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Are you currently on the lookout for a new rental property? If so, then you’re probably working your way through plenty of viewings to find the perfect home. A rental viewing should be much more than just looking around each room to see if you like the aesthetic. To get the most out of a rental viewing, you should come armed with a list of pre-prepared questions to ask the letting agent or landlord who’s showing you around.
Knowing the best questions to ask when viewing a rental property will make a world of difference. It’ll ensure you can make a decision with all the necessary information, whether this be financial, maintenance, local services or the parking situation.
There may not be time on the day to ask every single one of these questions. If this is the case, then the landlord or letting agent should be able to answer any follow-up questions over call or text.
Around 90% of rental property listings will include the price per month. Even if this is the case for you, we’d say that it’s still worth bringing up the price, if only to double-check that it’s correct. Sometimes, prices can change from the time you book a viewing to when it actually happens. If you fancy yourself as something of a haggler, then the landlord may be willing to negotiate on the price. Although, demand is currently outweighing supply for rental properties, so don’t be surprised if you fail to get anywhere with this tactic.
Similarly, you’ll want to know what the deposit amount is. As these usually need to be paid up-front, it’ll allow you to make sure you have enough money in the bank. Holding deposits are capped at one week’s rent, while security deposits are capped at five weeks’ rent.
A large number of tenancies have 12-month agreements. This isn’t always the case however, with some being shorter term – around the six month mark – and others operating on a month-by-month rolling basis. This will be stated on documents that you’ll sign before officially agreeing to anything, but it’s still good to know beforehand, especially if you don’t want to get roped into anything long-term.
In most cases, the tenant is required to pay all household related bills (including rent, utilities and Wi-Fi). You’re more than entitled to ask for a total estimate of all these bills per month. There are some other recurring payments that you should enquire about as well, including council tax, service charges, building insurance and ground rent. These are usually covered by the property’s owner/landlord but it’s better to ask and have peace of mind.
To make this simpler, companies such as Resooma offer bundled bill packages that remove much of the stress from having to make multiple payments each month.
Problems are almost certainly going to crop up sooner or later, so it’s important to know who you need to contact to quickly resolve these issues. Ask whether your first point of contact should be the landlord or letting agent. Sometimes, landlords will outsource maintenance to a different company. In this case, getting their number will help in sorting problems with ease. After all, you don’t want to be left with faulty electronics or cold water for days at a time.
Knowing a home’s electricity rating will give you a better idea of how much utility bills are going to cost. Generally speaking, newer properties are higher-rated and older properties are lower-rated. With that being said, there’s plenty a landlord can do to improve the rating of an older property. Energy efficiency can be seen through an energy performance certificate (EPC). This should be available for you to have a look at during a property viewing. Some homes use other forms of energy for heating, such as gas. To better understand a potential utility bill, you’ll want to know whether gas, electric or a combination of the two are in use.
Right now, carbon monoxide detectors are only a legal requirement in rooms with fuel-burning appliances (such as kitchens). They aren’t that expensive either, so you may want to ask to get one installed (or buy it yourself) if the property you’re looking at doesn’t have one. Similarly, it’s a legal requirement for there to be a smoke alarm on every storey of a home.
The last thing you want is to move into a new home, only to discover that the hot water is temperamental and the water pressure is slow at best. If you notice that the boiler looks as though it’s seen better days, then be sure to check how old it is and the condition it’s in.
You’ll also want to check what kind of boiler it is. If it’s a combi boiler then you’ll have hot water ‘on tap’. If it gives out though, then you’ll be left without any hot water.
You should ask this question when viewing a rental property as some landlords/letting agents will already have a gardener in place who visits on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, whereas others will expect you to keep the garden neat and tidy yourself. Again, this is useful to know in advance as you may need to invest in some basic gardening equipment!
As time goes on, landlords are becoming more open-minded to the idea of giving their tenants some freedom to decorate their rental property. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check first, as making changes without permission could result in the loss of your deposit. These days, the standard policy for friendly landlords is that it’s fine, as long as the property is left looking the same when you leave as it does when you moved in.
Slow internet speeds are the bane of renters everywhere, particularly young professionals and students who do a lot of their work from home. If Wi-Fi isn’t already in place, then ask what suppliers are available and what speeds the house can reach. If there is already Wi-Fi, then you could be sneaky and perform a broadband speed check during the house viewing.
This is one of the most vital questions to ask when viewing a rental property. Rental homes are often advertised as containing lots of comfortable furniture, yet the reality is a sparse house. On the flip side, some renters would rather move into a property without any furniture so they can add their own larger touches. This needs to be clarified to know exactly where you stand (or sit in this case). Any requests to add or remove furniture should go into your tenancy agreement.
Like redecoration, this all comes down to the individual landlord and their policy. If pets are allowed, then they usually come with the proviso of a higher deposit. If we’re being honest, the answer to this question is normally ‘no’, especially for free-roaming animals like cats and dogs. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to check.
Depending on whether or not you (or any of the people you plan on living with) can drive, this is a question you don’t want to forget when viewing a rental property. If there’s a driveway, then think about how many cars it’ll hold. If vehicles need to be parked on the road, then ask whether you’ll need to get a permit and how much this will cost.
Shops, pubs, restaurants, gyms – these services will all make a huge difference. Even if you’ve found the perfect rental property, it won’t matter too much if the local amenities don’t match your needs. Whoever is showing you around the property should have some knowledge of the local area, so quiz them on what it’s like to live there. Another idea is to do some research of your own. Consider going for a wander and finding all amenities within a 10-20 minute walk of your prospective home.
This question to ask when viewing a rental property is similar to the last one and the two can probably be asked at the same time. If you plan on doing a daily commute that involves catching the train, then you want to make sure you aren’t miles from the nearest train station. If the person showing you around doesn’t have the answer you’re looking for, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure this one out yourself.
When moving into a rental property, having good neighbours can be a deal-breaker. A group of students could mean late-night parties and music, whereas a young family could mean early mornings and crying babies.
There’s a good chance that the letting agent/landlord won’t have any information about the neighbours. If this is the case, then have a quick word with any of the current tenants if they’re about. After all, they’re the people who are going to know the most about their neighbours!
Naturally, you’ll occasionally want to have some family and friends stay over, whether this is for a couple of nights or longer. Luckily, most rental contracts are pretty lenient about this and will state a maximum stay period for guests. This is still one of the most important questions to ask when viewing a rental property, as a landlord may be unhappy to discover guests that they weren’t made aware of if the tenancy agreement doesn’t allow for them to stay over in the first place.
Asking this question is a nice way of rounding off a rental viewing. It can garner any number of responses and puts responsibility on the landlord or letting agent to be transparent and trustworthy from the start. If they choose to omit any important information at this stage which you later find out about, then you should have a hard think over whether this is a property you really want to live in.
If you’re looking at a property that’s currently tenanted, then these residents represent a great research tool! It’s worth asking them what they think of the home, the landlord and/or letting agent and the surrounding area. If they’re moving out, then the obvious question to pose is why? In most cases, people leave a rental property because of a new job or a desire to live somewhere else. Still, it’s always worth double-checking. Another key question to pose is how long they’ve lived there. A longer stay is normally a pretty good indicator of being happy with the property and services provided by the landlord/letting agency.
To make the answers you get much more likely to be honest, ask these questions away from the landlord’s prying ears. If you’ve got some free time, then pop back over to the house some time after the viewing and ask whoever’s around.
Leaving a review when moving away from a rental property is a really easy yet effective way to help other tenants in the future. At Resooma, we’re on a mission to provide this information upfront and within our property listings.
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