Questions to Ask a Landlord Before Renting

The questions

Open any question to see why it works.

1. 1

   How long has this place been empty, and why did the last tenant leave?

   A unit that has sat empty in a tight market usually has a reason attached, and the reason is often the neighbour, the noise or the heating bill. Ask the second half again if the first answer only covered the first half.

2. 2

   How long do people usually stay here?

   High turnover in one unit is the cheapest warning sign available. If tenants leave every twelve months, ask where they went and whether anyone has renewed, and treat a short answer as an answer.

3. 3

   Are you the owner, or managing it for someone else?

   This decides how repairs get approved and how fast. An owner can say yes on the spot, a manager has to ask, and a large agency has a queue. Get the name and number of the person you will actually call.

4. 4

   What is due on the day I sign, all in?

   First month, last month, deposit, pet deposit, application fee, key fee and admin charges can add up to several times the rent. Ask for the total figure rather than the list, then ask which parts are refundable.

5. 5

   What is included in the rent, and what do I pay on top?

   Water, heat, trash, parking, laundry and internet vary by building and are often assumed rather than stated. Ask whose name the utility accounts go into, since that also decides whose credit is on the line.

6. 6

   What did heating and cooling cost the last tenant across a year?

   In an old building this is the difference between affordable and not, and it appears nowhere in the listing. A landlord who genuinely does not know can usually give you the fuel type and the age of the system, which is a start.

7. 7

   How much has the rent gone up here in the last three years?

   Past increases are the best available guide to next year's. If the number is large, ask what triggered it, and ask what an increase would look like if you renewed.

8. 8

   What happens at the end of the lease?

   Find out whether it rolls to month to month automatically, whether a new fixed term is required, and how much notice each side owes. This is the clause that decides how much control you have over your next move.

9. 9

   How do repairs work, and what counts as an emergency?

   You want a named contact, a channel that leaves a record, and their own definition of an emergency out of hours. Ask what the slowest repair was in the last year and what held it up.

10. 10

    What has been repaired or replaced recently, and how old are the big items?

    The furnace, water heater, roof and appliances all have lifespans, and the ones near the end become a disruption during your tenancy rather than a cost. A landlord who reinvests will happily list what has been done.

11. 11

    Has there ever been water in this unit: a leak, a flood, or damp?

    Ask plainly and watch the pause. Then look for yourself at ceiling corners, under sinks and around windows, and ask about anything freshly painted in an otherwise older room.

12. 12

    Are there pests in the building, and what is the treatment schedule?

    The useful version of this question is about the building rather than the unit, because roaches and bedbugs are a shared problem. Ask who pays for treatment and what you are obliged to do if you report something.

13. 13

    Who lives around this unit, and how much carries between them?

    Noise is the most common reason people break a lease and the least likely thing to be volunteered. Ask what is above, below and next door, and if you can, come back once in the evening before you sign.

14. 14

    What are the rules on guests, pets, smoking and subletting?

    These clauses are where an ordinary life quietly becomes a violation: a partner staying most nights, a foster dog, a month away with someone else in your room. Get the actual limits, not the friendly summary.

15. 15

    What am I allowed to change: paint, shelves, a mounted television, a garden bed?

    Ask what needs permission and what must be put back at the end, and get any yes in writing. Verbal permission from a landlord who later sells the building is worth nothing at move-out.

16. 16

    How is the deposit held, and what have you deducted from deposits before?

    The second half is the revealing half. Wear and tear against damage is a judgement call, and a landlord who charges for carpet cleaning and repainting as standard is telling you now what your last month will look like.

17. 17

    Can we do a written move-in inspection together, with photographs?

    Agree this before you sign, because it is the only real protection your deposit has. Note existing marks, take dated photos of every room, and ask that both of you sign the list.

18. 18

    What does your screening involve, and what are you looking for?

    Ask about credit checks, income multiples, references and any hard cut-offs. It saves you an application fee if you do not clear the bar, and the answer tells you how the building is run.

19. 19

    Can I see the exact unit I would be renting?

    Being shown a similar unit or a model is common and hides everything specific: the view, the noise, the state of the floors. If the current tenant is still there, ask to view again after they leave and before you hand over money.

20. 20

    Is there anything about this place you would want to know if you were me?

    An open question at the end catches what no checklist covers: the parking in winter, the works starting next door, the building going up for sale. Some landlords will answer it honestly, and how they handle it is information either way.