Before taking an apartment on rent, make sure you clarify these things with the landlord

Finding an apartment to your taste and budget can take time. After all the search, if you land yourself an apartment you like and one that just suits your needs, make sure you it becomes yours and stays yours!

There have been many an instance when one has had to vacate their dream apartment because of one or more reasons of disagreement with the landlord - disagreements which could've easily been avoided had the right clarifications been made before taking the apartment on rent.

Before you finalise on the apartment, there are a few questions you need to ask the landlord BEFORE you rent the apartment so that there is no reason for disagreement later on during the lease period.

• When will the unit be available for occupation? If it’s ready to occupy and it’s impractical for you to move in immediately, make sure you negotiate with the landlord so that you don’t pay for unoccupied time.
  
• Are pets allowed to stay in the apartment and if not, would it be possible if you paid a pet deposit? And would the pet-deposit be refundable if there's no damage caused to be found when you move out?
  
• How much is the rent payable and when is it due every month? How much is the security deposit to be paid upfront and is it fully refundable?
  
• Is there a penalty fee for late payment of the rent?
  
• What are the terms for renewing the lease?
  
• Are there any conditions to move out before the lease expires? Even if you may think you won’t have to move out for a long time, it’s better to keep your options safe and negotiate secure terms should you need to move out earlier than the expiry of the lease period.
  
• Are any utilities included in your agreement? What are typical bill amounts in different seasons?
  
• Are you allowed to share your unit with roommates and what is the policy on subletting the apartment?
  
• Can you paint the walls or make other decorative changes to the apartment?
  
• Are you allowed to run a home business from your apartment?
  
• Who will be responsible for property maintenance and is there any separate maintenance fee to be paid?
  
• Who are your neighbours? It's better to know a little about your to-be neighbors before deciding to take up the apartment.
  
• How close is the nearest post office, grocery store, bank, restaurant and public transportation?

Asking these questions only avoids any cause for disagreement in the future between you and your landlord. Infact, some of these pointers can be included in your lease agreement so as to safeguard your interests.