Moving Into a Rental: What Should I Check?

• Read the whole lease before you sign it. Ask your landlord to explain anything you do not understand.

  RenterLaw editorial

• Ask how much the deposit is before you sign. The most a landlord can charge for a deposit differs by state.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Ask whether any move-in fees are nonrefundable (money you will not get back). Whether a landlord can charge them differs by state.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Ask your landlord for a lead hazard pamphlet (a short booklet) and for what the landlord knows about lead paint. For housing the rule covers, federal law says the landlord must give you these before you are bound by the lease.

  RenterLaw editorial Environmental Protection Agency (40 CFR) 40 CFR § 745.107(a)

• If you have a disability and need a change to a rule or service, ask your landlord in writing. Federal law counts a refusal to make a reasonable accommodation (a change that gives you equal use of your home) as discrimination.

  RenterLaw editorial U.S. Code 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(A)-(B)

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Ask whether you get a receipt when you pay your deposit. Whether a landlord must give one differs by state. If you get none, keep proof of payment.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Ask where your deposit will be kept and whether it earns interest. State rules on this differ.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Ask for a condition report (a list of damage already in the home). Whether your landlord must give you one differs by state. Check it before you sign it.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Take dated photos or video of every room before you move your things in. Show any damage, stains, and broken items.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Test every smoke alarm and carbon monoxide (a poison gas with no smell) alarm. Whether a landlord must supply them differs by state.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Test the heat, the water, the stove, the locks, and the windows. What your landlord must keep working differs by state.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Send your landlord a written list of any problems in your first week. Keep a copy. Some states set rules for repair requests.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Ask how much notice your landlord gives before coming into your home. The notice period differs by state.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

• Pay rent in a way that leaves a record, and ask for a receipt. Whether a landlord must give a receipt differs by state.

  RenterLaw editorial

  This rule depends on where you live. See the rule in every place we cover.

Published by Nazanin · October 4, 2026

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