Questions to Ask When Touring an Apartment
Twenty questions about this apartment rather than the building brochure: the true monthly cost, what the walls and windows are next to, what breaks and who fixes it, and what the last tenant knew that you do not. This is the detailed condition walkthrough. For questions about who owns and runs the building, see the questions to ask when touring an apartment building, and if you are seeing four places in one weekend, the touring apartments set is built for comparing them.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is the total monthly cost for this unit, including anything charged separately from rent?
Why ask it
Rent plus mandatory fees is the number to compare. Trash, pest control, amenity, technology, and valet charges are often listed under a heading like monthly services and add 50 to 150 to a rent that looked competitive online.
Is the price on the listing the price of this unit, or a starting price for the floor plan?
Why ask it
Listings often advertise the cheapest version of a layout, on a low floor or facing a parking lot. Ask them to confirm the rent for this exact unit number, and whether it changes with a shorter lease term.
Which utilities will I be paying, and what did a tenant in this unit pay in January and in August?
Why ask it
Asking for two specific months exposes what an average hides: electric heat in a poorly insulated building, or air conditioning in a top-floor unit. If they cannot produce real figures, ask which utility company serves the building and call them yourself.
How old are the furnace, the water heater, and the windows?
Why ask it
These three set your utility bills and your comfort more than anything else in the apartment. Single pane windows and an aging furnace mean you will be paying to heat the street, and neither shows up in photographs.
Which direction do these windows face, and how much direct light does this room get in the afternoon?
Why ask it
Orientation decides whether the apartment is dark in winter or unbearable in summer, and it is the single thing tenants most often regret. If you are touring on a grey day, ask, then check the compass on your phone rather than taking their word.
Can I run the shower and the kitchen tap at the same time?
Why ask it
Do it, do not just ask. Pressure that collapses when a second tap opens is a plumbing problem you will meet every morning, and it cannot be fixed by a landlord who does not own the building's risers.
What is on the other side of this wall, and what is directly above this bedroom?
Why ask it
A shared wall with a lift shaft, a laundry room, a stairwell, or a neighbor's living room decides whether you sleep. Ask them to point at the layout, since a bedroom under someone else's kitchen is a different apartment from a bedroom under a bedroom.
Has this unit had water damage, pests, or mold, and when was it last treated?
Why ask it
Look at ceiling corners, under the sink, and around the tub while you ask. Fresh paint in one patch of ceiling is worth a follow-up question, and a landlord who volunteers a past leak and the repair is usually more reliable than one who says never.
Which appliances stay, and which of them am I responsible for if they break?
Why ask it
Leases frequently assign the washer, dryer, microwave, or garbage disposal to the tenant, especially if a previous tenant installed them. Establish now who pays when the twelve year old dishwasher fails, because it will.
What will be repaired, replaced, or cleaned before I move in, and can that go in writing?
Why ask it
Everything promised on a tour evaporates at signing unless it is on paper. Ask for a dated addendum with each item listed, because we will take care of that is not something you can hold anyone to in November.
Can I control the heat and air conditioning in this unit myself?
Why ask it
Buildings on central systems switch between heating and cooling on a seasonal schedule, which means no heat in a cold October and no cooling in a warm April. Find the thermostat and check whether it does anything.
How is the cell signal in here, and which internet providers actually service this address?
Why ask it
Test your phone in the bedroom, the bathroom, and the far corner while you are standing there. Some buildings have an exclusive arrangement with one provider, which sets a floor on your internet price and a ceiling on your speed.
Where does laundry happen, and what does one load cost?
Why ask it
Ask how many working machines serve how many units, and go look at them. Three machines for forty apartments is a queue on Sunday, and a card-only system nobody can reload is a recurring irritation.
Where do packages go, and has anything gone missing recently?
Why ask it
The honest version of this answer usually arrives as a hesitation. A lobby with an unsecured pile inside an unlocked door is a real cost if you order anything, and it is worth asking whether there is a locker or a doorman signature process.
How do I get in: key, fob, or code, and what does a replacement cost?
Why ask it
Lockout and replacement fees are quietly steep, sometimes a hundred or more for a fob, plus a call-out charge after hours. Ask who to call at midnight when a fob dies, and whether anyone answers.
How do I report a repair, who shows up, and what is the response time on no heat or no hot water?
Why ask it
You want to know whether maintenance is a person in the building, a contractor across town, or the owner's cousin at weekends. Ask for the emergency number now and see whether one exists.
How much notice do I get before someone enters, and who holds a key to this unit?
Why ask it
The list of key holders often includes contractors and a management office, which is worth knowing. Ask how notice is delivered and whether showings to prospective tenants near the end of a lease follow the same rule.
Who lived here before, how long did they stay, and why did they leave?
Why ask it
A unit that has turned over three times in three years is telling you something the tour is not. Bought a house is a good answer, could not say is a neutral one, and a vague answer about a difficult tenant deserves a follow-up.
For this unit specifically, what is the parking, storage, and trash arrangement?
Why ask it
These are assigned per unit, not per building, so a spot may be a waitlist and storage may be a cage in a wet basement. Ask where the bins actually are, because a fourth floor walk-up with bins in an alley is a daily chore.
What is the total to move in, and what has to happen for the deposit to come back?
Why ask it
Get the itemized figure and the return deadline before you apply, along with anything the lease requires at move-out such as professional carpet cleaning. Those requirements are the deposit deductions you can predict in advance.
Inspecting the Unit, Not the Tour
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Things to Physically Test While You Are Inside
- Run the hot tap and time how long it takes to warm, then run the shower with the kitchen tap on
- Flush every toilet and watch how fast the bowl refills
- Open and close every window and check for drafts, condensation between panes, and whether they lock
- Turn on the heat and the air conditioning and wait long enough to feel whether anything happens
- Plug a phone charger into outlets in each room, including the ones behind furniture
- Open the fridge and oven, check the seals, and look at the age sticker inside the door
- Open every closet and cupboard, looking at the corners and under the sink for water staining or droppings
- Stand still for a full minute in the bedroom with the tour guide quiet, and listen
- Check that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are present and not hanging off the ceiling
Look at These Before You Leave the Building
- The laundry room, counting working machines against the number of apartments
- The bin store or trash chute, and how far you carry trash from your door
- The stairwell and lift, including whether the lift has a recent inspection certificate
- The parking area at the hour you would normally arrive home
- The mailboxes and package area, and whether either can be reached from the street
- The corridor outside the unit, for cooking smells, noise, and how the neighbors keep their doorways
When to Visit
Go back at a different hour
Most tours happen midday when the building is empty and quiet. A second look at 7pm on a weekday, or 10pm at a weekend, shows you the noise, parking, and traffic you would actually live with. Ask to swing by even if you cannot get inside.
See the actual unit, not the model
Model apartments are staged with smaller furniture and better light. If the unit is still occupied and you are shown a model instead, ask when the real one can be viewed and be wary of signing before you have stood in it.
Photograph everything on the day you get keys
Before a single box comes in, take timestamped photographs of floors, walls, appliances, window frames, and under sinks, and note existing damage on a move-in condition form. This is the evidence that decides deposit disputes a year later.
Warning Signs During a Unit Tour
- A rushed walkthrough, or being discouraged from testing taps and windows
- Air freshener or fresh paint in one small area of a ceiling or wall
- A landlord who cannot say how repairs are reported or who does them
- An application fee or deposit requested before you have seen the actual unit
- Vague answers about the last tenant or how long the unit has been vacant
- Promised repairs that they decline to put in writing
- No lease copy available to read before you apply