Signing The Apartment Lease: The Basics
As a trusted apartment resource, Trey (http://ApartmentHomeLiving.com) wants to make your apartment shopping experience stress-free by showcasing the most apartments and providing you with accurate information on each one, updated every single day. http://www.ApartmentHomeLiving.com
When your eyes peer over a lease for an apartment for the first time before signing it, you tense up not wanting to miss any of the fine print. Some leases can be similar to one another, but some can also be very, very different.
Apartment leases must abide by state or local laws that govern both the resident’s and the landlord/management companies rights. These can include regulations on security deposit limits, the eviction process and what happens when a lease is broken.
Although leases may vary here and there, a few things must be included in every lease. So when you go into that leasing office to sign the lease for your new apartment, be sure to keep the following things in mind to make sure you take a good look at before you put your signature on that dotted line.
Names- I don’t care if your best friend, cousin, girlfriend or mother is living with you. If they are over 18, they need to have their name on the lease. If they live there with you and mess up the apartment, but the lease is only in your name and they are nowhere to be found in the paperwork – it all will fall down on you! And just because you think you can trust someone, doesn’t mean that they won’t mess up the apartment.
Your New Home- The exact address and unit number should be indicated on the lease. If not, you need to make sure it is. You don’t want to sign for one apartment and turn around and they give you a different one.
Rent- Another thing that better be on the lease is the cost of rent. If the rent isn’t indicated on the lease – you should make them write it in there immediately. There should be no confusion or discrepancies on what you are going to be paying for your new home each month.
Dates- Also, your start and end dates of the lease should be indicated as well as what happens after your lease expiration, the cost of going month to month and what the penalty is for breaking your lease. The dates should also show you when your rent is due each month, when it is considered late and how much the fee is for paying rent late.
Additionally, you should also take note of policies on visitors, parking, subletting, repairs, renter’s insurance and on pets. Be sure to check for signatures on all pages and most importantly – read everything! If they try to rush you into signing without reading carefully, (which they shouldn’t) you should just tell them politely that you would like to read everything that you are signing.
The lease is LONG and COMPLEX, so don’t get discouraged. Just think about the light at the end of the tunnel and having your new awesome place and you will pull through!
Most of the services reviewed by this website are available or may be accessed from Australia (see 