First of all, when concluding an agreement on renting an apartment, you need to look at the documents for ownership in order to avoid fraud, Ksenia Avers, a real estate expert and founder of the Trend House agency, told Izvestia. She also explained what to look out for before renting a property.
To check the owner, you need a contract of sale and a fresh statement stating that there were no transfers of ownership.
“On the back of the contract there should not be a cancellation mark. This is the most important point,” she added.
According to her, when studying the contract itself, it is necessary to carefully look at whether there is an act of acceptance and transfer of property, so that when leaving, they would not ask for something that was not there initially.
“Everything should be spelled out (with brands and cost, if expensive things). Conditions for release are also important. By law, we can transfer property subject to normal wear and tear. But now they are often asked to move out without wear and tear, that is, with cosmetic updates (paint the walls, remove scratches from the floor, dry-clean furniture, etc.). If the contract contains a clause “to hand over without traces of residence”, then they may request an amount in the amount of cosmetic repairs and general cleaning. These points need to be clarified in advance, ”Avers clarified.
The expert emphasized that it is imperative to look at the clauses on early termination in the document, including to find out if there are fines or refunds.
“Often they take a deposit from the client, and in the contract it is veiled that the money is not returned in case of early termination,” she said.
Avers also noted that the contract should indicate who pays for utilities, basic tariffs for services, whether there is a contract for the Internet, TV.
In addition, the document must contain clauses that say who bears the risk in case of damage or loss of property.
“According to the law, for everything small and that is subject to breakdown, the risk is on the tenant, and breakdowns [инженерных] systems – at the expense of the lessor. But in the contract the risks can be shifted [на квартиросъемщика]”, Avers emphasized.
She advised before moving to see that everything in the apartment suits, and to clarify the time of noisy work so that there are no problems with the neighbors.
“Remember that it is better to discuss and clarify most of the possible problems in advance at the stage of signing the contract,” the expert concluded.
Earlier, on March 5, Avito Real Estate analysts told Izvestiya that the cheapest thing in Russia is to rent an apartment for a long time for only 2,000 rubles a month. Such a kopeck piece for rent in the city of Michurinsk, Tambov region.
Last November, it was reported that in Moscow, St. Petersburg and some other million-plus cities, rental housing prices fell by up to 18%.
