I would suggest checking through your lease carefully. If a tenant asks, I will happily give them a copy of the lease ahead of time to review with someone they trust. Move-in day is just sooo rushed!

If utilities are included, make sure it’s spelled out-example “heat” is included, not “gas” is included. One property in our area advertised “Heat Included”, but the lease said “gas included”. To save money, they took out the old radiators and installed electric base board heating (which the tenant pays for). Gas service was still included in the rent (though the apartment had no gas), so no adjustment was made in the rental rates but now tenants paid for their own heat!

Check to see who is responsible to repair or replace appliances. At our place, we own them and we service them. Unless there is an obvious abuse (shot glass and bottle caps in the disposal), we take care of the repairs, but some leases say that you have to foot the bill if the 10-year-old stove or fridge stops working.

Lastly, makee sure that the unit you see is actually the unit you will live in, The receipt (Earnest money) for your deposit should state a specific address (that you have seen) and should list any changes that will made prior to move in. This should be signed by you, and by the leasor, and you should have a copy. OH, and it’s not a bad idea to take photos on move-in day and make a list of anthing that’s not perfect. this protects your deposit!