Rental Property Viewing Checklist

Who this is for

For the person viewing, not the person letting. It lists what to look at, outside and in, and puts the questions worth asking on the page with a space for each answer — because ten minutes in a flat is not long enough to remember what was said.

Tenants viewing a flat or house to rent — students, sharers, families and anyone seeing three places in an afternoon.

What this helps you track

• What you actually saw, ticked while you were standing there
• The answers to the questions that decide whether to apply
• The rent, deposit and what is included, as quoted at the viewing
• Two or three viewings on the same form, so they can be compared honestly

How to use it

1. Fill in the address, the date and the rent and deposit quoted before you go in.
2. Tick the list of things to look at as you walk round. Open the cupboards; run a tap.
3. Ask the questions in the table and write the answers down at the time, with the name of whoever answered.
4. Add your own questions — in the browser version, or in the notes on paper — and anything that bothered you.
5. Use one sheet per property and lay them side by side before you decide.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What should I be asking about the deposit?

How much, when it is paid, and how it is held and returned. How a deposit must be protected differs by country and region, so check the rules where the property is and compare the answer you are given with them.

Can I take photos at a viewing?

Ask first. Most agents and landlords will say yes; if they do not, write down more detail. A photo reference column is not included here for that reason.

What if I cannot answer some of the checklist?

Leave it unticked. An unticked item is a question to ask before you sign, not a failure of the viewing.

Is there a landlord's version?

The inspection checklist and the move-in inventory are the landlord's side. This sheet is written for the tenant, and the existing viewing and enquiry log is for the landlord tracking who came to see the property.