60 things to check while selecting rental house

Recently we selected a new house to stay (rental). I used magicbricks to search for homes, mainly because compared to other few sites we tried (quikr home, housing.com etc) magicbrick had easy to use interface and large number of listings for the location we had in mind. Only drawback of magicbricks was that they started spamming me with all kind of property alerts. There was no option like “I got what I wanted, stop spamming me now”. I had to manually unsubscribe and also uninstall the irritating app. During this process we had to evaluate potential houses against multiple aspects. From what I observed, I have made a large list of close to 60 factors that should be checked while renting a home. Of course, most of it can be used for house purchase also.

I am sharing the checklist I made, so that other potential tenants can use it to validate their shortlisted properties and don’t have to regret their decision afterwards. If you feel I have missed some key factors, do comment, will update.

I have given a link to an easy printer friendly version of this checklist at the end.

Building Related things to check
1     Age of the building
2    Flow of natural lights in the house    
3    Provisions for AC/invertor, geyser, exhaust fan etc
4    Vastu compliance- if you care about it
5    Car parking/ safe parking for your vehicles     
6    3 phase electricity supply, generator/backup/inverter availability 
7    Access to terrace/balcony etc 
8    Lockable spaces in the rooms     
9    Flooring style- granite/marble etc
10    Wall paint conditions and appeal (no peal offs/patches, colour is pleasant etc)      
11    Provision in windows for mosquito net, curtains etc.
12    Puja room (if you care) 
13    Which floor and availability of elevator in case of 2+ floors.    
14    Condition of electrical switches, fans, wiring etc    
15    Possible water leaks/seepage in walls? (hard to find out on dry days)
16    Kitchen utilities- provision for gas, storage spaces, provisions for kitchen electrical appliances- modular/non modular 
17    Security- grill to main door, CCTV in building, door pin hole viewer etc      
18    Overhead storage space for less used stuff      
19    Provisions for washing machine
20    Bath room condition, suitability (Indian/western), attached/additional bathrooms, provision geyser   
21    Availability of hooks/need for punching nails/other modifications (for fixing AC/DTH etc)
22    Policy on pets, if applicable 
23    View from balcony/window (scenic view/not blocked by other buildings)     
24    Freshness of air when window is opened (no dust)   
25    Spaciousness (Total Carpet Area)                   
26    Provisions in hall for TV, sofa, showcase, false ceiling/decorative lighting etc                   
27    Furnished/Semi-Furnished/Not furnished                   
28    Electrical items provided (fan/tube lights etc)   

Location Related things to check
29    Distance from main road/nearest bus stop 
30    Availability of shops nearby for daily essentials    
31    Garbage disposal system       
32    Drinking water supply     
33    Water supply    
34    Availability of wide roads till the house (for trucks while shifting house, for water tankers etc    
35    Calmness of the locality- heavy traffic & pollution or relatively free roads      
36    Streetlights  
37    Mobile signal strength/4G available?     
38    Availability of broadband connection in the area 
39   Police patrol/night safety     
40    Auto fare to main road/nearest junction in case you’ve to rent one
41    Access to any parks/gardens/playgrounds/clubs or such recreational facilities nearby
42    Proximity to city centre/airport/main bus terminal/railway station (Can be compromised if you don’t need it often or if there is good connectivity)    
43    Stagnant waters nearby and potential mosquito problems   
44    Proximity of schools, medical centres, ATMs, temples etc    
45    Building security (CCTV, watchman, proper gates/fencing etc)
46    Undesirable elements around- liquor shops/garbage dumping yards, uncovered sewage lines, public places of attraction that may attract lots of crowd/traffic etc or religious places that may use loud speakers, polluting factories
47    Will there be anyone (neighbours/security etc) who can help when you are not in home (example to collect gas cylinder or post etc when you are at work) 
48    Height barriers if any      
49    Toll roads if any to access the house    
50    Availability of support staff (maid, driver etc)

Legal/Financial Aspects
51    Rental amount and maintenance if any in comparison with similar property nearby 
52    Background of owner- profession, where they stay etc     
53   Documents that ascertain owner’s ownership of property- sale deeds, tax paying proof etc
54   Rental agreement, termination clause etc 
55    Agent commission (if applicable)   
56    Advance to be paid

Miscellaneous items
57    Prone to floods or waterlogging?
58    Do you know anyone else in the locality- colleagues/friends/local corporator/other officials etc  in case of emergency 
59    How premium/prestigious the locality is for residence
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You can download a printer friendly version of the checklist here

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