Questions to Ask When Signing a Lease
Twenty questions for the conversation right before you sign a residential lease, covering the real move-in total, deposit rules, who fixes what, entry notice, and what leaving early costs. Written for renters signing with a landlord or a property manager.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is the total amount I have to pay before I get keys, broken out line by line?
Why ask it
Rent is rarely the whole number. Ask them to name every line: first month, last month, deposit, application and admin fees, pet fee, key or fob deposit, and any move-in charge. If they can only give you a lump sum, the itemized version usually contains a fee nobody mentioned on the tour.
Is the monthly rent on this lease the same number I was quoted, or does it include a concession that expires?
Why ask it
A free month spread across twelve makes the quoted rent look lower than what you pay in month thirteen. The number you want is the gross rent written in the lease, because that is the figure renewal increases are calculated from.
Which utilities go in my name, and which ones do you bill back to me?
Why ask it
Billed-back utilities are the ones that surprise people, because your share is calculated from a building total by square footage or occupant count rather than from your own meter. Ask what a unit this size was billed in January and in August.
How is the security deposit held, and by what date after I move out do you have to return it?
Why ask it
You are listening for a specific deadline and a specific process, including whether you get an itemized statement of anything withheld. A landlord who has never had to answer this tends to be vague, which is the same landlord who is slow to return it.
What can be deducted from the deposit, and does the lease define normal wear and tear anywhere?
Why ask it
Almost every deposit fight is about whether worn carpet and nail holes are damage or age. If the lease has no definition, ask for the move-out charge list in writing now, while they still want your signature.
What are the exact start and end dates, and what happens the day after the lease ends?
Why ask it
Three very different things can be written here: the lease goes month to month, it auto-renews for another full year unless you give notice, or you owe a holdover penalty of one and a half to two times rent. Find out which before you plan a move.
If I have to leave early, what does this lease actually require of me?
Why ask it
The three common structures are a flat buyout of one or two months, rent owed until the unit is re-rented, or forfeiting the deposit plus the remaining balance. Ask them to point at the clause rather than describe it, because the spoken version is usually gentler than the written one.
How much notice do I owe you if I am not renewing, and how far ahead will you tell me the renewal price?
Why ask it
These two windows are often set against you: 60 days notice from you, but the new rent arrives 30 days out. That gap means committing to leave before you know what staying would cost, so ask them to move one of the dates.
Is there any cap on the renewal increase, and what did tenants here get the last two years?
Why ask it
Most leases cap nothing, so the useful answer is the history. A landlord who quotes real dollar increases from last year is telling you something checkable, while one who says increases are always reasonable is telling you nothing.
Who do I call for a burst pipe at 2am, and who do I call for a dripping faucet on a Tuesday?
Why ask it
You want two answers: a number that reaches a human overnight, and a normal channel for everything else. If both are the same email address that a single person checks, expect to wait on the kind of problem that gets worse by the hour.
What response time do you commit to for a repair with no heat, no water, or no working toilet, and what happens if it slips?
Why ask it
A promise with no consequence attached is marketing. Ask whether missing it entitles you to anything, and get the commitment written into the lease or an addendum rather than said out loud during a walkthrough.
Which repairs are yours and which are mine? Can you show me that clause?
Why ask it
Leases quietly shift items onto tenants: appliance repair, garbage disposal, drain clogs, filter changes, lawn care, snow removal, pest control. Read the list, because the cost of the ones assigned to you can add up to more than a rent increase.
Am I required to carry renter's insurance, and what coverage limits and named parties does the lease specify?
Why ask it
The lease often names a minimum liability amount and requires the landlord be listed as an interested party. Buying the cheapest policy that does not match those terms puts you in breach on day one without knowing it.
How much notice do you give before entering, and how is that notice delivered?
Why ask it
The gap between what a landlord is allowed to do and what this landlord habitually does matters more than the clause. Ask how notice arrives, text, email, or a note on the door, and whether contractors and showings follow the same rule.
What is the late fee, what day does it start, and is there any grace period?
Why ask it
Watch for a daily fee that compounds and for a fee that starts on the second of the month. Also ask how a payment is deemed received, because online portals sometimes post a day after you hit submit.
If I want to add a roommate or sublet later, what is the process and what does it cost?
Why ask it
Some leases forbid it outright, some require the new person to qualify on their own income, and some charge a lease amendment fee. The answer determines whether a job change or a breakup becomes an administrative task or a financial problem.
If I get a pet during the lease, what is allowed, and is the pet charge a one-time fee, a refundable deposit, or extra monthly rent?
Why ask it
The three cost the same in month one and very different amounts over two years. Ask about weight and breed limits too, since those are usually set by the building's insurer rather than by the landlord and are not negotiable.
What can I put on the walls, and what has to come back off before I leave?
Why ask it
Paint, shelves, mounted televisions, and anything drilled are the usual friction points. Get permission in writing with the restoration expectation stated, otherwise the same holes you were told were fine become a deposit deduction.
Is there a separate rules document, and can I read it before I sign?
Why ask it
Leases often incorporate house rules or an HOA document by reference, which makes them binding even though you never saw them. That is where quiet hours, amenity rules, guest limits, and parking enforcement actually live.
What will be repaired or replaced before I move in, and can we put that in the lease as an addendum?
Why ask it
Verbal promises made during a walkthrough disappear on signing day. A dated addendum listing each item, with who does it and by when, is the difference between a fixed window and a year of asking.
Signing a Lease Without Regret
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Clauses Worth Reading Twice
The end-of-term clause
Find the paragraph that says what happens when the term expires. Automatic renewal for a full year, conversion to month to month, and a holdover penalty are three different futures, and the clause is often one sentence long and easy to skim past.
The early termination clause
Look for the words buyout, liquidated damages, or reletting fee. If none appear, you may be liable for rent through the end of the term, which is the most expensive version. This is the clause most worth negotiating before you sign, especially if your job or visa status could move you.
The maintenance and responsibility list
Read the list of items assigned to the tenant. Pest control, drain clogs, filter replacement, and appliance repair are commonly shifted, and each one is a real annual cost that never shows up in the rent comparison you made online.
Anything incorporated by reference
Phrases like as set out in the community rules or per the association bylaws bind you to a document you have not read. Ask for every attachment by name and count the pages, then check the lease signature page lists them.
The joint and several clause
If you are signing with roommates, this usually means each of you is liable for the whole rent, not your share. One person leaving does not reduce what the landlord can collect from you, so agree between yourselves in writing what happens if someone moves out.
Document the Unit Before You Hand Over Money
- Photograph every room, closet, and appliance with a timestamp on the day you get keys, including floors, window frames, and under sinks
- Take video of anything already broken, stained, or scratched, narrating what you see
- Run every faucet, flush every toilet, test the shower pressure with the kitchen tap on, and open every window
- Turn on the heat and the air conditioning even if the season is wrong, and note how long each takes to respond
- Test outlets with a phone charger and check that the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have batteries
- Write the existing damage onto a move-in condition form, get it signed or acknowledged by email, and keep your copy
Terms That Are Often Negotiable
- The lease length, which can sometimes be set to end in a month you would rather move
- A cap on the renewal increase, written as a dollar or percentage ceiling
- The notice window for non-renewal, moved so you learn the new rent before you must commit
- An early termination buyout, converting open-ended liability into a known number
- Repairs and cosmetic work listed in an addendum with dates
- Parking, storage, or a pet fee bundled into rent rather than charged separately
- Who pays for the professional carpet cleaning many leases require at move-out
Warning Signs During Signing
- Pressure to sign or pay a deposit before you have read the full document and its attachments
- A request for the deposit by wire, cash app, or gift card rather than a traceable payment
- Blank spaces left in the lease to be filled in later
- A refusal to put a promised repair in writing, paired with reassurance that it always gets done
- No move-in condition form offered, and no interest in your photographs
- A landlord who cannot say how or when deposits are returned
- Terms said aloud that contradict the document in front of you