How to rent a house correctly. How to rent an apartment in the right way so as not to be deceived? If the apartment has one owner

What do you need to know when renting an apartment in order not to get into an unpleasant situation? How to find inexpensive but comfortable accommodation? How to rent it correctly for a long period of time?

What you should pay attention to when renting an apartment, we will tell you further in our article.

What is called renting an apartment

According to the rental agreement, an apartment, a house or a separate room is transferred to the tenant for a certain fee. He can own and use the living space, observing all the contractual terms.

It is worth saying that the owner of a residential premises can be not only an individual, but also a legal entity. Only an individual can become a tenant of an apartment.

Hiring a living space is of the following types:

1. Social.
2. Commercial.

We are not interested in the first option, so let's go straight to the second.

Commercial lease - this is exactly the rent of an apartment. Here the landlord and tenant are just free participants in legal relations.

They conclude an agreement on renting an apartment of their own free will, having previously agreed on all the conditions and requirements. The corresponding agreement must be signed without fail. Without it, you will not be able to prove anything in court (if any disputes suddenly arise).

Finding housing through a real estate agency

Those who wish to rent an apartment for the first time usually contact a special company. When choosing an agency, you should be guided by the advice of friends - the organization must be proven. A specially authorized person performs the following functions:

1. He selects an apartment based on the client's requirements.
2. Agree with the owner of the living space on the date of viewing.
3. Walks with the tenant and looks through the selected living quarters.
4. At the time of the conclusion of the lease, he conducts all negotiations.
5. Provides the client with advice on all issues and nuances of the contract.
6. Checks the documentation of the owner of the dwelling.
7. Present at the conclusion of the lease. He is engaged in drawing up an act of acceptance and transfer, which includes an inventory of the property of a dwelling.

In other words, he must accompany the client everywhere - right up to the signing of the contract. The price for the services of a specialist is calculated on an individual basis - depending on each specific situation. Each company has its own price list for the provision of services of this type.

What you need to know when renting an apartment and how not to run into scammers

Fraud in the rental of residential premises is as follows:

Photos differ from the real state of affairs

You need to be wary if the cost of renting an apartment and its renovation have significant differences. If in the images provided the apartment looks like an elite one (as if the photographs were copied from magazines), but at the same time the rental price is low (or does not even reach the level of market value), there is a fact of fraud. The explanation may be as follows - the apartment shown in the photo has already been rented, so you will be provided with a different, lower quality. In reality, the following may come to light: there is simply no such housing, and never was. How can you prove that the images in your ad are not unique? Use the service "Search by picture" - various sites will show you all the matches. As a rule, such "announcements" pursue the following goal - on their basis, a base of potential tenants is formed.

Check the address

Such an apartment may not exist at all. Carefully fill out the contract, verify all information - even in cooperation with a real estate company and a specialist in this matter. Many are deceived - the address indicated in the agreement is actually missing. In other words, they are paying the rent for a non-existent apartment. If suddenly you or your friends are affected by this situation, terminate the lease on your own initiative. Just send a notification to the landlord's address. If you do not have documents, just forget about this apartment and that's it (you don't need to pay anything in this case).

Very often fraudulent realtors act as follows: they demand to pay for all information services provided (the amount is approximately 9,000 rubles). This is followed by the transfer of several rooms of landlords to the client - they do not accompany the client at the time of inspection of the property.

View for a fee

You do not need to pay money to view the rented apartment. No one has the right to demand money from you for this. If a realtor starts asking for money, it means that this is his way of earning - that is, the transaction itself is not interesting to him. Sometimes it happens that the realtor and the owner of the living quarters collude and divide the money from 50 views by 50%. Often these tricks are used to "catch" newcomers - those who are poorly versed in all the nuances of this procedure. If you are affected by such a problem, do not continue cooperation with this realtor.

Residential premises can be rented out again

It is worth remembering the following: tenants of residential premises do not have the right to move in or move in for the time of other citizens. You cannot charge other individuals with money and commission fees. The conclusion of the contract should be carried out only with the owner of the apartment. Beforehand, it is worth checking all the documentation that serves as confirmation of his ownership.

Fraudsters may suggest purchasing a customer base

This deceptive method was "developed" in the recent past. Such a realtor can tell the client that the database is updated every day, but if you pay for access to it, you can only get acquainted with outdated information. In order not to get into such a situation, study the various reviews of other people on the Internet.

Demand always leads to the birth of a proposal, but not all of them will be fair. Therefore, the choice of a realtor should be approached with all responsibility.

How to properly rent an apartment

If you have decided to look for housing on your own, you need to choose an ad from the owner of the apartment you like. In this case, you yourself set the time, date and go to the living quarters that suit you. Of course, there are certain nuances in such a situation. But most people prefer not to get involved with realtors and firms.

Sometimes it happens that you need to rent an apartment urgently - you can't do without it. For example, if a person goes on a business trip for a long time. You will need to pay a rather large amount of money for a hotel, buying an apartment is very expensive, and the goal will not justify the investment.

Benefits of renting an apartment

Rented housing has the following advantages:

1. The tenant's mobility. It is possible to move to another area or to another city - if offered a more attractive position. Or, a noisy interchange or an industrial complex was built near the apartment building, it is quite possible to change the place of residence.
2. No need to do repair work and spend money on it. Only the owner of the living space will think about new furniture and plumbing. The decline in the consumer qualities of the situation leads to a decrease in rent.

How to rent an apartment yourself

Checking the owner of the living space

To ensure that the dwelling is legally clean, the owner must provide you with the following documentation:

1. A document stating that he is the owner.
2. An agreement that serves as a confirmation of ownership of a residential property (for example, we provide you with an agreement that fixes the purchase and sale).
3. Identification.
4. If the landlord is a representative of the owner of the premises, they must be provided with a power of attorney certified by a notary. This document confirms the right to manage.

It is necessary to make sure that there are no debts - that all utility bills are paid. All counters, receipts and payments must be checked prior to concluding the contract.

The consent of each of the owners of the premises

If the apartment has not one, but several owners (in other words, it is a shared property), the lease requires everyone's consent (all of them must be over 14 years old). This agreement must be signed by all apartment owners (or any other individual who has a notarized power of attorney from them).

If you need to rent a room in a communal living space, you need the consent of each neighbor. The solution to this issue remains with the landlord. They must also be provided with a document with a prescribed procedure for using this living space - in other words, in which room this or that owner is located. This will allow you to avoid unnecessary conflicts and unwanted collisions.

How to rent an apartment correctly

If the document is drawn up correctly and has legal force, it should include:

• Full name and personal data of the home owner and tenant;
• The amount that the tenant will pay each month;
• Situations according to which the rent for a dwelling may be changed;
• How many times the owner can visit the property to check it. All conditions for checks are also written here.
• Information about people who can live with the tenant.
• Time period - when and for how long the housing is rented.
• Terms of termination of the contract.
• The contract must describe the housing in detail: it is necessary to reflect its address, area and number of rooms, floor, and so on.

Despite this, any agreement is individual - there is no standard filling form in the legislation of the Russian Federation.

On the very day when the contract is concluded, the tenant must ask the landlord to provide an extract from the personal account. With the help of this document, the tenant will find out if all utility bills have been paid (if the landlord has debts). He will also receive information about which people are registered at the housing address.

The apartment should not be with debts and registered citizens - individuals.

An important point: pay attention to the rights and obligations - and not only of the tenant, but also of the landlord. Let's say it is worth determining a schedule of verification visits to the rented premises by its owner.

Rent

The key issue is the amount of rent. The following information must be prescribed:

• Who is obliged to pay utility bills?
• Who is responsible for the payment for the Internet, telephone communications and other services.

Any transfer of funds must be formalized with a receipt. There is an opinion that by demanding this document, a person expresses his distrust of the other side of legal relations. Although this is a completely normal situation - you do not know what the other person is.

The contract comes into force only after the signing by both parties of the acceptance certificate of the apartment. The following information should be reflected in this document: the tenant was transferred to the use of housing and he accepted it, without any claims. After that, all responsibility for the premises is borne by the tenant. He must monitor the safety of the apartment and the property in it.

An important point: if housing is rented for a year or more, the signed contract must go through the registration process with Rosreestr.

And although the owner of the apartment should take upon himself the solution of this issue, any responsible tenant is obliged to follow how this formality is fulfilled.

The apartment cannot be sold or mortgaged before the expiration of the lease agreement. If the apartment is rented for a short time, you do not need to register anything.

A contract is a legal document. It is for this reason that any changed lease terms must be formalized with a special supplementary agreement. Very often, the landlord and the tenant sign an agreement to extend the lease of an apartment, keeping all the basic conditions.

It is worth saying that the deed of transfer includes an inventory of all property located in the dwelling (the one that is transferred for use together with the apartment itself).

What is called an inventory of property

A property description is an appendix to a lease. The inventory reflects the property transferred to the client for a certain time period.

The owner of the apartment has the right to include in the inventory: all furniture, electronic equipment, kitchen utensils and so on. If something is lost or damaged by the tenant (not reflected in the inventory of the property), it will not be possible to return the item to the owner of the property.

Rent contract

How the document is drawn up

As a rule, an inventory of property when renting a dwelling (apartment) is filled in according to standards.

What details must be reflected in the act?

1. The document must have a title. It can be anything.
2. After that, it is worth registering where and when this document was drawn up.
3. Information about the parties to the agreement should be reflected. Describes the data of not only the lessor, but also the tenant.
4. And lastly, they prescribe a link to the lease.
5. After reflecting and fixing all the above information, the parties prescribe the following point: the lessor transfers for temporary use not only the residential premises, but also the property in it - the tenant must accept all this property.
6. The following is a list of all the property in the housing.
7. At the end of the document, both parties put their signatures.

The nuances of registering property

It all depends on the transferred apartment, on what exactly remains in it. In some situations, certain difficulties may arise. Let's say when it comes to renting an empty apartment. In such a situation, there will be almost nothing to prescribe in this document when renting an apartment. Only water meters, plumbing fixtures, and others located in the building will be described.

It should be noted that today, citizens often rent out an apartment that is completely ready to move in (that is, with all the necessary property - even with forks and spoons). This leads to the fact that the inventory of property may take more than one or two sheets.

The most important thing in such situations is not to ignore the well-established rules, to prescribe and reflect any object in the house. In addition, there is an option with fixing on a photo or video of the condition of the entire property. These images can then be attached to the lease. Property inventory is a complex legal document that, in the event of a dispute, can protect the interests of the lessor.

Long term apartment rental rules

Be sure to check whether the owner of the apartment has the right to rent it out. Study all the documentation provided to you carefully.

What questions to ask when renting an apartment

It is imperative to clarify at what address the owner of the living quarters lives. Check his personal data (phone number, address provided to you).

Check under what conditions the Internet is connected in the living quarters (if it has already been done, specify who will pay for it and how).

When inspecting a rented apartment, check the condition of the plumbing and electrical wiring. An important point: if only a few devices are connected (we are talking about an electric kettle, laptop, washing machine), plugs should not be knocked out. It is also worth making sure that there are no ants, cockroaches, and so on in the rented apartment.

If the inspection process reveals any specific malfunctions, ask the owner of the premises who will pay for the repair work.
If you rent a room that does not have a castle (or we are talking about paying for one bed), you do not need to pay a deposit.

The windows of the living quarters must be in good condition. Otherwise, in the winter season, the apartment will be too cold, and in hot weather it will be difficult for the air conditioner to perform its functions.

Be sure to record the numbers of emergency agencies that you need to call in the event of any emergency. The copy of the lease must include a note stating the monthly rental payment. The owner of a living space must put his personal signature on a mandatory basis.

Property in a rented apartment

Clarify the question with appliances and furniture - will you be able to use the owner's furniture or will you need to transport your own. Since the market price of premises lease is always unstable, it is not worthwhile to draw up a lease agreement for a long time at a certain price. Of course, this is just advice, the decision is still yours anyway, but if prices suddenly fall, you can always find a cheaper rental option (or ask the owner of the apartment to give you a discount).

When registering a lease, the owner of the living space must give you all the keys. They should definitely be checked. And don't forget: no one has the right to demand money from you for the keys. This will be an illegal requirement and you are not required to comply.

As a rule, the lease is concluded for exactly one year. This is beneficial to the owner of the residential premises, since such an agreement is considered concluded for a short time. Thus, the tenant will not be able to let other tenants live with them without notifying the owner. If you wish to extend the term of the agreement, simply sign the required agreement. This must be done 30 days before the time period for the lease of the dwelling ends.

Establishing contact with the owner of the rental property and neighbors will help you avoid many problems.

Lease term

There is a common misconception among tenants - the landlord has the right to expel them from the apartment at any time. In reality, everything is not so simple, the landlord cannot kick out the tenant before the time period of the contract expires.

Another important nuance: if you have signed an agreement for renting an apartment for a long term (more than a year), the tenant has the right before other persons to extend the agreement. And if the landlord simply begins to refer to the fact that he did not like the person and wants to move in other tenants, this will not become a serious reason at all (of course, if the tenant has not done anything illegal). Eviction in such a situation is possible only through legal proceedings. The court will consider whether there are violations of the laws of the Russian Federation, or violations of the lease agreement. I.e:

1. If the person does not pay the rent for the dwelling.
2. If he allowed strangers to live in the apartment (not reflected in the contract).
3. If the tenant has damaged the dwelling (or if it has become impossible to live in it).

But in practice, such situations are not so common.

Compensation for damage

Before the end of the contract, the tenant and the landlord must together check all the property with an inventory. The renter is obliged to return all items in good condition. In the event of damage to an item, the issue is resolved in various ways. Of course, it is best to find a compromise solution (for example, if the refrigerator breaks down, the tenant can pay for its repair or refund the cost). But if the tenant is not to blame for the breakdown, the case has come to court proceedings, the proof will be the concluded rental agreement for the apartment. It must be signed by both parties to the legal relationship.

And the last one: always read what you sign when renting an apartment! Even if you tracked every step of the landlord, be sure to read everything written at the end! Only after that is it worth putting your signature in the contract! If you do not have sufficient knowledge in this area, it is best to seek help from a specialist. A professional lawyer will explain all the nuances to you and help you avoid mistakes when concluding a lease agreement for an apartment!

The rent of apartments and other premises is regulated by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

06.02.19 58 135 28

And don't give money to scammers

For three years I helped people rent apartments and now I know several thousand rental stories.

Maria Yakovleva

protects people from scammers

It happened that my clients found an apartment, agreed to move, but instead lost money and were left homeless. I will tell you about the six most common schemes for cheating employers and explain which documents to check and what to look for.

Fraud Option

Linden apartments from news agencies

On the real estate market, there are agencies that sell only information, so they are called informational. They provide false information about apartments, take a commission from the client and do not guarantee the settlement.

Ads from such agencies often come across people who have just arrived in a foreign city and want to quickly rent an apartment. I noticed that even the offices of such agencies are often located near train stations and popular hostels.

For this, a potential employer is invited to a decent office, most often in the city center. The managers are well trained and come across as professional. The prospective employer is provided with licenses and documents, many fake awards, diplomas and certificates are shown.

After meeting, they offer to sign an agreement and pay a commission. Under this agreement, the agency provides the addresses of rented apartments and phone numbers of their owners. The manager shows pictures of enticing options - luxury apartments at a discounted price.

Then the manager issues information, offers to call the dummy owner and go to view the apartment without an agent. Then there are several options for the development of events. The owner says that the apartment has been rented out, or does not pick up the phone, the phone number turns out to be inactive, or it turns out that the apartment at that address is not rented out or does not exist.

If you return to the agency, the manager will present an information contract. There is no clause in it stating that the information must be up-to-date, and the agency undertakes to find an apartment. The client was provided with information - the agency is not responsible for its quality. It may happen that the office will no longer exist, because news agencies in most cases are one-day firms.

How to protect yourself. If you realized that an ad on the site was posted by a news agency, do not call there, but complain to the support service. Specialists of large sites know how to recognize news agencies. They will additionally check the user and all his ads and block if they find violations.

If you called and realized that you were dealing with an agency, do not come to the office. Take your time, but you won't rent an apartment. If you only recognized the news agency on the spot, run from there. And don't forget the basic rules:

1. Read the contract carefully and do not pay money at the office. In good agencies, they will first show you the apartment, offer to check the documents, sign a lease agreement, an acceptance certificate, and only then they will ask you to make an advance payment.
2. Expensive apartments and quality services cannot be cheap. News agencies lure people precisely by the cheapness of services: they set prices 2-3 times lower than honest agents.

For example, in St. Petersburg the most demanded type of apartment is one-room apartment with average quality renovation near the metro for about 20 thousand rubles. If you find an agent with a 50% commission, pay 10 thousand rubles for the search. News agencies charge less for their services - usually 10-20% of the monthly rent, that is, 2-4 thousand rubles.

Fraud Option

Black realtors and other people's apartments

A person has the right to rent only his apartment and confirms this with a certificate of registration of rights or an extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate (USRN) and a document of title, for example, a sales contract. To rent someone else's apartment, even a close relative, you need a notarized power of attorney.

Fraudsters play on people's trust. They rent an apartment, forge documents and rent it out to several people. This scheme was widespread in the 90s due to black realtors, but now it is less common.

Cheating scheme. First, the fraudster rents an apartment and prepares for a future deception. He chooses owners who rarely appear in the apartment: they work a lot, travel or live abroad. Then the "landlord" forges all the documents that the tenants check - the passport, the certificate of registration of the right to the apartment and the title deed - and puts the apartment at a lower price. This makes it more likely to quickly find applicants.

The scammer takes calls and assigns views at different times so that employers do not intersect with each other. He shows everyone fake documents, talks about the advantages of the apartment and behaves like a real, bona fide owner. Finally, he signs several contracts of employment, takes rent from each tenant and disappears.

The tenant comes to "his" apartment and sees a crowd of other people. Everyone has a phony lease agreement, and everyone is sure that it was he who rented the apartment. After disputes and clarifications, everyone understands that they ran into a scammer. Perhaps all the tenants will meet at the door, because the fraudster will have time to change the locks so that no one gets into the apartment. In any case, they have no rights to the apartment, since the lease agreement was concluded with a person who does not own the apartment.

How to protect yourself. Check documents slowly and thoughtfully. If the landlord rushes you, don't give in: ask questions, read the lease agreement. The fraudster is in a stressful situation, so he will rush. It is important for him that the potential employer does not notice the fakes and quickly give the money away: he has several more of the same victims next in line.

From the documents, check the certificate of registration of rights, if the apartment was purchased before July 15, 2016, or an extract from the USRN, if after this date. You should also look at the documents of title - more often it is a purchase and sale agreement or an agreement on equity participation in construction for new buildings - and the passports of all owners.

How to distinguish sublease from fraud

Subleasing is a normal, legal practice in the real estate world. A tenant rents an apartment from a landlord with the right to sublease. Then he hands it over to other people and concludes contracts with them. This scheme is more common in the daily rental market, less in long-term rentals.

You can distinguish sublease from fraud by checking documents. Look at the passport, title documents and registration certificate or extract from the USRN. So you will understand who the owner of the apartment is.

If it is a sublease, the contract will necessarily contain a clause stating that the owner is not against subletting his apartment. It may look like this: “The Landlord does not object to the sublease by the Tenant of the dwelling at the address: Moscow, st. Obraztsova, 8a, apt. 80, in the period from January 01, 2019 to January 08, 2019 ".

The owner's consent is also formalized in the form of an attachment, agreement, letter or any other written document and supplements the contract.

Fraud Option

Rent without the consent of the owner of the apartment

If the apartment is owned by several owners, each of them must give their consent to rent the apartment. Their passport details and consent are indicated in the contract of employment.

One owner cannot decide for the others and rent out the entire apartment. This is illegal. Therefore, if this happened, then it is either inattention, or a fraudulent scheme invented in advance.

Cheating scheme. The apartment belongs, for example, to two owners in equal shares. The contract is concluded by one of them - he enters his passport data and signs. That is, the tenant receives his consent to rent an apartment. Since there are two owners, according to the law, both must give consent, even if one of them decided to hand over only his share.

When the second owner finds out that the apartment was rented out without his consent, he can go to the police and the court and challenge the deal. The lease will be invalidated and the tenant will have to look for another apartment.

How to protect yourself. Check title documents: a certificate of registration of rights or an extract from the USRN. If you see several owners on the certificate or statement, write all of them in the contract. Each of the owners must be present when the contract is signed. Check everyone's passport, enter the data into the contract and make sure that everyone signs the contract.

If not all owners can be present at the signing of the agreement, one of them - the one with whom you conclude the agreement - must confirm in writing that the other owners are not against the transaction. This is done as a clause in a contract or annex.

Such consent does not provide complete security. There were cases when it turned out that the other owner was categorically against renting the apartment, and, despite the guarantees, the contract was declared invalid. Therefore, the best option is a lease agreement with all owners or a notarized power of attorney from absent owners for the right to sign the contract.

Can I agree orally if I rent an apartment from friends?

No, renting an apartment must be documented in the contract. If you really rent an apartment and pay money for it, and do not just stay for a while, sign a contract.

Relationships between relatives can deteriorate, and without the protection of the contract, you risk being left without money and housing.

Fraud Option

Change of locks by the owner

The tenant acquires the rights to a rented apartment only when, together with the landlord, he signed a lease agreement and an acceptance certificate. If they agreed in words and the owner promised to rent the apartment, and the tenant gave him the money for this, the rights to the apartment still remain with the owner. He can do anything in it, for example, change the locks on the front door.

The scheme of cheating with the replacement of locks is aimed mainly at gullible people who do not understand the importance of contracts, receipts and other papers. In the real estate world, only written agreements work.

Cheating scheme. Most often, the lease is not concluded: the landlord simply hands over the keys and takes either the entire rental amount for the month or a deposit. Doesn't give any receipts. Then he asks not to enter the apartment for a couple of days under the pretext that it is necessary to complete minor repairs or pick up things.

When the tenant arrives at the apartment, the key does not fit the lock. The owner needed these few days to replace the locks. The deceived employer will not be able to somehow confirm the fact of agreements with the owner, because there is no lease agreement and a receipt for making a deposit.

How to protect yourself. Always conclude a contract of employment, draw up an acceptance certificate and record the transfer of money. If you pay a deposit, ask the owner for a receipt, at least handwritten on a plain sheet of paper.

But it will be better if you print the form in advance and fill it out with the owner.

When you give the owner a deposit for an apartment, write it down in the appendix to the settlement agreement. If the owner comes to you every month for money, make a new entry in both copies of the contract. If you do not see the owner and transfer money to the card, keep your receipts.

Fraud Option

Generosity promotions

This scheme was invented for solvent people who consider their money and want to save. If the tenant agrees to rent an apartment at the stated price - or, conversely, does not agree - he is offered a discount, but asked to pay several months in advance.

Cheating scheme. Scammers put pressure on greed: they argue that the apartment will be much cheaper. For example, housing costs 25,000 rubles a month, but if you pay 120,000 rubles in advance six months in advance, you will get 20,000 rubles a month. These are significant savings, which is why many employers agree. Perhaps this is an honest offer from the owner and there will be no deception. But it happens that the landlord kicks the tenant out of the apartment ahead of schedule or suddenly replaces the locks, and keeps the money for himself.

How to protect yourself. Better to pay the rent only one month in advance. The owner can kick out, change locks or sell the apartment, and the tenant can change his mind and move to another home. In such cases, it will be difficult to collect money from the owner.

Fraud Option

Prepayment assignment

An advance payment in the real estate market is made as an advance payment, a deposit or a security deposit. But also prepayment is one of the most common cheating schemes. She is pulled out of employers in different ways, and when they get it, they stop communicating.

Differences Between Advance, Deposit and Collateral

A deposit is the toughest type of security payments. If the tenant gave a deposit, and then changed his mind about signing the lease, the deposit remains with the landlord. If the owner has refused the deal, he returns the deposit in double size.

A security deposit, or security deposit, is an amount that a tenant transfers to a landlord in case of violations. If the tenant has violated the contract or caused damage to the apartment, the security deposit is used to cover the damage.

An advance is a payment that will be credited to subsequent payments for the apartment if everything goes according to plan. If something went wrong and the contract could not be signed, the landlord is obliged to return the advance.

Cheating scheme. The tenant calls on the announcement of the rent of the apartment. They tell him that the apartment is free, and they come up with a reason why the prepayment should be transferred. The reasons may vary. There are three most common:

1. High demand. So that the apartment is not taken away, they ask to send an advance payment to the card of the owner or realtor, and then come and conclude an agreement.
2. The owner has a long way to go. Therefore, the client is offered to confirm his intention to rent an apartment and transfer the prepayment to the card.
3. Obligatory advance payment before the conclusion of the contract. This is the condition of the owner, otherwise he will not rent the apartment. More often than not, they ask for the entire amount, but an advance payment, 2-5 thousand rubles.

How to protect yourself. Do not transfer prepayment. Pay money only after you look at the apartment and sign the rental agreement and the acceptance certificate. Remember that gorgeous photos of an apartment and a low price are not a gift of fate, but an excuse to check the apartment, the owner and the contract several times.

Greetings from Peru

This is the original version of prepaid fraud, which began in the car market and is now found in the rental and sale of residential real estate market.

In essence, the same beautiful apartment at a discounted price and a prepayment requirement. Only communicate with the owner by mail, since he is located in another country.

They write to you something like this:

Good day!

I will explain the reason for my selling the apartment at a lower price.

I lived in Russia for a long time, but since my children live in Peru, I decided to move. I do business here, but I still have an apartment in Moscow and I want to rent it out.

To conclude an agreement, I must fly to Moscow. But I am ready to go only to a real client who is serious about it. Therefore, transfer me a deposit of 10,000 rubles through the Money Gram fast money transfer system or the Contact system to confirm your intentions.

Send me a receipt for payment, but close the control number. Without it, I will not be able to receive the transfer, you can check this with the bank. So you will be sure of my honesty and tell the number only after the conclusion of the contract.

I do not intend to change the terms of renting my apartment and its price. Because of these conditions, I rent an apartment at a low price. If you don't agree, don't waste my time.

Scammers can be from any country, but more often - from Cameroon and Peru, so the message will be written with errors and a little clumsy.

The bank will confirm that it is impossible to receive money without a control number. Then you go, for example, to Western Union and send the transfer. Take a photo of the receipt, close the code and send it to the scammer.

He will accuse you of drawing the receipt in a graphic editor and drop a link to a fake money transfer system website. There you must enter all the data about the transfer, including the control number. A summary window will appear, a screenshot of which will be requested by the fraudster. After that, he will receive money and stop communicating.

Do not reply to such a message, but rather take a screenshot and send it to the support service of the site where you found the ad.

What documents to check before renting

You need to check three documents: a passport, a certificate of registration of rights and / or an extract from the USRN and a document of title - most often a sales contract.

Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. It is necessary to verify the identity of the landlords. To do this, check your passports. You don't need to check your military ID, driver's license and foreign passport, because their data is not in other documents.

Passport data must be exactly the same as in all other documents. That is, the full name, series, number and all other data must match exactly. This will confirm that the documents are the same person as in the passport and in front of you. Passport verification is the first and most important step.

Before renting an apartment, check if the seller has a valid passport. Here's what I recommend paying attention to:

1. No fixes, stickers, crooked fonts.
2. There are all watermarks and imprints, fonts, as in your passport.
3. The series of the passport coincides with the place of issue. The first two digits of the series are the area code. For example, if the passport was issued in St. Petersburg, the first two digits are 40, if in Moscow - 45. If the series starts with 40, and the passport is issued in Lipetsk, it is a fake. A list with city codes can be found on the "Your Passport" website.
4. The state of the passport corresponds to the date of issue. If the passport is new in appearance, but received three years ago, this should be alarming.

Also check if the owner's first and last name has changed. If yes, ask the seller for a certificate from the registry office about the conclusion or dissolution of marriage or about a name change.

Documents of title show who and on what basis owns an apartment or part of it and who can rent it out.

The type of title deed depends on how the apartment ended up with the owner. If privatized, the document of title will be the contract for the transfer of the apartment into ownership. If bought - a contract of purchase and sale, and if inherited - a certificate of the right to inherit by law or by will.

If the apartment is in a new building, the title document may be a contract of equity participation in the construction. Together with him, it is necessary to check the acceptance certificate of the apartment, if the house has already been commissioned.

Certificate of state registration of property rights confirms the ownership of the apartment or part of it. There will be no evidence in two cases:

1. If the owner registered the ownership of the apartment from 1991 to 1996. In this case, it is necessary to check whether a mark of state registration of the right has been made on the title document, for example, on the sales contract.
2. If the title is registered after July 15, 2016. From this date, the certificate of registration of the right was canceled and replaced with an extract from the USRN.

To check the certificate of ownership, check the base documents indicated in it with real documents. The type, number and series must match. Also check the address, floor and area of \u200b\u200bthe apartment.

Replaces the certificate of registration of ownership. It is needed to confirm the ownership and a list of title documents, as well as to check the presence of other owners. Check the data from the extract - the address, the base documents - with the documents of title. Everything must match.

What else to pay attention to

Owner behavior. If he is in a hurry, gets nervous, threatens to rent the apartment to others, if you don’t make a decision right now, be alert. Assess its adequacy visually: look at him first of all as a person. You see him every month, resolve issues, perhaps ask for help, so rent an apartment from a person who is at least not disgusting to you.

Apartment rental price. There are no perfect options for a low price. A renovated and furnished apartment five minutes from the metro cannot cost a penny. There is always a reason for the price, and it could be a scam.

Documents. Forgery of documents is an expensive procedure. Therefore, scammers often use the economy option: they forge documents themselves or lie about why they are not there. Do not rent an apartment until you see the original documents.

How much money to pay

Rent amount only pay for one month. If the owner offers to pay immediately six months in advance, refuse.

Pledge is the amount that reassures the owner in case of damage to his property. For example, if an employer breaks a window and decides to move out, the owner will take some of the money from the collateral, fix the window, and return the rest. A full refund of the deposit can be required from the owner only if the tenant returned the apartment in the same condition as he rented.

The size of the collateral is determined by the owner. Most often, there are three collateral schemes:

1. a deposit equal to 100% of the monthly rental value of the apartment, in one payment;
2. a deposit equal to 100% of the rental value of the apartment per month, in two installments, that is, divided into two months;
3. double deposit, equal to 200% of the monthly rental value of the apartment, in one payment - mainly for business and elite class objects.

That is, when concluding a contract, you pay either the entire amount of the collateral, or part of it by agreement with the owner.

Remember if you are going to rent a house

1. If you are asked to come to the office and sign a contract before showing the apartment, do not agree.
2. Check the documents before signing the contract. Look at the passports of the owners, a certificate of registration of rights or an extract from the USRN and a document of title, for example, a sales contract.
3. Always conclude a rental agreement and sign the apartment transfer and acceptance certificate.
4. Pay your rent only one month in advance.
5. Pay the money only when you see the apartment and the owner live, check the documents, sign the lease agreement and the acceptance certificate. And do not forget to indicate the monthly payments in the settlement form.

Worked on the material

Author - Maria Yakovleva, editor - Elena Evstratova, production editor - Marina Safonova, photo editor - Maxim Koposov, information designer - Zhenya Sofronov, illustrator - Anton Kalashnikov, executive officer - Anna Lesnykh, proofreader - Alexander Salita, layout designer - Evgenia Izotova

In social networks or in the old fashioned way - on advertising posts and entrance doors. However, these ads are often not responded to by real owners of housing, but by realtors, with whom you will subsequently have to deal. In addition, photographs and descriptions of housing do not always correspond to reality, so we recommend that you do not unconditionally trust the colorful pictures and descriptions of the "dream apartment", but carefully check everything and follow a few basic rules.

Sephelonor / CC0

Decide in what conditions you want to live

To begin with, you should define for yourself several important requirements, which you will subsequently be guided by when looking for housing. First of all, evaluate your financial capabilities and decide whether you will be able to rent an apartment / house in full, or only part of it (a room, half a house, etc.). In order to combine price and quality, you may have to give up some amenities, since there are practically no completely ideal options.

You also need to understand how important the general condition of the room is for you, the freshness of the renovation, the availability of equipment, furniture, and the Internet. It is also necessary to decide on the area of \u200b\u200bthe city in which they would like to live, which will immediately entail the presence or absence of a good transport interchange. All these factors will directly affect the cost of rent.

Skitterphoto / CC0

Avoid false realtors and carrot ads

The traditional method of deception is the placement on the website of offers for renting an apartment with an understated price, or, as they are also called, "carrots", which lure clients. An apartment with good repair and in a prestigious area cannot be cheap, therefore, most likely, if you call the specified phone number, they will answer you that this apartment has already been rented out, but there are other options - of course, at times more expensive. But this is still a harmless form of deception that will only take your time.

Oftentimes, inexperienced tenants fall into the hands of scammers. False sellers, for example, ask for an advance payment for housing, promising to "book" it for you, and disappear along with the money. To make their actions convincing, fraudsters can meet with the client near the office of the real estate agency: not inside, but outside.

jarmoluk / CC0

Another type of fraud: a gullible client is offered to sell a "base of landlords' phone numbers", which is rented. Such a "base" in most cases is a fake set of obscure numbers. Another example is when the addresses of allegedly rented apartments are "sold", where tenants are not expected at all. When receiving such offers, it is worth remembering that the realtor works for a percentage of the rental price, and he should receive money only after signing the contract, so he will not trade the bases from which he makes money.

Pay attention to details when inspecting an apartment

It takes an average of a week to a month to find a comfortable home. If you try very hard, you can find a cheaper apartment, as well as avoid cooperation with realtors. However, without a professional, it will take you much longer to find a suitable apartment.

Why is cooperation with a realtor good? He has already familiarized himself with the apartment, identified all the pros and cons of housing, and you do not have to spend your time on this. A professional will immediately understand whether you like the housing or not, and will show only suitable options. If you yourself are looking for an apartment, then often in a hurry you can, for example, forget to inspect the batteries, pipes or a balcony, the adjacent territory, check the availability of shops, a playground, a pharmacy and transport stops nearby.

Agency "Moscow"

Before viewing an apartment (it doesn't matter, with a realtor or on your own), look at the house and the entrance. It is important here that there are no cracks, leaks, balconies crumbling on the head on the house. A combination lock is desirable at the entrance, the walls should be free of mold and "rock painting". It is good if you find your mailbox and it will close. If you have to rent accommodation on floors higher than the 5th, it is important to check the condition of the elevator.

Further - you can not hesitate to inspect the apartment carefully. It is necessary to check the condition of pipes, locks and wiring. It does not hurt to inspect the windows, whether they close tightly, whether there are any cracks, and the ceilings will be able to tell you, if not about the owners, then about the neighbors above.

Check housing documents

In the apartment, first of all, determine who is the owner and whether he independently rents housing. It is bad if someone else acts on behalf of the owner, even a relative registered in the apartment - a son, daughter, son-in-law. Insist that the owner himself signed the lease agreement, otherwise after a while it may happen that the owner did not know about what happened and you were deceived. If a relative or acquaintance acts on behalf of the owner, he must have a corresponding power of attorney.

Before signing the agreement, you should make sure that the title deeds are in order, that this is the apartment that is specified in the agreement, and that the apartment belongs to the person with whom you are signing the agreement.

To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the landlord's passport and the document on the ownership of this living space. This can be an inheritance agreement, privatization, purchase and sale, gift or other documents. The owner can show the registration certificate of the apartment, and preferably a document confirming the absence of debts for the communal apartment.

Check immediately if one person owns the apartment. If there are several owners, then a notary-certified consent of the rest of the owners of the property is required to rent it out.

Discuss rental conditions in advance

By law, a rental agreement will be concluded with the owner. The document in the future, albeit partially, will help avoid disagreements with the owner. It is important to discuss all the conditions that you prescribe in the contract in advance.

In addition to the standard rental conditions - payment, term and frequency of payments - decide which of you pays for utilities. Usually the tenant pays for metering services, and the landlord pays the fixed costs of the apartment. Or the parties agree on conditions that suit everyone.

skeeze / CC0

Most often, conflicts between the owner and the tenant arise due to household trifles, therefore, when signing a contract, it is the trifles that should be taken into account especially carefully.

At the first meeting, it is necessary to discuss with the owner the frequency of his visits to the premises he leased, so as not to suffer from the owner's obsession later.

Usually, the contract prescribes the procedure according to which the landlord must warn the tenant about his visits in advance.

It is also worth discussing with the owner in advance whether you have to pay in case of breakdowns in the apartment: if a pipe is leaking, the toilet is broken, the wiring is burnt out, the window is broken, and so on. Will you have to buy a washing machine or a new sofa yourself? Adequate landlords often go along with their tenants and agree to help with repairs or troubleshooting.

Write down all the nuances of the lease in the contract

The rental agreement is signed on the spot, in the rented accommodation. We recommend that you feel free to check the details of the agreement (which may well differ from those agreed upon if the realtor represents the interests of the owner) and insist on the conditions that you discussed with the owner in advance.

The document must contain a description of the leased premises, the address of the housing, the lease term, the amount and clear terms of payment, information about the owners of the apartment or house, the terms of termination of the agreement. In addition, the contract must describe the property remaining in the use of the lessee, as well as indicate the passport details of both parties. It will be useful to record the current meter readings for the "communal", so as not to pay for the previous tenants.

Do not hesitate to take company with you to the deal

Often the owner of rented housing does not come to sign the contract alone. It is believed that the “third” (not counting the realtor, if he participates in the transaction) can help assess a possible controversial situation from the outside, or simply support the person. Therefore, even if you are going to rent a house alone, do not hesitate to come to the deal in the company of a friend or relative, so that "forces are equal." If you are worried about your safety or the safety of your finances, but do not want to show it, ask your person to wait at the entrance or nearby.

StockSnap / CC0

To conclude a rental agreement, you need to take a passport or other identity document. You need both the original document and its copy. Do not be surprised if you are asked to show passports or birth certificates of all family members who intend to live with you in a rented apartment.

After signing the contract, you will most likely need to pay three amounts at once: for the first and last month of rent (deposit), as well as pay for the services of a realtor, which usually make up half of the monthly rental cost. In case of early termination of the contract, remember that the owner of the apartment has the right to demand from you to pay for the use of the apartment for the next month - it is usually covered by the deposit made at the conclusion of the contract.

Victoria Matvienko

How often do we hear stories when someone, trying to rent an apartment, finds an excellent variant with colorful photographs, but upon arriving at the place, discovers shabby walls and a “dead” bathroom in a house located half an hour away from the metro.

Many have friends or friends of friends who were simply "thrown" with rent: they showed the apartment, took a deposit and payment for the first and last month, even gave the keys. However, upon returning to the apartment, it was discovered that the key no longer fit, and the door was tightly closed. The owner with the money evaporates, and the tenant remains almost literally at a broken trough.

Often we hear from TV screens stories about unscrupulous realtors who, promising to find an apartment, take an advance payment from the client, show him several options that do not correspond to the description, and then declare that the terms of the contract have been fulfilled and continue to search for a suitable apartment, and even more so, return no one is going to make money.

No matter how much is said about standard schemes of deception and fraud, Russians continue to get into trouble with enviable consistency. AiF.ru is once again trying to help its readers with advice on how not to get into an unpleasant story by renting an apartment. For help, we turned to experts from companies that have been conscientiously helping tenants and landlords find each other for several years.

Treaty as a panacea

All experts noted the importance of an apartment rental agreement, which is often drawn up incorrectly, and in some cases it is even neglected, hoping for the conscientiousness of the owner of the living space.

“Drawing up a lease agreement is an important stage in the transaction. Without this document, all agreements will remain in words, and there is no protection against the tricks of unscrupulous partners. It is extremely important to draw up an employment contract correctly, in which case the client will have a document that will allow him to defend his interests. In the rental market, this is a very important condition - in the network of unscrupulous partners, there are people who decided to save money on this service and did not enter into an agreement (or entered into with violations). A vivid example: a person rents an apartment without checking whether the person who introduced himself as the owner of the apartment has the right to rent it out. For example, if children, wishing to take revenge on their parents, offer housing for rent, or these are people who have nothing to do with the rented apartment, ”I am sure Svetlana Birina, head of the city real estate and lease department of NDV-Real Estate.

On the Internet, you can find a large number of standard apartment rental agreements, which are often used by the tenant and the owner of the apartment when concluding a transaction. Experts advise in any case to check such an agreement. AiF.ru told readers about what must be reflected in the document Kirill Kokorin, Legal Adviser of the Department of Renting Apartments, INKOM-Real Estate:

“In order for the contract of employment signed by the parties to be recognized as valid, it must specify the essential conditions:

1. The name of the rented dwelling, its characteristics and the exact address.

2. Accurate passport details of the tenant and landlord.

3. Data of documents confirming the property rights of the lessor.

4. Amount of payment for renting an apartment, procedure and terms of calculations.

5. Duration of the lease agreement. In the absence of an indication of the lease term, the contract will be considered concluded for 5 years.

6. Data of citizens who will live with the employer.

7. Signatures of the parties to the contract of employment.

However, it is necessary to provide for other equally important conditions of this document, such as the procedure and grounds for early termination of the contract on the initiative or fault of either party; rights and obligations of the parties; responsibility of the parties both for shortcomings and for damage caused; penalties for the tenant and landlord; the procedure and grounds for the settlement of damage caused to the property of the owner; payments and order of payment for housing and communal services; guarantees of the parties; the procedure for notifying the parties, indicating the addresses for notification; the possibility of keeping pets; responsibility and procedure for settlement of damage caused to neighbors; a prohibition or the right for a tenant to rent an apartment under a sublease agreement to third parties; dispute settlement procedure and some others. "

Cheap, then angry

Also, when looking for an apartment for rent on your own, experts advise paying attention to the rental cost. In most cases, an unjustifiably low price is fraught with some kind of catch.

“If you choose an apartment yourself, carefully study the price situation on the market. The attractive cheapness of the offer is usually just a bait. While viewing the apartment and concluding the deal, relax, do not get nervous, concentrate as much as possible on the documents and the lease agreement, and also carefully examine the apartment for any shortcomings. Do not react to the state of nervousness artificially created by many owners and unscrupulous agents, thanks to which the client will quickly examine everything and give the money back, "advises natalia Sivko, Managing Director of MIEL-Arenda.

“It is obvious that living space that is rented at low rates has certain disadvantages. For example, the poor quality of the object (old house, lack of repairs, furniture or household appliances) or poor location (far from the metro station, near a train station or market). Also, the cost reduction is facilitated by the condition of prepayment for a long period (six months, a year) or a short rental period (often housing is rented out for the summer). You need to focus on the average rates, the description of the object in the ad, try to find out the details in a telephone conversation and only then go to view ", - confirms Galina Kiselyova, director of the apartment rental department, INKOM-Real Estate.

Keys in the morning, money in the evening

Experts advise not to pay realtors in advance, and settle accounts with the owner of the apartment only after the apartment has been thoroughly examined and all the disadvantages are recorded on paper and signed by the owner.

“There are cases when a tenant looks at an apartment, pays a deposit to book an apartment, and sets the date of the transaction, and the landlord disappears or refuses to return the deposit, but at the same time does not go through with the transaction. But working with an agent, you can save yourself from such situations: the company takes care of all the troubles. It is best to contact large agencies that have successfully established themselves in the market and can offer a full range of services, ”explains Svetlana Birina.

The safest, according to all experts, is to work with a realtor. But even among them there are unscrupulous ones.

“The main rule that a tenant working with a realtor needs to remember is not to pay money in advance. Payment for the services of a realtor for a transaction always occurs after, and not before the start of work, that is, when he fulfilled his obligations to the client, ”advises Natalya Sivko.

If you choose an apartment yourself

When looking for an apartment through a specialized ad site or a group on social networks, you run the risk of encountering scammers. In order not to fall for their tricks, you need to pay attention to several important points.

1. Average cost of renting an apartment according to your criteria

Too "sweet" ads are often fake. Spacious with modern renovation in the very center of the city just a minute walk from the metro and for a penny? A very dubious proposal.

2. Request to transfer prepayment to the card

This point often follows from the previous one. You call on the ad you like, they tell you that there are a lot of people who want to, and then they ask you to transfer at least a few thousand so that the apartment remains with you. Don't be fooled by this: you just spoke to a scammer.

Never transfer money to strangers as a deposit without a personal meeting.

3. The authenticity of the photos of the apartment

To make sure the information from the ad is correct, check the photographs of the apartment for authenticity. This can be done, for example, through a Google image search.

If one and the same apartment is posted on several rental websites, it's not a big deal. It's another matter when the photos are walking on the Internet, and the description, the address of the apartment and the contact person change dramatically from time to time.

4. Lack of photos of the apartment

Ads without photos look odd to say the least. In most cases, this means that something is wrong with the apartment, or that such living space does not exist at all.

5. Frequency of ad placement

It happens that the same apartment rental ad appears and disappears with enviable frequency. Two weeks ago, the apartment was rented, then it was rented, and a month later it again hangs in the current one. And so in a circle.

Of course, it may not be about the owner, but about the tenants. Well, a person is not lucky for tenants, and that's it. Nevertheless, the often flashing ads are alarming.

6. Contact person

Who deals with the issue of apartments for rent? The owner himself or the realtor? If you do not want to pay a commission equal to half or even the entire amount of the monthly payment, then ads from realtors are not suitable for you.

If you contact a realtor

Realtors can make your life easier and help you find your dream apartment. Or they can be pretty nerve-racking, emptying your wallet, or wasting your time. Here's when to watch out.

1. The realtor cannot name the company of which he is now or where he worked before

If the realtor claims to be on the staff of the agency, you can contact the company directly and clarify this.

If the realtor is a private entrepreneur, in any case, he must tell you at least a few companies in which he worked before. If this is difficult, you may be in front of a scammer.

2. The realtor is not interested in who and in what composition will live in the apartment

Almost every owner at least roughly represents whom he sees as a tenant, and notifies the realtor about this. If during a conversation you are not asked about the number of tenants, the presence of animals and constant work, this is a bell.

3. The realtor is not an expert in his field

It is difficult to imagine that a realtor does not know how to write a receipt for receiving money or fill out a rental agreement. And if you still don't know, then this is not a realtor.

4. You are asked to pay the commission before signing the contract

The realtor receives a commission only after the conclusion of the transaction. If you are required to pay in advance, do not give in and do not transfer funds.

5. The realtor only deals with one apartment

Usually, a realtor has several objects at work. It is suspicious when a specialist devotes all his time to only one apartment. Try typing your phone number into your browser's search bar and see how many ads they give you.

6. The realtor introduces himself as an employee of the news agency

You are offered to drive up to the office, conclude an agreement and get access to the owner database after paying the commission.

The realtor will not go with you to inspect the apartment and meet with the owner, and if it works out to someone from the received database, then after a preliminary agreement on the meeting, the landlord will cancel everything at the last moment.

In this case, you will not be able to return the money, because you signed an agreement on the provision of information services. To get justice, you can go to lawyers and try to file an application in court. However, no one can guarantee you a successful outcome. Therefore, carefully study all the documents on which you put your signature.

Stage 2. First contact with the owner

You have chosen the ideal, in your opinion, option and are happy to call to arrange a meeting. First, find out if you are really speaking with the owner and not with the realtor or anyone else. Even if the ad stated that the apartment is rented directly.

Ask the landlord a few questions. For example, where the windows of the apartment go or what floor it is on.

If the person hesitated, he may be trying to deceive you. The owner will answer such questions without delay.

If you feel that everything is in order, go through the information specified in the ad: specify the cost, the need for a deposit and payment of the last month. Find out for how long the apartment is to be rented, whether it is really 10 minutes to go to the metro, not 30. In general, talk about all the nuances that are important to you.

Stage 3. Inspection of housing

1. Rate the entrance. His condition can say a lot about the tenants of the house - your potential neighbors.
2. Try to look at your neighbors and ask who lived in the apartment before you. It is advisable to do this together with the owner: if the tenants of neighboring apartments are not newcomers, then they will recognize your landlord, and you will once again make sure that he is the owner.
3. Take a close look at the bathroom, especially the plumbing. If the tap is leaking, you should point it out to the owner right away.
4. Check the condition of the furniture and assess its wear.
5. Pay attention to the location of the outlets. You may need to rearrange the furniture.
6. If you have pets, check to see if the previous residents have had a cat or dog.
7. Do not be lazy to include all the appliances and household appliances that you plan to use.
8. Check all switches in the apartment.
9. Ask about internet availability.
10. Check the locks so that you do not have to wait under the door until you are allowed inside. If there are several locks, and the key is given to you from only one, find out the reason. The owner can say that the lock has been broken for a long time and has not been used. You must insist on replacement or repair and ask for a complete set of keys.
11. Make sure the seals on the meters are intact.
12. Check the condition of the balcony doors and windows if you don't want to freeze in winter.
13. Appreciate the whole apartment.

If none of the above in the apartment bothers you, you can proceed to drawing up a contract.

Stage 4. Conclusion of the contract

What documents of the owner need to be checked

If the apartment has one owner

When concluding a lease, ask the landlord to show you:

• passport;
• certificate of ownership or extract from the USRN.

You need to make sure that the apartment belongs to the person who introduced himself as the owner of the apartment.

One of the most common types of fraud on the market is renting someone else's apartment. Housing can be rented out by a "friend" of the owner of the apartment, who settled in it for just a couple of days.

Arthur Ustimov, Founder and CEO of Arendatika, a rental management service

If you have not checked the documents for the property, then you risk not only losing money, but also being left on the street.

If there are several owners

In addition to a passport and a certificate of ownership, you need to obtain written consent to rent out the apartment from all owners, as well as from those who are registered in the apartment.

If a distant relative is registered in the apartment, he can come to the apartment you rented and stay in it. In this case, the lease will be valid, but no one can forbid a person registered in the apartment to live in it.

If the apartment is owned by the spouses

First you need to figure out whether the apartment is in joint or shared ownership.

Ivaschenko Srbuhi Sargisovna, leading lawyer of the European Legal Service

For insurance, you can find out about the presence of a marriage contract and familiarize yourself with its terms. If the apartment belongs to one of the spouses, then the consent of the other is not required. If in joint ownership, it will be necessary to enlist the consent of each owner.

What to look for when drawing up a contract

A rental agreement is a document that will help you avoid unnecessary conflicts, so it is very important to take a responsible approach to its preparation. The lifehacker has already told how, so we will focus only on the most important points.

Mandatory data

• The subject of the contract is an apartment. You must indicate the full address, area and number of rooms.
• The parties to the agreement are the home owner (or his representative by a notarized power of attorney) and the tenant.
• Passport data and information about the place of registration - both the owner of the apartment and the tenant.

The term of the contract and the procedure for payment

Indicate the terms of the contract and the period in which you are required to pay the rent. Pay attention to the sanctions for violation of the payment order. For example, you may have a weekly period to pay off the debt, after which the owner has every right to take you out of the apartment.

The fact of payment must be recorded: for cash payment, require a receipt from the owner, and when transferring to a card, request a bank statement.

The purpose of payment must contain a link to your agreement. For example: payment under the employment agreement No. 1 dated January 1, 2018 for June 2018.

In addition, the contract must contain the amount that you transferred to the owner upon arrival. This can be a payment for the first and last month of residence, as well as an insurance deposit - a guarantee that if the tenant damages the property, the owner of the apartment will receive material compensation.

The owner can withhold the entire amount or part of the security deposit, depending on the extent of the damage caused. If, when inspecting the apartment, everything is in order, the insurance deposit is returned in full to the tenant. The amount of the deposit that is comfortable for each party is negotiated at the conclusion of the contract.

Eviction procedure

Particular attention should be paid to the rules of eviction from the apartment. They should be comfortable for each side.

Sometimes the contracts indicate that the tenant is given only a couple of days to move out and search for a new apartment. And some lease agreements even provide for fines for the lessee's living less than a certain period.

Arthur Ustimov, Founder and CEO of Arendatika, a rental management service

Owner visit frequency

Frequent surprise visits from the owner bring little joy. However, you cannot forbid him to visit your own apartment. Discuss the frequency of visits that are comfortable for both of you, stipulate how long the owner should warn you, and record the agreements in the document.

Communication channels

In the contract, you must specify the email addresses or phone numbers of both parties - depending on the selected communication channel. Better both, to be sure.

Do not delete the correspondence with the landlord to refer to it in case of disagreement.

Inventory of valuables and meter readings

In the act of acceptance and transfer of the apartment, which is attached to the contract, you need to include an inventory of valuable things. If you made a security deposit upon arrival, there is a risk of not getting it back. You must check the entire apartment. And the more careful, the better. You already know what points to focus on when examining an apartment.

The safest thing to do is to take photographs of all the defects found so that they will not be attributed to you upon departure. And photos can be printed and attached to the act.

Without fail, the act must contain the readings of individual water and electricity meters at the time of check-in.

Renovation and planned changes in the apartment

Make a list of the changes you plan to make and the appliances or furniture you are planning to purchase. Agree on the maximum amount and decide how the payment will take place: only by the owner, by your forces, or 50/50.

It is recommended to prescribe the terms of inseparable and separable improvements in the contract in advance or draw up an additional agreement later. At the same time, it is advisable to make a reservation in the contract that things are returned to the owner, taking into account natural wear and tear.

Arthur Ustimov, Founder and CEO of Arendatika, a rental management service

Indicate in the contract who pays for the breakdown of household appliances. Unfortunately, during the initial inspection, you cannot be 100% sure that the devices are in perfect working order, and it can be difficult to prove that the breakdown was due to normal wear and tear, and not due to improper operation.

If you notice that the device is breathing on its own, indicate this to the owner and inspect it together, and then fix the agreement in the document. Otherwise, if a breakdown does happen, you may need the expertise of a professional to prove you were not involved in the malfunction.

Living in the apartment

Do not forget to indicate in the contract those who will live in the apartment with you. And also let me know if you have one. You should not lie about such things: with a great probability, you will be caught in a lie, and the consequences will be very sad.

When is it worth canceling the lease

The most alarming signal is the refusal to submit title deeds. Chances are good that the apartment is not all right.

An apartment, the owner of which is too worried about his property, may also be problematic. Such owners may come to you too often to check the safety of their property, which, of course, will cause you discomfort.

Arthur Ustimov, Founder and CEO of Arendatika, a rental management service

It is worth paying attention to the behavior of the owner. Excessive nervousness is alarming, as is the unreasonable rush to conclude a contract. If you are asked to sign documents as soon as possible, they do not allow you to check the serviceability of household appliances and fix defects, then this is another bell.

Take your time, study the contract thoughtfully, ask questions and discuss problematic points. Check whatever is necessary. It is important for you that it is comfortable to live in the apartment, and all difficulties are minimized. The owner wants his living space to remain in proper condition, and also does not want to be a regular participant. You evaluate each other - that's okay. And in this case, it is correct to set aside enough time for the process of paperwork and inspection of the apartment.