…..not so fast.

You finally received the call. Your rental application was accepted. You can go to the house or apartment you are intending to rent and sign the lease.

You are all exited and ready to move in and move on from your current place, stretching your wings for the first time. Being so excited to get out of the smaller apartment to a larger unit you might forget that you should keep several things in mind while you are signing the lease.

The first obvious thing, and may forget to do it, is to FULLY read and UNDERSTAND what you are signing. When you don’t understand, ASK. If you are not comfortable asking your new landlord, or the landlords representative, ask for an unsigned copy of the lease to take to someone you trust to read and help you understand what is in the lease. You could also bring someone you trust with you while you are signing the lease. Either way, make sure you read the lease!

Before you sing the lease do a walk-through of the house or apartment you are leasing. In many leases it states that you are accepting the unit as it is unless you point out certain problems. There are other rental agreements that will give you a set amount of days to do an independent walk though and turn in the walk-through checklist in to the landlord before you can move in your furnishings. Either way, many do a move-in walk-through, fill out the walk-through checklist, and sign the document and turn it in.

After you complete your walk-through and sign the lease be certain to obtain a copy of all the signed documents. They will serve as proof when there is trouble or you need to refer back to something for some reason.

If you are looking to rent a home or apartment, or looking to have some of your questions answered, just contact the Settles Team and we will be more than happy to assist you.