2 BHK rent checklist: what to confirm before you pay the advance

In most Indian cities the rental advance is several months of rent, handed over before anything is in writing. Once it is paid, your negotiating position is gone. Everything on this list is easier to settle in the hour before you pay than in the year after.

Money

1. The rent, and what it excludes. Confirm whether maintenance, water and

parking are inside the rent or billed separately. This is the single most common surprise.

1. The advance, and the refund terms. How much, and under exactly what

conditions it comes back. Get the deduction rules stated, not implied.

1. The annual increase. Ten percent a year is common. If nobody names a

number, it gets named later, by the other side.

1. The notice period, both ways. One month and two months are both normal,

and they are often not symmetrical.

1. Painting and cleaning charges at exit. Many agreements deduct a fixed

amount regardless of condition. Know the figure now.

The property

1. Water supply. Corporation, borewell or tanker, and who pays when the

tanker is called. In summer this becomes the biggest bill in the building.

1. Power backup. Whether the generator covers the flat or only the lift and

common areas, and how the diesel is charged.

1. Parking. Which slot, whether it is covered, and whether it is actually

allotted to your flat in writing.

1. What stays. Photograph every fitting you were shown: geyser, fans, modular

kitchen, wardrobes, air conditioners. Semi furnished means different things to different owners.

1. Existing damage, photographed and shared with the owner before you move

in. This is what protects the advance.

The paperwork and the rules

1. Who actually owns the flat. If you are dealing with a relative or a

caretaker, confirm the owner is party to the agreement.

1. The house rules, in writing: non-vegetarian food, pets, visitors,

bachelors, work from home. Society rules and owner rules are not the same thing, and both can end a tenancy.

How to use this

Send the list to the owner as a message before you pay. It takes ten minutes and it reads as organised, not difficult. Anything they decline to put in writing is worth thinking about carefully.

If you have not found the place yet, post what you need and let owners and agents come to you with the specifics already answered.