Moving to a new home is exciting, especially if you’ve been longing for a change from your current space.
You start to fantasise about all the fun details like how you will decorate your new home and maybe even how convenient it will be to get to work every morning.
There are a lot of things to look forward to when you are house hunting, but in the same breath, there are some (unexciting) details you need to think about, such as your moving budget and the reality of whether the place you want to move to actually meets your needs and expectations.
As you look at different places that tick your boxes, you need to be aware of the distance to the nearest hospital, the general safety of the area and how family-friendly the place is if you have children.
You also need to consider what your experience will be like in relation to a particular house or flat.
These are things you can understand better by asking your potential landlord these important questions:
1. What safety measures are in place?
Safety is definitely one of the main things to consider before choosing to move. It’s important to select an area that is generally safe but also think about what your landlord has done to ensure the tenants are safe.
Find out if they have extra measures in place like CCTVs, an electric fence and security guards then decide whether you’re one hundred per cent satisfied with their response.
2. Who will be my neighbours?
The neighbours you have around you strongly influence how comfortable you will be living anywhere. And the truth of the matter is that bad neighbours are a deal breaker.
If you have kids for example and you need a quiet environment, then moving next to college students might not be a smart idea. This is why you need to find out who your immediate neighbours are and the kind of people your landlord generally rents out to.
Part of planning includes knowing what will be covered in the rent. Some places include things like electricity and water bills plus garbage collection in the rent.
If they cover different expenses separately, that means you will need to allocate some extra money in addition to the rent every month.
4. What are the rules for redecorating?
Be sure to get some clarification on what is allowed and what isn’t allowed as far as this is concerned. Skipping over this conversation has caused ugly fights between tenants and landlords when it was time for the former to move out.
You will be able to know the rules right from the beginning so there won’t be any issues when you need your deposit back.
5. Are pets allowed?
If you’re a pet owner this will be a huge deciding factor. If the landlord doesn’t allow pets but you still want to move in, you will probably need to make plans on possibly giving your pet out.
In some situations, you will find that pets are allowed but under strict rules. In that case, find out what the rules are and decide if that will work for you or not.
