The 10 mistakes of first-time renters

Those who have looked for a rental home at least once in their lives know that the best deals should be taken advantage of as soon as they come along. When you find a house you like at a reasonable price, the rush to close the lease can often lead you to make some mistakes, accepting terms you may bitterly regret.

These are the ten things you mustn’t do when you rent a house:

1. Not reading the rental contract from top to bottom: You should read it carefully not once, but several times. To avoid the pressure of reading it in front of the owner, you can ask for a draft to be sent to you.
2. Renting from or to a family member, friend or acquaintance without a contract: Renting the property to a trusted person at a very affordable price may seem like a good idea, but it's not because you never know what might happen.
3. Not negotiating the price or saying anything that worries you: If you think the price is exaggerated, you can haggle, or if a clause in the contract is unfair, you have to say so. You lose nothing by talking and can avoid unpleasant misunderstandings.
4. Accepting verbal agreements that the landlord does not want to include in the contract: If the landlord promises you something verbally but does not want to include it in the lease, you have no guarantee that he or she will keep the agreement. Everything is always better in writing.
5. Not signing all the pages of the contract: Experts recommend signing all the pages of the contract for both copies so that the content cannot be changed.
6. Not checking the condition of the apartment before signing the lease: The deposit paid to the landlord can be used to cover damage caused to the apartment by the tenant. To avoid being accused of damaging something that was already broken, it is best to check the condition of the house before you move in.
7. Not putting all the defects of the property in writing: It is advisable to make a list of all the defects of the house, to include it as an annex to the contract.
8. Paying in advance: Do not pay anything in advance until you see the house and sign the contract. If you have to leave a deposit to reserve the house, it is important that you specify the reasons for the payment, the amount and what would happen if, for example, you back out of the agreement.
9. Accepting all the landlord's conditions: There are landlords who are very afraid of renting to the wrong person and therefore cross the line between safe rent and unfair conditions. Never accept a contract of this kind and try to reach an agreement.
10. Agreeing to pay for expenses that aren’t yours to pay: Before renting an apartment, it is best to check carefully what expenses are owed to the landlord and what expenses are owed to the tenant. The contract must specify which repair costs are to be paid and to whom.

From the original Spanish article: 10 errores básicos a la hora de alquilar un piso