The first and biggest mistake is hoping for luck. “In such cases, the owners do not check everything thoroughly. They do not fully describe the portrait of the future tenant, do not look at his documents well and almost do not ask about anything. Do not be shy about asking questions and be lazy in studying the documents. You never know if it is some kind of criminal. In my practice, there were cases when a potential tenant had articles for fraud. It is unlikely that a normal owner would want to see such a tenant,” shares her experience real estate expert Robert Garrett.
Also, some owners use a template agreement when renting out an apartment. This is wrong. A document from the Internet does not take into account a specific situation. If the owner downloads and draws it up, most likely, he will not insure himself in any way.
There are a number of mistakes that relate to the content of the lease agreement. Lawyer Randy Bishop names the following: “The absence of a ban on sublease in the agreement, if the owner is not satisfied with it. Or the owner of the apartment agrees to it, but forgets about the consequences. Imagine that other people move in instead of the tenant, the owner does not have a contract with them, he cannot claim payment from these new people. I would also include the conclusion of an agreement with the transfer of keys without prepayment, the execution of a document with the transfer of money without keys, the conclusion of an agreement with an unauthorized person as errors.”
Another misconception of the owner is the lack of control over the meter readings and the condition of the apartment. As a result, when the tenants move out, the owner is surprised by what is happening. The apartment does not look like his home, and the meters show frightening readings because the tenants reported different data. It is always better to agree on a visit to the apartment at least once every month or two. This will allow you to assess its appearance, meter readings and save your nerves.
In addition, apartment owners sometimes lose their vigilance and agree to cashless payments. If the owner does not pay taxes, the Federal Tax Service can still find out about it. When a person regularly receives the same amount on the same card on a certain day, this indicates a system of payments for something. The deception may not be revealed immediately, but after several months or a couple of years. It will become clear that there are no documents for renting an apartment and no taxes either.
