Renting a flat checklist
The move-in day group is the one that pays for itself. Photograph everything before you unpack a single box, because that is the only evidence you will ever have.
38 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Before viewing
- Set a true budget including bills and council charges
- Gather what agents ask for: ID, proof of income, references
- Line up a guarantor if you are likely to need one
- Check what the deposit and first month will total up front
- At the viewing
- Run the taps and the shower — pressure and how long the hot takes
- Check every window opens and closes
- Look for damp in corners, behind furniture and around windows
- Mobile signal in every room
- What the windows face, and how dark it gets
- Heating type and who pays for it
- Ask what the last tenant's bills were
- Storage, and where a bike or a pram would go
- Noise — traffic, neighbours, the pub downstairs
- Before signing
- Read the whole agreement, including the break clause
- Check who is responsible for which repairs
- Check the rules on pets, guests, smoking and decorating
- Confirm how the deposit is protected and by whom
- Ask for safety certificates — gas, electrical, alarms
- Confirm what is included: appliances, furniture, parking
- Get every verbal promise written into the agreement"We'll fix that before you move in" is worth nothing unless it is in the contract.
- Move-in day
- Photograph and video every room before unpacking
- Photograph existing damage in close-up
- Meter readings, photographed with the serial numbers
- Check the inventory line by line and annotate it
- Send your annotations in writing and keep the reply
- Test alarms, boiler and every appliance
- Count the keys and check they all work
- First week
- Set up utilities and council tax in your name
- Contents insurance
- Register at the address for post and voting
- Note the landlord and emergency repair numbers somewhere findable
- Find the stopcock, the fuse box and the water shut-off
- Diarise the end date and the notice period
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- What should I check at a viewing?
- Water pressure, mobile signal, damp in the corners and behind furniture, what the windows face, and the noise. Visit once in the evening if you can.
- How do I protect my deposit?
- Photograph and video every room on move-in day, timestamped, before anything is unpacked. Send the inventory back with your own annotations in writing, and keep the reply.