Questions to Ask on an Apartment Tour
Questions to ask while standing in the apartment with the agent, covering what you can only learn on site: the unit's history, what is above and below it, running costs, repairs promised before move-in, and holding terms.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Is this the unit I would be renting, or a model?
Why ask it
Model apartments are renovated, staged, and often a different layout or floor. If you are shown a model, ask to see the actual unit before you pay anything, and treat a refusal as a reason to walk.
How long has it been empty, and why did the last tenant leave?
Why ask it
A unit sitting vacant in a tight market usually has a reason: noise, heat, a smell, a difficult neighbour. Vague answers about people moving on are worth probing with the next question rather than accepting.
Can I run the taps and the shower while we are here?
Why ask it
You are checking pressure, how long hot water takes, and whether the drain gurgles or backs up. Agents who discourage this are protecting something, and this is the one test you cannot do after signing.
Which way do the windows face, and when does the sun leave this room?
Why ask it
Orientation determines light, summer heat, and winter heating cost, and it cannot be judged from one midday visit. A north-facing living room in winter is a different apartment from the one you are standing in.
What is directly above, below, and next to this unit?
Why ask it
A gym, a lift shaft, a bin room, a bar, or a family with young children each produces a specific problem. Ask what is there rather than whether the building is quiet.
When were the appliances and the heating system last replaced?
Why ask it
Old units break during your tenancy and cost you time and comfort even when repairs are free. Ask the age of the boiler or furnace specifically, since it is the one failure that makes a home unusable.
How is this heated and cooled, and who controls the temperature?
Why ask it
Building-controlled heating means you cannot adjust it and may have a fixed season when it is switched on. Individual electric heating means comfort is yours to buy on your own bill.
What was the highest utility bill in this unit last year?
Why ask it
Ask for the worst month rather than an average, because the peak is what breaks a budget. If they cannot provide it, ask whether they will put you in touch with the outgoing tenant or the utility.
Is there anything here you already know needs fixing?
Why ask it
Asking before you point out faults tests candour. Anything they volunteer should then go on a written list of work to be completed before move-in.
What will be repainted, cleaned, or replaced before I move in, and can that go in writing?
Why ask it
Verbal promises about carpets and paint disappear when the agent leaves the company. A dated addendum listing the work is the difference between a fix and a grievance.
Can we walk to the bins, the laundry, and the mailboxes?
Why ask it
The distance and state of these three tell you how the building is actually run and how much of your week they will consume. Overflowing bins on a tour day is the strongest single signal about management.
Where exactly would I park, and can we walk to the space?
Why ask it
Parking described as available can mean a permit lottery, an unlit lot, or a space too narrow for your car. See it, and note the walk after dark.
What is the phone signal like in here, and which internet providers actually serve this unit?
Why ask it
Check your own bars in the bedroom while you are standing there. Buildings are often wired for a single provider, which decides your speed and price for the whole tenancy.
How much storage comes with it, and is it inside the unit?
Why ask it
Wardrobes, a hall cupboard, a basement cage, and a bike room are all called storage. Open the doors and look, because listings routinely count a shallow closet as a room's worth.
What does this street sound like at night and at the weekend?
Why ask it
A midweek afternoon tour tells you nothing about a bar two doors down or a route used by lorries at six in the morning. Ask, then verify yourself before signing.
What is the water pressure like on the upper floors in the morning?
Why ask it
In older buildings simultaneous showers reduce upper-floor pressure to a trickle. It is a specific, checkable question that agents rarely have a prepared answer for.
When something breaks, who do I call, and what was the last repair in this unit?
Why ask it
You want a name or a number rather than a policy, plus a real example with a date. The gap between the stated response time and the last actual repair is the useful information.
Can I come back at a different time of day before I decide?
Why ask it
An evening or weekend visit reveals noise, parking, lighting, and who is around. A landlord who resists a second viewing is limiting what you can find out, which is itself an answer.
What does it take to hold this unit, and is that money refundable?
Why ask it
Holding deposits and application fees are often non-refundable and are collected before you have read the lease. Ask what happens to it if the application is declined or if you withdraw.
If I applied today, what would the start date and the total move-in cost be?
Why ask it
Getting both numbers before you leave lets you compare apartments on the same basis and prevents a surprise on signing day. Ask for it written down, including prorated rent.
What to do on the tour itself
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Bring these and use them
A phone charger and a tape measure
Plug the charger into two or three sockets to check they work, and measure the bedroom against your bed and the doorway against your sofa. Both problems are expensive to discover on moving day.
Your nose and your ears
Damp, cigarette smoke, and drains are strongest when a unit has been shut up. Stand still in silence for thirty seconds in each room and listen to what comes through the walls and windows.
A photograph of everything
Photograph every room, the meter, the boiler, and any damage, with the date. It gives you an accurate memory when comparing three apartments and a baseline if you take the place.
Ten minutes on foot afterwards
Walk the block, find the nearest shop, and note the lighting and the route from the stop or the parking. The tour covers the unit; the walk covers the life.
Physical checks that answer questions for you
- Flush the toilet and run the shower at the same time
- Open and close every window, and check whether they lock
- Look under the sink and behind the toilet for staining or repair patches
- Check the corners of ceilings and the tops of window frames for water marks
- Look along skirting boards and inside cupboards for droppings or traps
- Test the phone signal in the room where you would sleep
- Check what the front door lock is, and whether it closes without force
- Look at the fuse box or panel for age and labelling
Signals worth acting on
Pressure to decide in the room
Claims that three other people are applying today may be true, but a landlord unwilling to let you read the lease overnight is choosing tenants who have not read it.
Fresh paint in one patch only
A single repainted section of ceiling or wall usually covers a leak. Ask what was behind it and whether the source was repaired.
Neglected common areas
Broken lobby lights, held-open fire doors, and full bins predict how your repair request will be handled.
An agent who cannot answer basic history
Not knowing why the last tenant left, or how old the boiler is, means either poor records or an unwillingness to say. Ask for the answer by email before you apply.