Questions to Ask During Virtual Apartment Tour
Questions for renting a flat you cannot visit, where a camera controls what you see. Most are requests to point the lens somewhere specific, because that is how you find what an edited tour leaves out.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Is this the exact unit I would be renting, or a model?
Why ask it
Large buildings often tour a show unit on a different floor with a different aspect and different wear. Ask for the unit number and confirm it matches the one on the lease.
Can you walk the whole flat in one continuous shot, without cutting?
Why ask it
Cuts hide the transitions: a step down, a low ceiling, a corridor narrower than it looked. An unbroken walk also shows you the real distance between rooms, which wide-angle stills flatten.
Can you open every cupboard, closet and the fridge?
Why ask it
Storage is the thing people most often discover too late, and it is invisible in photographs. Doors that will not open fully because of a bed or a radiator are also worth catching now.
Which way do the windows face, and what time is it where you are right now?
Why ask it
Together these tell you whether you are seeing the best light of the day or the worst. A tour filmed at noon in a north-facing flat is the brightest that flat will ever look.
Can you turn all the lights off and show me the rooms in daylight only?
Why ask it
Every lamp on is standard practice for viewings and it hides how dark a room genuinely is. This one request changes more first impressions than any other on this list.
Can you run the taps and the shower, and flush the toilet, while I watch?
Why ask it
You are checking pressure, how long hot water takes, and whether the shower and a tap can run at once. None of it shows up in a listing, and all of it is a daily annoyance if it is wrong.
Can you stand at the open window for thirty seconds without talking?
Why ask it
Silence is the only way to hear traffic, a school, an extraction fan or a railway line. Ask for the same at the bedroom window, since that is the one that matters at night.
Who lives above and below, and what is between the floors?
Why ask it
Noise complaints in flats are mostly vertical. A ground floor with a commercial unit underneath, or a hard-floor policy upstairs, predicts how the place will feel at eleven at night.
Which utilities are included, and what do parking, internet and refuse collection cost on top?
Why ask it
Ask for figures, not a list of what is covered. A rent that looked competitive can lose its advantage entirely once parking and a service charge are added.
What did the last tenant pay to heat this place in winter?
Why ask it
This asks for a number rather than an opinion about efficiency. If nobody will say, ask the age of the boiler and whether the windows are single glazed, which gets you most of the way there.
Can you show the entrance, stairwell, laundry, post area and where the bins go?
Why ask it
Shared areas are where a landlord's actual maintenance standard is visible, because nobody stages a bin store. It also tells you how far you will carry laundry and shopping.
What repairs have been done in this unit in the past year, and what is still outstanding?
Why ask it
Recent repairs point at recurring problems: damp, a leak, a failing appliance. An outstanding item mentioned casually should be written into the lease before you sign, not after.
What will be cleaned, painted or replaced before move-in, and can that be put in writing?
Why ask it
Promises made on a video call are unenforceable. A short written list attached to the lease is the difference between a new carpet and an apology in your first week.
How do maintenance requests work, and how long did the last one take?
Why ask it
Ask for the most recent example rather than the target. The gap between a stated day and a real fortnight is the clearest measure of how the building is managed.
What internet providers actually service this address, and is there mobile signal inside?
Why ask it
Coverage maps are optimistic, and thick walls or a basement flat can defeat both. Ask the agent to check their own phone signal while standing in the bedroom.
What is the pet policy, including size, breed and any extra rent or deposit?
Why ask it
Verbal permission from a leasing agent is not permission. Get the specifics and the clause reference, because pet rules are among the most commonly enforced after the fact.
What is the total move-in cost, itemised?
Why ask it
First month, deposit, admin fee, pet deposit, key fee and any non-refundable move-in charge. Asking for one itemised figure prevents the total from growing between the tour and the signing.
What are the most common deposit deductions you make at move-out?
Why ask it
The answer amounts to a list of what to photograph before you unpack. It also tells you whether the landlord treats normal wear as damage.
Is any construction or renovation planned in the building or next door?
Why ask it
Scaffolding, a lift replacement or a neighbouring site can take a year and dominate your daily life. Landlords know about approved works and are unlikely to volunteer them.
Could a friend or a paid inspector view it before I sign, and would you hold it for that?
Why ask it
The willingness is the answer even if you never take it up. A refusal combined with pressure to sign today is the most reliable warning sign in remote renting.
Renting a place you cannot visit
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Control the camera
Insist on live, not recorded
A pre-recorded tour shows you what the agent chose. A live call lets you direct the lens, which is the only real advantage a remote viewer has.
Record the call, with permission
Ask at the start and note the agreement. You will want to rewatch the kitchen, and a recording also captures what was said about repairs and what is included.
Ask for stills at eye level
Phone tours are usually shot from chest height with a wide lens, which makes rooms look larger. A photo taken standing in the doorway at eye level is closer to what you will see.
Have a checklist open and tick as you go
Live tours move fast and it is easy to reach the end without having seen the boiler, the meter, or the back of the wardrobe. A written list stops the polite drift towards a quick finish.
Verify away from the tour
- Check the street on satellite and street-level maps, including what is directly behind the building
- Look up the address in local planning records for approved or pending works nearby
- Search the building name with the word reviews, and read the one-star reviews for specifics rather than tone
- Check the flood risk and, where published, the energy rating for the address
- Confirm the landlord or agent is registered or licensed if your area requires it
- Ask a local friend, or pay a viewing service, to stand outside on a weekday evening
Remote rental fraud
Never send money before a signed lease
Holding deposits paid by transfer or gift card to secure a flat you have not seen are the standard form of this fraud. Pay by a traceable method to a named business account only.
Check the listing is not duplicated
Search the exact address and the photographs. The same flat listed at two prices by two contacts usually means one of them copied the other.
Be wary of a landlord who cannot meet on video
Overseas owners, hospital stays and lost keys are the recurring excuses for refusing a live tour. A genuine landlord will find a way to show you the property.
Read the lease before you send anything
Ask for the full document, not a summary. Fees, notice periods and break clauses are the terms most often described differently in conversation.