In our previous offering, we met Femi with an ugly housing situation that anyone would want to avoid. We also laid out six foolproof tips to help prospective tenants find living space.  In this post, we will consider Sandra’s story.

Sandra knew exactly where she wanted to live before she saw the little place just off Wentworth street. She wanted a place in the center of town, not too far from work and in close proximity to her favorite ice cream shop. The price was just right, and the agent had given her a grand tour of the place. She was in no hurry to pay for the one bedroom apartment because the faucets were leaky and there were holes in the mosquito netting. That would have to wait she was completely satisfied with the condition of the place.

She said  to herself  “Not even the suave looks and persuasiveness of the agent would convince me to pay for the house until all my check boxes have been ticked.”

Smart decision. However, she has to take other issues into consideration to ensure a hassle free living situation. So let’s continue…

#7 Basic Amenities

Before renting a place, it is wise to consider whether there are basic amenities such as motorable roads, water supply, electricity, schools, hospitals, police posts and so on and so forth. This serves for convenience, comfort, and even safety.

#8 Find Out Why Previous Tenants Moved Out

This may seem like a no brainer to some, but it is very easy to take this point for granted. The prospective tenant should make an effort to find out the reason the previous tenant moved out of the property. This is to rule out the possibility that their departure was due to certain factors like security threats, poor condition of the property, among other reasons.

#9. Meet the Landlord

Many Landlords prefer to lease their property through agents, instead of dealing directly with their tenants. However, where there is a window of opportunity to meet the landlord, it would be a good idea for the tenant to do so. Also, meeting the landlord would give the prospective tenant a sense of security before going through with the tenancy agreement.

#10 Receipt! Receipt! Receipt!

This point cannot be overemphasized. It is very important to collect a receipt at the point of payment. This serves as evidence that the tenant paid his rent to the agent or landlord as the case may be. It is ideal for the receipt to state the date of payment, the amount paid, the location of the premises. the duration covered by the payment (six months, one year, et-cetera.), as well as signatures of the tenant and the person issuing the receipt(such as the landlord or an agent).

#11. Tenancy Agreement

This is a very important step which is not to be ignored. The prospective tenant should, apart from paying legal fees insist on executing a tenancy agreement with the landlord, as it is very important to document every contract or transaction in the world of today. The agreement would also include all the terms and conditions brought forward by the landlord and the tenant, and serves as evidence of the transaction. The tenant should take care to read the fine print before signing to avoid being bound by unreasonable terms brought forward by the landlord. It would be wise to consult a real estate professional or a legal practitioner to protect the tenant’s interest.

#12 Fees and Service Charges

 These include fees such as a refundable caution fee paid to the landlord to ensure the property is kept in good condition by the tenant. Service charges may include payments for utility bills such as electricity, and water supply. Such fees and charges are usually exclusive of the rent, so it is important for the tenant to understand this and prepare to meet the financial obligations. As a safety measure, it is preferable to include fees and service charges in the tenancy agreement.

Some may be looking  to avoid running into problems like Femi, the star of our last post, and others, like Sandra, already taking steps in the right direction. We all need to have a proper orientation guided by good information in order to make the right decisions when renting property for accommodation.

As always, it is necessary to seek knowledge and information on real estate trends and consult legal  and  real estate professionals in order to have a better understanding of the available options and make informed decisions.