Wednesday 22 October 2014

40 Questions to Ask during Room Inspection

After I got a job offer from a consulting firm, I immediately started looking for a room. The process is full of anxiety as I would most probably settle in for more than half a year. So, finding the perfect room is important to avoid complications in the future. Nobody wants the "Oh, I should check that out before I move in!", so we would want to ask every possible question during inspection. With multiple room inspection experiences, the following list is quite comprehensive to be ticked off during room inspections.




Cost

1. How much is the monthly rental fee?
2. Is the rental fee including utilities such as water, electricity and Wi-Fi?
3. If they are not included, what is the average monthly cost for heat, gas, electricity, etc?
4. How to pay rental?
5. How much deposit/ upfront payment is needed?
6. How long is the lease and how much fine for breaking the lease?

The Room

7. Is the room bright enough and exposed to sunlight?
8. Is the room airy?
9. Is the room large enough to fit at least a desk, a mattress and a wardrobe?
10. Is the room fully furnish or partially furnish?
11. Is the room too near to the kitchen/bathroom?
12. Is the room sound-proof?
13. Can the room be locked?

The House

14. Is the Wi-Fi set up? Is the Wi-Fi unlimited or with limited usage?
15. Do they provide washing machine?
16. Is there any area for drying the clothes?
17. Is the toilet clean?
18. Can you cook in the kitchen? (Optional)
19. Is the house airy and bright?
20. Is the house clean in overall?
21. Is there any roaster or cleaning services provided?
22. Is there any security facilities around the house? For example, security guards and CCTVs.
23. Is there any amenities such as swimming pool and gym provided?
24. Is there car free parking with the room? Otherwise, how much is the monthly parking fee?

The Housemates

25. How many housemates?
26. Are they working or studying?
27. Is it likely to have toilet-jam in the morning?
28. Is there any noise control/agreement?
29. Is bringing outside guests acceptable?

The Location

30. Is the public transport such as light rails and buses within walking distance?
31. Is there any grocery shops nearby?
32. Is there any food stalls/ restaurants nearby?
33. Is it within safe area or crime-prone area?
34. Is the location within severe traffic-jam area?

The House-Owner

35. Is the house owner friendly and reliable?
36. How fast maintenance concerns will be handled?
37. Is the house owner easily contactable?
38. Will the house owner too peculiar or is a control-freak?
39. Did the house owner impose many rules in the house?
40. How long prior notice needed before terminating the leasing?


If you have no idea where to start looking for rooms, you might find this iBilik website useful. Good Luck!

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