Every residence looks great on the pictures. Not all are indeed so great. When you go and see a house or a flat for rent, you can still miss some details. Read the 5 tips below on how to determine if the place is actually so good.

1. The appointment
Don't accept any group viewings on weekends.You want attention to be paid on you personally. Besides, there is a little more buried beneath the surface. So, you actually have to arrange an appointment with the landlord, for you alone, on a weekday, and after 17:00 o'clock. Now look, first, you can ask all necessary questions and be answered. Then, it's still light outside, so you can still estimate the exposure and the light inside. Third, the most of the neighbours should be home, so you can estimate the noise and the neighbourhood. And fourth, because of that you can have a chance to talk to the neighbours or the other tenants, find out if you like them, and above all, get an honest opinion if the place is worth its price. Got it?

2. The area
Go to the building one more time on your own. Examine the available parking spaces and public transportation. Find the nearest supermarket, fitness studio, school, bank. Estimate the street noise. If you can, speak to the neighbours about the area. Don't forget to look for free building plots nearby - unless you would like to lose the beautiful site and live with building site noise for months!

3. The terms
Find out the expiration date of the rental contact, and if renovations, modernizations and rehabilitation are paid by the tenants. Read the terms about the care-taking of the heating system, the communication cables and the plumbing. Walk the building from top to bottom. Pay special attention to the roof and the basement - a leaking roof and a moist terrain are a sure sign for a need of rehabilitation.Research what additional space can be used - such as washing and drying rooms, garages, basement, cellar, attic, sheds - and find out if their use is stated in the rental contract.

4. The residence
Check the size of the residence - sometimes it is enlarged in the advertisement, as well as the exposure - southern exposure is preferred by many, but it contributes to the height of the rent. After that explore the place to connect the washing machine, the number of the plugs and the state of the electrical installation, the state of the plumbing, the isolation of the windows, the placing of the heating radiators, and if the top and bottom corners are dry. The overall impression should be of a good kept residence. All those little details are of a great importance for the current and future state of the place.

5. The landlord
The LL should also meet certain requirements, just like the residence he or she offers for rent. Fill up the questionnaire the LL gives you, exactly, detailed, and above all, honestly. Even the tiniest discrepancies can lead to a future termination of the rental contract. If you are seriously interested in renting the place, you can demonstrate it undoubtedly by presenting an application folder to the LL. In it you should have detailed personal data about you and the people you are sharing the residence with, a copy of a labour agreement as an evidence you have a full-time job, and recommendations from your former LL and from your employer. Well, that should really nail the point and ensure you the wanted place to live.