Find out the crucial questions to ask before renting a home. Ensure a secure and satisfactory rental experience with our expert tips.
A rental is no less your home than an owned property in all the ways that matter. You’ll trust it with your health and safety, your family, and a significant slice of your monthly budget. In fact, at the national median rent of $1,967 in late 2023, annual rent costs can add up to $23,604 or more.1
For that cost, it’s critical to ask the right questions to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of renting a new home. Let’s take a look at critical questions to ask when renting a house.
Before you get started, look at your rights under the federal Fair Housing Act and search for a summary of your state’s tenants' or renters' laws. These are often listed on state attorney generals’ websites, or click on your state from Nolo’s State Landlord-Tenant Laws page.2 Some locations also have county or city regulations covering landlord-tenant responsibilities.
Tenant laws often spell out details such as:
Although many states offer a boilerplate rental agreement, these are generally a starting point rather than a requirement. Landlords are responsible for complying with federal, state, and local rental laws within their contracts, but they often tailor leases with terms that favor them.
As a prospective tenant, make sure these components are spelled out clearly:
Specific to paying rent, the lease should state:
Here are some more things to ask when renting a house:
Just like buying a house comes with closing costs and a down payment, renting also has some upfront costs to plan for. Be sure to ask about the costs you may encounter as a potential tenant.
At the start, you may need to cover one-time fees such as:
What ongoing fees will you be charged in addition to the base rent price? Ask about:
Also consider whether you need to budget for these investments and costs:
Of the questions to ask before you rent a house, those related to utilities can have the biggest impact on your monthly housing cost. You’ll want to get a rundown of exactly:
Specifically, find out whether these utilities are included in rent or payable by the tenant:
For any utilities you’d be responsible for paying, make sure you understand the billing system. Check on:
It’s common to expect a landlord to handle all major repairs, but ensure you get written details about who’s responsible for both work and costs.
Repairs and maintenance on major systems:
What about the regular replacement of cosmetic components? Are they done before every move-in or after a set number of years? Will the landlord automatically charge their replacement out of the tenant’s security deposit or cover the cost of:
Understand who is to handle general upkeep of the rental property such as:
Finally, find out:
If you’re comparing multiple options while home or apartment hunting, you may want to set up a rating system or spreadsheet to come up with objective assessments of how each location meets your needs. What do you value about each rental's location, setting, and access?
There are a few different angles for evaluating home and neighborhood safety. Check on objective crime statistics and trends over time with:
Additionally, evaluate safety in terms of:
Whether you’re planning to bike, hike, or cut your commute time, you’ll want to compare a prospective rental home in terms of the presence of and distance from:
Moving is near the top of the list of life stressors. Besides simply being a lot of work, it comes with the emotional strain of deciding what to keep and bring, plus a complete shake-up of the routines that you’re used to.
Your sensory cues related to security must reset to an entirely new environment. Your schedule will shift based on all the little location-specific habits we’re not entirely aware of, like how long it takes for a shower to warm up.
With that in mind, a smooth moving experience starts by reinforcing the practices that keep you balanced and energized. Take a little extra care planning your:
Home-hunting can also be easier if you:
Follow these steps to successfully prep for the move:
If you’re wondering: Should I sell my house and rent, we have an answer for that, too. If you currently own a home and are planning to rent nearby, a residential sale-leaseback is an option to investigate. Sale-Leasebacks (SLBs) combine the sale of your property to a residential real estate and services company with a lease agreement that lets you stay in your home as a renter for as long as you’d like.
With a Truehold sale-leaseback, you’re no longer responsible for property tax, homeowners insurance, or major repairs and maintenance. And instead of heading for an unknown environment, you’ll remain in the comfort of your own home.
If you’d like to set down the burden of homeownership without leaving your property—and convert your equity to cash without taking on debt—give us a call at (314) 353-9757. A Truehold Advisor will reach out to explain our process to help you decide how a sale-leaseback can benefit your living experience.
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