Take a deep breath before you sign the lease, and check out your Renting Guide again. Find out how long the owner is going to rent the place for. If you get in and get all settled only to find out the owner has decided to sell up you could be in deep water. Well, at least in the deep blue yonder if you haven’t got anywhere to live . . .
If the owner has the property on the market, you should know about it beforehand. First you have to be handed a copy of the lease or tenancy agreement. Read it carefully and if possible have someone more experienced check this out with you.Make sure you read it all yourself though and ask about anything you don’t understand.
Don’t just sign ’cause you’re relieved someone will actually take you! With that copy of the lease you must also receive a Premises Condition Report. This is a document that you will fill out, usually in conjunction with the agent.
Don’t brush this off or rush it, as it could end up costing you your bond money when you leave. Go over every last corner of the property and make a note of every scratch on the kitchen benches, every chip in the bathroom and every stain on the carpets, etc., so that there is a record that they were there before you moved in.
This form comes in triplicate and you get to keep a copy, so file it away carefully. The top of the pizza pyramid isn’t a good place—put it somewhere safe. Remember, furniture is also included in the condition report, so go over every item.
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