Questions to Ask When Seeing an Apartment
Questions to ask at an apartment viewing, covering rent and the total due at signing, utility bills, repairs, noise, heating, deposits, pet rules, and what current tenants complain about.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is the rent, and what is the total due at signing?
Why ask it
Advertised rent and move-in cost are different numbers. Ask for the total, since first month, last month, deposit, and fees together usually come to two to four times the monthly figure.
Which utilities are included, and what did the last tenant pay for the rest?
Why ask it
The included list matters less than the actual bills. A landlord who can quote last winter's heating cost is being straightforward. One who says it is not much is guessing on your behalf.
How long has this unit been empty?
Why ask it
A long vacancy in a busy market signals something the listing does not: a noisy neighbor, a smell, a price nobody will meet. Landlords will often explain if asked directly.
How long did the last tenant live here, and why did they leave?
Why ask it
Short tenancies in a row are the clearest warning a building gives. A five-year tenant who left to buy a house tells you one thing. Three consecutive one-year tenants tell you another.
Can I see the actual unit I would be renting?
Why ask it
Viewings are often held in a staged model or a different line of the building. The unit on the lease can have a different layout, floor, and condition, and you have no recourse later if you never saw it.
What is the lease term, and what happens at the end of it?
Why ask it
The end of the lease is where surprises live: automatic renewal, month-to-month at a premium, or a notice period you can miss. Ask specifically what happens if you do nothing.
How much has the rent on this unit gone up in the last three years?
Why ask it
Past increases predict future ones better than any promise about intentions. A landlord who has raised rent modestly and will say so is easier to budget around than one who avoids the history.
Who handles repairs, and how long did the last plumbing or heating call take?
Why ask it
The useful answer is a recent example with a duration attached. A line about a great maintenance team is not one, and the last real repair time is what you will be living with in February.
Can I run the shower and the taps now?
Why ask it
Water pressure and hot water recovery are nearly impossible to fix and never mentioned in listings. Most landlords will say yes, and hesitation tells you as much as the water would have.
Where does the heat come from, and who controls the thermostat?
Why ask it
A central system controlled by the building means you get heat when they decide. Electric baseboards mean large winter bills. Either can be workable, but you cannot budget without knowing which.
What is above, below, and next to this unit?
Why ask it
Neighbors decide daily peace more than construction quality does. A restaurant below or a shared wall with the stairwell explains noise you would otherwise blame on yourself.
What time does the street get noisy, and does that change at weekends?
Why ask it
Viewings happen at quiet hours. Asking about evenings, trash collection, and weekends gets you the noise you cannot hear at two on a Tuesday afternoon.
Is laundry in the unit or shared, and how many machines for how many apartments?
Why ask it
The machine-to-apartment ratio decides whether shared laundry is convenient or a Sunday queue. In-unit hookups raise a different question: who pays if the machine floods the floor below.
What is the parking arrangement, including for guests, and does it cost extra?
Why ask it
Parking described as available nearby often means a paid lot two streets away. Guest arrangements matter as much as your own, and permit waiting lists can run for months.
Can I see the pet policy in writing, including fees and weight limits?
Why ask it
Verbal permission evaporates when a building changes hands or managers. Get the clause, the fees, and the limits, since weight caps and breed rules are commonly enforced only after you move in.
What can I change, and what has to be put back?
Why ask it
Restoration duties are where deposits go. Knowing which changes need permission and which must be reversed lets you decide what is worth doing at all.
What is the deposit, and what has been deducted from deposits here recently?
Why ask it
Asking what has actually been withheld is more revealing than asking the rules. Landlords who deduct for ordinary wear tend to describe it plainly when the question is put this way.
How do I reach someone at two in the morning if a pipe bursts?
Why ask it
Emergency contact quality separates a managed building from an absentee one. A named number with a stated response time is an answer. A promise to get back to you means you will be mopping.
What is the application process, and what fees come with it?
Why ask it
Application fees, credit checks, and guarantor requirements stack up and are often non-refundable. The process also tells you how many other applicants you are being compared against.
What do tenants here complain about most?
Why ask it
Few landlords refuse this outright, and the hedged answer names the real defect: parking, the elevator, the trash room, the family upstairs. Compare it with whatever you noticed on the way in.
Getting the most out of a viewing
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
What to do while you are inside
- Open every cupboard and closet, and look under the sinks for stains or new sealant.
- Run the shower and a tap at the same time and watch the pressure.
- Check phone signal in the room furthest from the windows.
- Look at ceiling corners and window frames for water marks and fresh paint over them.
- Find the electrical panel, the meters, and where the trash goes.
- Count sockets in the rooms where you would work or cook.
- Open a window and listen for a full minute without talking.
Before you sign anything
Read the lease in full, including the addenda
Pet clauses, subletting rules, guest limits, and fees for late payment usually sit in attachments rather than the main document. Ask for every page before the deposit, not after.
Get verbal promises written in
A repaint, a replaced appliance, or permission for a cat means nothing if it is not in the lease or an email you keep. Ask for it in writing while you still have leverage.
Photograph everything on the day you get the keys
Timestamped photographs of every wall, floor, and appliance are what settle deposit disputes a year later. Send a copy to the landlord the same day so the record is shared.
Ask a current tenant if you can
- How long repairs actually take, and whether they had to chase.
- Whether the heating and hot water hold up in the coldest weeks.
- How much the rent went up at their last renewal.
- What the building is like at eleven at night.
- Whether they would sign again.
Signs worth taking seriously
Pressure to decide on the spot
Urgency about other applicants is sometimes real and often a tactic. Any landlord who will not let you read the lease overnight is telling you how the rest of the tenancy will go.
Cash deposits and no receipt
Deposits held outside a proper account, or requested before any paperwork, are a common thread in rental scams. Pay traceably and get a written receipt naming the property.
Fresh paint in one corner only
Localized new paint on a ceiling or the base of a wall usually covers a leak or damp rather than tidying up. Ask what was repaired there and when.