Once you have found the right property for you, try to investigate and get into more detail, you can be surprised by the outcome. Most people focus on the location of the rental property, the neighborhood, and amenities but it’s also important to make sure that the rental unit itself is what you are looking for and set certain expectations to be met.
Whether you have been through a horrible rental experience such as an eviction, or real estate agents that are not as they first seemed, a great rental experience starts with checking everything you need to know about the property before you actually sign the contract and deposit your first payments.
Typically, there is a real estate agent or a landlord of the rental unit that would usually present the property to potential tenants. Once there is a tenant that would be interested, before going into any rental agreement, there is usually an inspection report.
This would be useful to both parties to make notes of any damages, repairs, or wear and tear that needs to be notified. You should also consider that most rental agreements have a clause that states that the premise can be viewed/shown to potential tenants by the end of the rental duration period which is usually agreed upon to be the last two or one month remaining in the contract.
If a rental inspection report is not in the process, in most cases the landlord will not remember which damages existed in the property before your check-in date, which can cause both parties to point fingers and play the blame game. In certain cases, when a rental inspection is not used, the landlord can keep the security deposit just for damages/repairs that were not on your behalf.
This article will mention a few aspects to consider before renting a property for a long rental duration.
WALLS, FLOORS, AND CARPETS
When first entering a residential rental property, one of the many things most people would notice would be the floors, walls, and carpets if any.
It is normal for the walls to have a few small holes, cracks, or nails from the current or previous tenant, or for the hardwood to have a few scratches.
You should look out for the major and more obvious damages such as large holes in the walls and possible stains and damages that are harmful in the long run.
If there is anything that you suspect can cause trouble, it would be best to be mentioned it to the representing real estate agent or the landlord, which in this case, can be documented with photographs representing the current state of the issue.