Things To Look Out For In The Houston Apartment Rentals Lease

Posted by Apartment Living Locators on May 31st, 2018

To ensure that you do not have a headache or a migraine and to live in a home that is truly sweet and peaceful, you must take care of a few things first, especially if you are living in a rented home. For all tenants, the lease should be the most important thing to consider. There are several landlords that still believe and rely on the standard lease form. This can be a point of bother for you as a tenant as usually these lease contracts are often designed to care and protect the interests of the landlord more than that of the tenants.

The Renewal Factors

If you do not want the standard ‘take it or leave it’ lease offers to rent then be very careful on what you are signing on before finalizing on Houston Apartment Rentals. Your sign may or may not be negotiable but you should always have a note and knowledge about the issues before you sign on the dotted line. The renewal clauses and policies are the most significant factor to watch out for as you will surely not want to keep on changing your home every year or even earlier like a flier. Look for the escalation clause for renewals that should be ideally in dollar terms calculated at a fixed rate or as a percentage of previous rent or even on the increase in cost of living.

Utilities And Insurance

The utilities and insurance clause is the next thing to check when you want to Rent Houston apartments. There are a few landlords that may include the cost of utilities with the monthly rental cost. This is especially done by those landlords whose buildings or apartments are not metered separately or does not even have a sub-meter. Ideally, in such buildings only the heat and water will be included with the monthly rent. Also check the insurance because the insurance of the landlord will certainly not cover the tenant though it is very commonly believed. It is the responsibility of the tenant to insure the property against theft, fire, water and personal liability damages due to individual negligence.

Care For Your Pets

Pets are usually a member of your family and therefore you should also care for them when you move on to a new rented home. However, there may be a few landlords who may not think likewise and may not be an animal lover like you. In such Apartment Rentals in Houston you will have a lot of trouble if you move in with a cat or a dog or if you plan to get one once you move in. Checking for this clause well in advance will prevent the landlord from withholding his or her consent. Moreover, even if the condo or apartment is known to be pet friendly you must review the corporate bylaws just to make sure that there are no weight or breed restrictions.

Use Of Air Conditioners

It is also advised that you clarify about the use of air conditioners when you rent apartments in Houston. There may be a few landlords who may restrict the number of air conditioning units you can use or install. Few may even prohibit such use altogether citing potential hazards due to outdated wiring of the building. In addition to that standard leases usually do not allow anything to hang out of your windows especially if it is on higher floors. Therefore, it is prudent to ask about such usage to avoid problems by taking matters into your own discretion and hands. Sometimes uses of air conditioner may be allowed but you may have to hire someone else to install it for safety and liability issues.

Use Of Outdoor Spaces

It is also required to know about your right to use the outdoor space in the building. This must be explicitly mentioned in the lease. If this is not mentioned then you will not be entitled for rent abatement in case the outdoor space becomes unusable due to some specific reason. Supposing you are renting an apartment that has a terrace in it be very clear upfront as to who will be responsible for its cleaning and maintenance while you are living in it.

Approval To Sublet

Checking your lease contract is also necessary for subletting your space to visitors and roommates as well. Ideally, most rental leases will require the approval of the landlord for subletting. Apart from all these check for the renovation clause and whether it includes the list of furniture if any.