer is that turnover here is normally high, ask what people say on the way out.
If the heat fails on a Saturday night, who do I call and what actually happens?
Why ask it
A concrete scenario gets a concrete answer where a general question about maintenance policy gets a brochure line. Listen for whether there is a real after-hours number or just an inbox someone reads on Monday.
How long do routine repairs usually take here?
Why ask it
Compare the answer to the state of the common areas you just walked through. If the hallway light is out and the answer is 'within a day', you have learned something about how this landlord describes things.
Is maintenance in-house or contracted out?
Why ask it
In-house tends to mean faster small fixes; contracted usually means a scheduling queue. Neither is bad, but it sets your expectations for how long you will live with a dripping tap.
What is the process for renewal, and how much notice will I get about a rent increase?
Why ask it
Some landlords send terms sixty days out, some thirty, and some let it roll into a month-to-month at a higher rate. Knowing the notice window tells you how much time you would have to look elsewhere.
What are the rules on pets, and does that include visiting pets or fostering?
Why ask it
'Cats allowed' can still come with a monthly pet rent, a weight limit, a breed list or a one-pet cap. Ask for the numbers, not the yes or no, and get it in the lease rather than in conversation.
Where would I park, and is the space assigned?
Why ask it
Included parking sometimes means a shared lot with fewer spaces than units. Ask what happens when the lot is full and whether there is street parking with permit restrictions or overnight bans.
Can I see the actual unit I would be renting, not the model?
Why ask it
In larger buildings the unit shown is often a staged one on a different floor. Layout, light, noise and condition vary enormously between units, and refusal to show yours before signing is worth walking away over.
What does the water pressure look like if I run the shower and a tap together?
Why ask it
Better asked by doing it, with permission, while you are there. Weak pressure and slow hot water are among the most common daily annoyances and among the least likely to be fixed after you move in.
How is the building heated and cooled, and what did last winter's bills look like for this unit?
Why ask it
Electric baseboard heat in an old building with single-pane windows can cost several times what a tenant expects. Asking for an actual past figure rather than an estimate is the only way to get a usable number.
Who lives directly above, below and next door?
Why ask it
Not nosiness: it is how you find out about the upstairs hardwood floors, the shared wall with a stairwell, or the ground-floor unit next to the bin store. Vague answers usually mean they know and would rather not say.
What can you hear in here at seven in the morning and at eleven at night?
Why ask it
A daytime viewing hides bin lorries, bar closing time, a flight path and the neighbour's alarm. Even a hedged answer gives you something to verify by standing outside at those hours before signing.
Has this unit had any water damage, leaks or pest treatment?
Why ask it
Ask directly and watch the pause. Recurring leaks show up as fresh paint on one patch of ceiling, and past pest treatment in a building usually means a building-wide contract you will want to know exists.
What is the guest and subletting policy, including someone staying for a few weeks?
Why ask it
Many leases cap continuous guest stays at a week or two, which matters if a partner, a parent or a friend between homes might stay. It also determines whether you could ever sublet if your circumstances change.
What condition do you expect the place in at the end, and what usually gets deducted from deposits?
Why ask it
Asking what typically gets deducted, rather than what the rules are, produces a candid list: cleaning, paint, carpet. It also tells you to photograph everything on day one, in detail, before you move a box in.
If I wanted this, what would the next step be and how quickly would I need to decide?
Why ask it
Ends the viewing with a clear read on competition and on how organized the landlord is. Genuine urgency sounds like a specific other applicant; manufactured urgency sounds like general pressure with no details behind it.
Getting the most out of a viewing
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the viewing
- Book a time you actually care about: a weekday evening or a weekend morning tells you far more about noise and parking than eleven on a Tuesday.
- Look up who owns the building. In many places the owner and any recent code violations or eviction filings are public record, and it takes ten minutes.
- Walk the block first. You are renting the street as much as the unit, and this is easier to judge without an agent talking beside you.
- Decide your ceiling on total monthly cost, including utilities and parking, before you see anywhere. It is much harder to hold that line while standing in a good kitchen.
Things to do, not just ask
- Run the shower, flush the toilet, and open the taps together. Test the hot water rather than asking about it.
- Open and close every window and the front door. Sticking windows in an older building often means the frames have moved or swelled.
- Check phone signal in the room you would sleep in, and look for where the internet comes in and which providers serve the address.
- Count the electrical outlets in each room and note where they are. Older units often have one per wall, which shapes where furniture can go.
- Look under the sink and behind the toilet for stains, warped wood or new sealant. That is where leaks show first.
- Stand still for thirty seconds without talking and just listen.
Common pitfalls
- Accepting verbal promises. A repaint, a new fridge or permission for a cat means nothing unless it is written into the lease before you sign.
- Paying an application or holding fee before you have read the whole lease. Ask for the lease document at the viewing, not at signing.
- Judging a landlord by how pleasant the viewing was. Responsiveness after you move in correlates far better with how quickly they replied to your first email.
- Skipping the move-in inspection or doing it casually. Timestamped photographs of every wall, floor and appliance are the only real protection for your deposit.
- Assuming the quoted rent is the comparison point between two places. Compare total monthly cost including utilities, parking, pet rent and commuting.
Signals worth taking seriously
Good signs
- They can tell you the actual past utility costs for this unit.
- Common areas, stairwells and the bin area are maintained, not just the show unit.
- They offer the lease to read without being asked, and answer questions about clauses plainly.
- Long-tenured neighbours. Ask anyone you pass how long they have lived there.
Reasons to slow down
- Pressure to sign or pay today, with no specifics about the other interested party.
- Refusal to show the unit you would actually be renting.
- Cash-only rent, or an unwillingness to put anything in writing.
- Repairs described as pending that have visibly been pending a while.