What Questions to Ask Apartment Tour
Questions to ask while you are standing in the unit, covering the true move-in cost, utilities, noise, repairs, parking, and the terms you will be held to for the next twelve months.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is the total to move in, counting first month, deposit, and any fees?
Why ask it
Advertised rent rarely matches the check you write. Application fees, administration fees, pet deposits, and a last month held up front can add well over a thousand dollars, and some of it is not refundable no matter how you leave.
What is the rent on this exact unit, and is that a promotional rate?
Why ask it
Concessions such as one month free or a discounted first year are often quoted as if they were the rent. Ask what the renewal figure would be without the concession, because that is the number you will actually live with.
Which utilities are included, and what did the last tenant pay for the rest?
Why ask it
Included water and heat can be worth a hundred dollars a month or more. A leasing agent who cannot give any figure for electricity or gas in a specific unit is either new or avoiding the answer. In a poorly insulated building the January bill is the number that breaks the budget you set on rent alone.
Is the deposit refundable, and what exactly gets deducted from it?
Why ask it
Many places now charge a non-refundable move-in fee instead of, or as well as, a deposit. Ask what counts as normal wear rather than damage, since paint and carpet cleaning are the usual places a deposit disappears.
How long has this unit been empty, and why did the last tenant leave?
Why ask it
A unit vacant for months in a tight market suggests something you have not noticed yet. The reason for leaving is often given honestly, and answers involving noise, a landlord dispute, or repeated repairs are worth following up on.
How much did rent go up at renewal here last year?
Why ask it
This is the most useful number in the conversation and almost nobody asks for it. Past increases predict your second year better than any promise about future ones, and a refusal to answer is itself informative.
How is the place heated and cooled, and what does that cost in January and July?
Why ask it
Electric baseboard heat, window units, and old single-pane glass produce bills that dwarf small differences in rent. If the answer is that heat is included, check whether you can control the thermostat or only the radiator valve.
Where is the laundry, and how many machines are there for how many units?
Why ask it
In-unit, in-building, or down the street is a daily quality-of-life difference. Two machines for forty apartments means weekend queues, and shared machines that take cards rather than coins usually mean a per-load cost worth pricing.
Can I see the unit I would actually be renting rather than a model?
Why ask it
Model units are staged, higher in the building, and often a different layout. Reluctance to show the real unit, or an offer to show one just like it, is the strongest reason to keep looking.
What will I hear from in here, and who lives directly above?
Why ask it
Tour appointments happen at quiet hours by design. Ask about the road, the elevator shaft, the trash chute, a bar or a restaurant vent below, and whether the unit above has bare floors, which is the most common source of complaints.
How do I report a repair, and how long did the last one in this unit take?
Why ask it
Every landlord says maintenance is responsive. What separates them is whether there is a system, a log, and someone on staff, or whether requests go to a phone number that reaches a voicemail box.
Who comes out if the heat fails at midnight on a Sunday?
Why ask it
You are asking whether there is a real emergency line and what counts as an emergency. Buildings managed remotely often have neither, and you will not discover it until the night it matters.
Is there a pest control schedule, and when was this unit last treated?
Why ask it
Regular preventive treatment is a good sign rather than a bad one, and a specific recent date suggests records are kept. Vagueness here in a multi-unit building, particularly about bedbugs, deserves a direct follow-up question.
What is the pet policy, and what does it cost over the lease?
Why ask it
Pet rent, a pet deposit, and a one-time fee are sometimes all charged together, and weight or breed limits can matter later even if you have no animal now. Ask whether the restrictions apply to visiting pets too.
How does parking work, and where do visitors park?
Why ask it
Assigned, first-come, permit, or street are four different daily experiences. Ask what the waiting list looks like if spaces are limited, and what happens to guests overnight, since towing policies are usually enforced by a third party.
How are packages handled, and have there been thefts?
Why ask it
A locker system, a front desk, or an unlocked lobby determines whether you can order anything to your home. Managers who answer honestly about past thefts are generally the ones who have done something about it.
What is the policy on guests, roommates, and subletting?
Why ask it
Adding a partner to the lease, or leaving for a summer, both require permission in most leases. Find out now whether the landlord allows it at all, because the alternative later is either breaking the lease or breaking the rules.
What happens if I need to break the lease early?
Why ask it
Some leases specify a buyout of one or two months, others hold you liable until the unit is re-let. That single clause can be worth thousands of dollars, and it is the term most worth reading before you sign.
What is the renewal process, and how much notice do you need from me?
Why ask it
Sixty days is common, and missing it can convert your lease into a month-to-month arrangement at a higher rate. Ask when they will tell you the new rent, since a late offer leaves no time to look elsewhere.
Is there anything about the building you would want to know if you were moving in?
Why ask it
Asked at the end, this occasionally produces the useful admission: the construction next door, the elevator being replaced, the water shut off on Tuesdays. It also tests whether the person is a resident manager who knows the place or an agent seeing it for the first time.
Touring an apartment properly
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
When and how to see it
Visit twice if you can, once after dark
Parking, noise, lighting, and who is around change completely in the evening. A weekday afternoon tour shows you the building at its best hour.
Walk the block, not just the unit
Check where the nearest stop is, how far the parking is from the door, and what the route looks like at night. Ten minutes on foot tells you more than any listing description.
Photograph everything on the tour
Photographs settle later arguments about what the appliances were, what was already damaged, and what you were shown. Take them again on move-in day before you unpack.
Things to check yourself
- 1Turn on the shower and a tap at the same time, and let the hot water run for a minute.
- 2Flush the toilet while the shower runs.
- 3Open and close every window, and look for condensation between panes or soft paint on the sills.
- 4Test the outlets you would actually use, and count how many there are per wall in the bedroom and the kitchen.
- 5Open the oven, run the burners, and check the fridge is cold rather than merely plugged in.
- 6Look under the sinks with a flashlight for staining, buckled wood, or a bucket.
- 7Check the ceiling corners and around windows for the tide-lines that mean past leaks.
- 8Open the electrical panel to see whether it is modern breakers or old fuses.
- 9Stand still in the middle of the room for thirty seconds and just listen.
- 10Check your phone signal in the bedroom, which is often the one dead spot in a concrete building.
Before you sign
- Read the lease, not the summary. Ask for a copy to take away, and be wary of anyone unwilling to send it in advance.
- Get any promise made on the tour written into the lease. A verbal commitment to replace the carpet or fix the closet door does not survive a change of manager.
- Check whether the landlord or the tenant handles filter changes, snow, lawn care, and pest treatment. In smaller buildings these are often quietly yours.
- Ask what the late fee is and when rent is considered late, since some leases charge from the second of the month.
- Look up your local tenant rights on deposits and notice periods. State rules override most lease language, and knowing them makes the negotiation shorter.
Reasons to walk away
- Pressure to sign or pay a holding fee the same day, especially before you have read the lease.
- A landlord who will not show you the actual unit, or who cannot say when it will be ready.
- Requests for payment by wire, cash app, or gift card, or a listing where nobody will meet you in person.
- Fresh paint over one patch of ceiling, or a strong air freshener in a closed unit.
- Evasiveness about who handles repairs, or a manager who cannot name a single recent one.
- Existing tenants who look away when asked how they find the building.