Read, read, read the lease!
Be clear on terms & what happens should you need to break your lease!
Finding out your tenant rights is a great suggestion!
If when you view a house and there is still a tenant or if it's empty, but hasn't been turned. Get in writing what the landlord is going to do, (paint, clean, shampoo carpets, anything that might need to be replaced.) Inspect it again before moving in, to make sure these things have been completed!
I would make a list of every room in the house of any damages & defects to all surfaces, walls, flooring, cabinets, appliances, EVERYTHING!! Sign it, have the landlord date & sign it & keep a copy!
It also couldn't hurt to take pictures of each room with a date/time stamp before moving in as further proof!
Make sure of all pet policies, deposit, damages, any monthly fees!
Also if you are renting from an individual make sure the landlord is the one who is taking care of fixing everything that goes wrong, sometimes with homes they can state that some maintenance is the renter's responsibility!
Be clear on who is paying for ALL the utilities involved!
I would also suggest before securing the home with a deposit to check with your local utility company to find out the average of what the utilities run for the year!
Get a receipt for the deposits & every rent payment!
Also, make sure you have renters insurance!! It's in-expensive & a lot of times landlords are NOT responsible to reimburse you for damages, only their structure. Your insurance will cover your belongings! Plus if you cause damage to the property, it will cover you. (like if you cause a fire, washer leak, etc..)
Sorry to be so long, I worked in property management for 7 years!
