How to rent an apartment from the owner, what to look for, whether it is worth contacting an agency

More and more people are striving to conquer the capital. Arriving in Moscow, the first thing that comes up is the question of renting housing. Trying to save money, people often fall for the tricks of scammers.

How to recognize fraud and how to properly approach the process of renting an apartment.

Price matters

Before you start searching, you should find out how much it costs to rent an apartment. To do this, it is best to visit the websites of large real estate agencies and see how much it costs to rent an apartment in Moscow in a particular area. Even if you don't plan to use realtors, browsing will help you determine the real price range.

Later, when viewing ads in the free search, you can immediately see those where the price is clearly underestimated. You shouldn't rejoice. By calling on the ad, you will most likely get to an information agency, where for a small fee you will be offered the contacts of the landlord of this wonderful option.

You may even be invited to an office where a "qualified" manager will offer you to sign an agreement on the provision of information services, pay for these same services and give you the phone number and address of the desired object. However, when you arrive at the address, you will most likely find out that the apartment has either already been rented out, or has never been rented out, or does not exist at all. Trying to return the money is useless, because they promised to give you only information, and no one vouched for its quality, which can be seen by carefully reading the contract.

This is just one of the scams. Understated relative to the market price, it is almost always a bait. And it is worth considering viewing such an apartment with special attention.

Who is the boss

Arriving to inspect the apartment, first of all, make sure that the owner is in front of you. He must show you a document proving his identity and the right to this apartment (originals, do not agree to copies), as well as consent to rent it out from all other owners, if any.

Check who is registered in this apartment and whether there is consent from them. Yes, they will not be able to evict you (unlike the owners), but the law does not prohibit them from living at the place of registration. So, if you are not ready to acquire an unwanted neighbor, pay attention to this as well.

Money in the morning, chairs in the evening

Do not agree to any advances without signing the contract. Even if they scare you that there is a queue for the apartment and an advance is simply necessary to stake out its advance. Returning it, in which case it will be very difficult.

Inspection

Arriving at the facility, first of all inspect the entrance, it can say a lot about your future neighbors.

Assess the condition of the furniture, the performance of household appliances. Together with the owner, inspect the bathrooms and make sure that the plumbing is in good condition. Check the operation of the locks, the availability of keys from each of them. Open the windows, inspect the balcony, if available.

The documents

If everything suits you, then you can proceed to the contract.

 What should be in a lease agreement:

• address, number of rooms and area of ​​the apartment;
• your and the owner's passport data, including registration;
• the cost of the rent, what is included in it (utility payments may be included in the rent or paid separately), the terms and methods of making the rent (non-cash payment is preferable, as it will allow you to record the fact of payment);
• the amount and conditions for non-return of the security deposit (money that you leave to the owner in case of damage to his property);
• the procedure for eviction (for how long the parties are required to notify the termination of the lease);
• the frequency of visits by the owner of the apartment, the need to notify you in advance or not (you do not have the right to prohibit the owner from inspecting the apartment, but you can negotiate conditions that are comfortable for both parties);
• the possibility of living with animals, if they are, and other little things that you consider important for yourself.

The more accurately you describe the solution of different situations in the contract, the easier it will be for you to resolve conflict situations if they arise.

Draw up an act of acceptance and transfer, it will serve as an annex to the contract. It must describe all the malfunctions, if any, the general condition of the furniture and the presence of one or another household appliance. Be sure to record the meter readings, check that they are sealed. You can take photos and attach them to the act.

All documents must be in duplicate, one remains with you, the second with the owner.

Do you need an agent

A real estate agency can greatly simplify and speed up the process of finding an apartment and compiling all the necessary documents.

The cost of agents' services usually ranges from 50 to 100% of the rental price and is paid once and only after you have been selected an option and you have concluded a lease agreement with the owner. No self-respecting agency will take money before rendering services.

Before applying for the services of a real estate company, find out how long the company has been in existence, read reviews, evaluate the site and the number of options offered. Companies that have been working in the real estate market for a long time already know what documents the owner needs to verify, what to look for during the inspection and how to correctly draw up a contract.

In any case, whether you entrust the search for housing to an agency or decide to do it yourself, be careful, do not rush, and you will definitely find a suitable option for yourself.