Some tips before renting your apartment.

As the fall season approaches, housing demands are exploding, here are some tips to guide you through your rental process.

When a prospective tenant visits a dwelling, he obviously checks the dwelling’s compliance and the good condition of the property. The future tenant is afraid of missing a “hidden vice”.

Unlike during sale, one does not rent “as it is”. The dwelling must meet a minimum standard imposed by the law and it is always possible to have a dysfunction corrected by asking the owner to intervene. There are however trifles that can quickly become real inconveniences.

Rooms exposed to humidity

To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is imperative to check the parts exposed to moisture. We think of the aeration of the bathroom and the kitchen as well as the water outlets. The correct flow of water and the quality of the fittings must be examined, as well as the proper functioning of the appliances and the corresponding outlets.

These checks make it possible to identify the needs and verify the wear and tear of certain elements that can be borne by the tenant.

Another element to be checked is the hot water tank. Indeed, the law does not impose a size requirement. Now, a family with several children and a bathtub will struggle to settle for a 100-liter balloon. The tenant will prefer to know before moving in.

Locate the location of the electrical outlets

In addition to the state of the windows (and their ease of opening) and the operation of the radiators, it is necessary to pay attention to the electrical outlets. But for this, the future inhabitant will have to project a little and imagine where he will put his furniture.

At the same time, the rental candidate will have the good sense to ask for the standard of the outlets and watch if they are connected to a switch. Cutting your box out of a room will make the future tenant slightly irritable. Moreover, the latter will also think of locating where are the phone and internet jacks.

Check locks, doorbell or mailboxes

For all residential buildings constructed before 12 July 1979, the requirements for standardized mailboxes are not compulsory, according to the Building and Housing Code. The future tenant will have to ask the landlord or estate agent if there is a concierge, if he is distributing the mail and what are his schedules.

Some units do not have intercom or bells. “Obviously everyone has a laptop,” notes Olivier Marin. Certainly, but the candidate will take advantage of his visit to verify that he has the network all over the apartment. For judas or security chains, if these are two important features in the eyes of the future tenant for safety reasons, it is advisable to immediately ask the owner to install them or if he allows this kind of small jobs.

Lock is an important equipment that can be expensive. It is necessary to check its level of safety and its correct functioning.

Check the basement and local garbage

Still in the safety register, taking a look at the cellars and the local garbage is not a bad idea. It would be a shame to have a cellar and not to use it for safety reasons.

If possible, the tenant should ask questions of former tenants or neighbors about the effectiveness of garbage collection and the general living environment of the building.

Cabinet Roche & Cie, English speaking accountant in Lyon, France.
Specialist in Real-Estate and Non-resident taxation.