Questions to Ask Landlord Before Signing Lease
Twenty questions about the lease itself, for the point where you have chosen the place and are being handed a document. They cover the money due up front, the deposit, fees, renewal, ending the term early, entry, repairs and liability.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Who is the legal landlord named on the lease, and who am I paying?
Why ask it
The entity on the contract is who you would have to deal with over a deposit or a repair, and it is often a company rather than the person showing you around. If the name on the lease, the name on the payment instructions and the person you have been talking to are three different things, resolve that before signing.
Is this the complete lease, including every addendum and any rules book it refers to?
Why ask it
The real restrictions usually live in the attachments: pet rules, fee schedules, parking rules, a resident handbook incorporated by reference. Ask for everything in one file, because a clause binding you to rules you were never shown is common and hard to argue with later.
What is the total due before I get keys, itemized?
Why ask it
Ask for the list rather than a figure: first month, any last month, security deposit, pet deposit, administration or application fees, key or fob charges. The total is frequently larger than people budget for, and seeing it broken out is what lets you question any line.
Which of those amounts are refundable and which are not?
Why ask it
Deposits are returnable and fees are not, and the label used does not always match the function. A large non-refundable move-in fee sitting where you expected a deposit is worth negotiating or at least understanding before you commit.
How is the deposit held, and what is your process for returning it?
Why ask it
Listen for whether they can describe their own process, including the itemized statement and the timeframe. A landlord who has done this properly answers in specifics, and one who says you will get it back if the place is clean has told you where the dispute will be.
What condition will the place be in on the day I move in, and what work is being done first?
Why ask it
Cleaning, paint and small repairs promised during a viewing evaporate unless they are written down. Ask for the list to be attached to the lease with a date, since after you have keys the incentive to complete it is gone.
Is there a written move-in inspection that we both sign?
Why ask it
A dated condition report signed by both parties is the strongest protection your deposit will ever have. If they do not use one, do it yourself with photographs and email it to them on day one so there is a timestamped record.
How does the lease define normal wear and tear as against damage?
Why ask it
This is where most deposit disputes end up, over carpet, paint, small holes and worn fittings. Ask for examples of what they have charged for previously, which tells you far more than the clause does.
What will I be charged beyond rent each month?
Why ask it
Ask about late fees, payment processing charges, mandatory insurance, utility administration, trash, pest control and any amenity fee. These recurring add-ons often raise the real monthly cost noticeably and usually sit in an addendum rather than in the rent line.
When is rent considered late, is there a grace period, and what happens then?
Why ask it
You want the day, the amount, and whether the fee is flat or accumulates. Also ask what happens on a returned payment, since that charge is frequently the largest one in the document.
At renewal, how much notice do I get and how much can the rent rise?
Why ask it
Ask what they raised rents by last year rather than what the lease permits, since the second question has no useful answer. A landlord who will not discuss it at all is telling you to budget for a large increase.
If neither of us does anything at the end of the term, what happens?
Why ask it
Some leases roll to month-to-month, others renew automatically for another full year, and a few charge a premium for the monthly version. This default is easy to overlook and expensive to discover in month thirteen.
If I need to leave early, what does the lease actually require?
Why ask it
Look for a buyout clause with a stated amount, an obligation to keep paying until it is re-rented, or both. Ask for the number, since without one you are exposed to the remainder of the term.
If I have a roommate and they leave, who owes the rent?
Why ask it
Most leases make each tenant liable for the whole amount, not a share, which surprises people badly. Ask whether a replacement is permitted, who approves them, and what it costs to change the names on the lease.
How much notice will I get before someone enters, and how will it be given?
Why ask it
Ask for the practice, not just the clause: whether it is a text the morning of, an email two days ahead, or a note taped to the door. Also ask what counts as an emergency, since that is the exception every dispute turns on.
How do I report a repair, and what response should I expect for no heat or no hot water?
Why ask it
You want a channel, a name and a timeframe, plus the after-hours number written somewhere other than a business card. A landlord who cannot give a timeframe for a heating failure in winter is telling you something useful.
If a repair leaves part of the place unusable for a while, what happens to the rent?
Why ask it
Kitchens and bathrooms out of service for a week are common enough that a reasonable landlord has thought about it. Their answer shows whether they see the lease as a mutual agreement or as a one-way payment schedule.
Am I required to carry renters insurance, at what level, and must the policy list you?
Why ask it
Many leases require a minimum liability amount and ask to be named as an interested party, which affects which policy you buy. Get the requirement in writing before you shop, so you are not buying twice.
Is there anything in this lease that you do not actually enforce?
Why ask it
An honest answer here tells you what kind of landlord you are dealing with, and it is often revealing about guest rules or decorating clauses. If the answer is that everything is enforced, take the document literally and read it again with that in mind.
What makes you decide not to renew a tenant?
Why ask it
This surfaces their standards, and sometimes their plans, such as an intention to sell or renovate. A landlord who has never not renewed anyone in years of ownership is describing a stable building.
Signing a Lease Without Regrets
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you sign anything
Read it somewhere other than the leasing office
Ask for the document by email and take it home. Anyone unwilling to let you read a year-long contract overnight has told you something worth knowing.
Turn every verbal promise into an addendum
New carpet, a fixed window, a parking space, permission for a cat. Written into the lease with a date and both initials, or it does not exist.
Check the local rules yourself
Deposit limits, notice periods for entry and for rent increases, and required disclosures are set by state or city rather than by the landlord. Look them up on the relevant government or tenant-services site rather than asking the person on the other side of the table.
Never pay before you have seen both the place and the lease
Requests for a deposit to hold a unit you have not entered are the most common rental scam. Pay by a traceable method, keep the receipt, and be cautious about anything that requires cash or a gift card.
Photograph everything on day one
Every room, every appliance, the inside of cupboards, and close-ups of any damage, with the date visible in the file data. Email the set to the landlord the same day so there is a record neither side can revise.
What should be written in the lease
- The full legal name of the landlord or management company, with an address for notices
- Rent amount, due date, accepted payment methods, and the late fee with its trigger day
- Every deposit and fee, marked clearly as refundable or not
- The lease start and end dates, and what happens at the end if neither party acts
- Which utilities you pay and which are included, with any administration charge stated
- The repair reporting process, a contact for out of hours, and any response timeframes agreed
- Notice required before entry, and what counts as an emergency exception
- Any early termination or buyout terms, with the actual amount
- Pet terms including deposit, monthly amount and any weight or breed limits
- Rules on guests, subletting, and adding or removing a named tenant
- Insurance requirements, including minimum coverage and whether the landlord must be listed
- A signed move-in condition report attached as an exhibit
Signs to slow down
Pressure to sign today
Urgency is the oldest tool for getting a signature on unread terms. A place that will genuinely be gone by evening is still not worth a contract you have not read.
Blank spaces at signing
Amounts, dates or names left to be completed later can be filled in with anything. Complete every field before signing and take a photograph of the signed copy.
A clause waiving repairs or accepting the place as-is
Some obligations cannot be signed away, and a landlord trying it is stating their intentions. Take that clause as a preview of how a broken furnace will be handled.
No written lease at all
A handshake tenancy leaves both deposit and notice entirely undefined. It is occasionally offered as a favor and is almost always worse for the tenant.
Vagueness about the deposit
If they cannot say how it is held or how it comes back, assume the return will be difficult and document the condition of the place accordingly.