Eugene Bernshtam – Things to Check Before Renting Your First Apartment

Moving into your very first apartment can be a very exciting time, from searching for the perfect apartment for you, signing the paperwork and buying new furniture, all aspects of getting your very first place can be really fun.

It is important however that you try to suppress the excitement and strip the emotion out of what you are doing. Many people blindly sign up for their first apartment without checking all of the details before doing so. Property expert Eugene Bernshtam and others have been offering their wisdom to new renters with some advice and tips on what to check for before signing any deals and here is a checklist to help ensure that you avoid any mistakes.

Property Mods

Even though you will be renting someone else’s property, it is important that you make the place your own, you never know how long you will be there. To this end, it is important that you check with your prospective landlord what alterations you will be able to make to the property. It could be as simple as putting up new wallpaper or re-decorating a bedroom but you will be surprised how many landlords do not want any changes such as this made to the property. Make sure that you have an open discussion before signing anything and check what you can and can’t do inside the property.

Pet Friendly

Not all landlords want little beasts roaming around their property and if you are an animal lover then you should absolutely check whether you can invite your little friends to stay. Many will be fine with this as long as the property is kept clean but you need to ensure that you are fully transparent with your landlord before you sign on the dotted line.

Guest Policy

You need to ensure that you speak with the landlord around their policy towards guests and/or the sub-letting of the property using services like AirBnb. The likelihood is that as long as the landlord receives their rent on time that they won’t have any problems with guests and they would probably prefer not to know if you are renting the place out to someone else. Despite most not having a problem with this, it is in your best interests to check first.

What’s Included

One of the most important questions to ask early on in the conversation is what is included in your rental price. Some landlords require that you pay for your own utilities and insurance, others will pay some of the utilities and no insurance or any combination of these payments. You must understand what you are paying for before you sign anything, not only so that you can see how good the price is that you will be paying but also so that you can make any necessary arrangements in paying your responsibilities once you are in your apartment.

Getting your first place really is fun but to avoid any mistakes, make sure that you are asking the right questions.