Are you planning to rent a house? Great, we are sure all your focus will be on the end result rather than the in-between things – like reading a contract. If you are conjuring up dreams of painting really colorful walls or perhaps creating an open floor design once you move in, we advise you not to. What if your landlord does not permit it? A survey claims that the most common cause of issues between a tenant and landlord is when they fail to ask questions or do not read their agreements properly. We interviewed a number of landlords in this regard, and from their responses, these are some questions you must ask before you sign any contract.
Can you paint?
If you are like most people, you probably think the answer is yes. Actually, this is hardly ever the case and nearly 73% of landlords respond they do not allow their tenants to paint. Even if you do it, you will have to restore the apartment to the original condition if you move out. Generally, you will not have permission for this and in most cases the lease clearly mentions it. By the way, this is not limited to just painting; in some cases, it also applies to decorations and nails. Know what this means? You cannot put up any wallpaper or drive nails into the walls for hanging art until the landlord provides you with written permission.
Can you keep a pet?
There are so many landlords who completely forbid a dog and/or cat. As for others, they go a step ahead and put a ban on bunnies and birds. If you have a pet, you must find out from your landlord beforehand if you will be able to keep it or not. And if you have visitors who are always accompanied with pets, be sure to ask about this as well. We also know of landlords who do not refuse pets, but they do charge you increased security deposit amounts.
How much has to be paid as security deposits?
These days, rent can be pretty steep but what about deposits? Unfortunately, they can be even higher than the monthly rental amount at times. And landlords may not always refund you back the full amount so be sure to ask them about their policies.
