I would like to be clear that these are good questions to ask your landlord after you've settled on this rental property as your first choice, and before you sign your new lease with your new landlord. It's sort of a detailed interview question list.
I've designed the list to have 2 main purposes. The first is to make sure you're asking pivotal questions that you need the answers to make sure you are making an informed decision when and if you decide to submit an application or sign on the dotted line of a lease. Just like your landlord is interviewing, assessing, and judging you, your tenancy carries gravitas in this arrangement and you need to make sure you're doing a thorough job of assessing the potential relationship with your new landlord.
I've backed out of a rental property myself back when I was a renter because I got a terrible vibe from the landlord. In my case, the unit was perfect and well located to my nearby university, but the landlord was intent on making her presence known and freely admitted to spot inspections, hiring private security, and having a mile-high long list of building rules and conditions. I realized that while I was an excellent tenant, I was not willing to live under Draconian rule. It's important to feel some sense of 'simpatico' with your landlord.
The second purpose of the list is to deliver questions to your new potential landlord that also sets the tone for your tenancy in his/her building. Your landlord should have the sense that you're a responsible and carding tenant who is also knowledgeable and aware of the landlord's role and responsibility in a tenancy. Running through these questions demonstrates your seriousness and confidence as a tenant on the search for a quality rental and renting experience.
Here's the list. The 3 boxes are labelled appropriately as "Ask" as in "Did I Ask The Landlord This Question?", "OK" as in "The Landlord's Reply Was OK And Addressed The Question Appropriately", and "F/U" as in "I Need To Follow Up With The Landlord On This Question". This 3rd checkbox could also be interpreted that the landlord continues to not provide a satisfactory reply and/or the entire question is not relevant or applicable for this rental property.
| #1 -Did I ASK Landlord? #2 Did Landlord Answer OK? #3 No reply, N/A, or Must Ask Again | |||
| #1 | #2 | #3 | Questions To Pose To Landlord |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | How long have you been a landlord? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Do you take care of maintenance yourself or do others represent you? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Who would I reach for General Maintenance? Emergencies? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | How do you handle utilities? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Why sort of lease, rental agreement are you looking for? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Has this property been up for rent for long? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Do you have other vacancies here or in other properties? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | How do you feel about me making improvements or painting? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Why did the previous tenant leave? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | What can you tell me about the other tenants/neighbours/building? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | How do you maintain your property? What's the process like? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Do you have a lot of younger, older, average, male/female tenants? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Is pets/smoking allowed? Can I contact you if I see unauthorized pets/smoking? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | What makes your rental property special? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | How is parking handled in and around the property? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | How secure is the property/building? (ie. secure entry? cameras? new locks?) |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | What's your policy on overnight guests and/or long term guests/guest parking? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Are there additional storage options? |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | How do you prefer I contact you if I needed to? (ie. email, voice, text etc?) |
