Finding your dream house or apartment is a challenge in itself. But the buck does not stop there, there are several factors to be considered before you rent a house or apartment. Better yet, there are several important questions that you should ask any house owner before you decide to move in.

Here are a few simple ones to get you started.

The first and foremost is to ascertain the mode of payment for rent.

Also there might be any late rent payment fess which can be imposed by the owner. Ascertain how much this will cost you sine it has to be factored in with rent.

Read the rent agreement carefully and find out exactly what your notice period will be like in case you want to vacate. Owners are very particular about notice period and insist on some tenants staying for the initial few months after moving in, before they can even give them a notice period. Be careful of such conditions since you might just end up in an apartment which is not working out for you, where this condition would pose a problem.

Have a good talk with the owner, figure out what he likes and dislike in his apartment before signing a lease or an agreement. Find out what the guest policy is, whether you can have your friends over for a couple of days or put up with someone in your family. This policy is normally included in the lease agreement and something like this has to be discussed with owners before.

Ask whether you can sublet the apartment in case you cannot meet the rent and want to split the expenses with someone. Normally this does not create much of an issue, but some owners and the community you are part of might be very particular about subletting.

There are number of reasons in the end where the owner will sate and try not to give your security deposit back. One of the major reasons being the apartment was not given back to the owner just the way it was. Of course, there might be some wear and tear, but major damages or substantial damage to any property can cause you to lose out on your security deposit and worse, even pay for extra repairs.

There are many other factors which you as a tenant, should discuss with your potential landlord before deciding to move in.