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Do not rely on a show apartment, a floor plan, or a promise that “the contractor will fix it.” Confirm that the unit you inspect is the unit you will rent, obtain the final lease and cost schedule, and put repair commitments, completion dates, utilities, fees, and possession terms in writing. Local tenancy rules control whether you can delay signing, require repairs, or end an agreement, so check your local housing authority before committing.
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Start before the inspection appointment
Ask for the documents and details you need while there is still time to reconsider the apartment. Request the final lease, not a marketing summary, and ask the landlord or agent to identify the unit by building, floor, and apartment number. New developments sometimes have similar layouts, and a tour of a model unit does not establish the condition of your actual home.
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Request the information in writing
- The final lease and every addendum, including building rules and move-in procedures.
- A utility schedule showing which services are included, which are separately metered, and how shared or submetered charges are calculated.
- The exact possession or move-in date, including what happens if construction is delayed.
- A list of supplied appliances and fixtures, with any exclusions clearly identified.
- The assigned parking space, storage locker, bike-room access, mailbox, building access fob, and any restrictions on using them.
- The name and contact method for reporting defects, emergencies, and warranty work after move-in.
- Deposit amounts, application or administration fees, recurring service charges, renewal terms, break or early-termination rules, and required notice periods.
Ask whether the apartment has passed the inspections required for occupancy in your jurisdiction and whether any work remains. “Nearly finished” is not a useful condition unless the remaining work, responsible party, and completion date are written down.
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Bring a practical inspection kit
- Phone or camera with date and time enabled, plus enough storage and battery.
- Notebook or a room-by-room digital checklist.
- Tape measure if furniture placement or storage capacity matters.
- Small flashlight for cabinets, service panels, and dark corners.
- Phone charger or a safe plug-in outlet tester, used only on accessible outlets.
- Paper towels for checking around supply lines and traps.
- Temperature or humidity readings if you already own a meter; treat them as observations, not a substitute for a professional assessment.
Never remove electrical covers, open sealed equipment, climb onto roofs, or operate gas appliances in a way the manufacturer or building manager prohibits. Ask the manager to demonstrate systems you cannot safely test yourself.
Inspect security and access first
Security defects are urgent and often easy to miss during a quick viewing. Operate every door and lock with the door both open and closed. A lock that works while the door is open may bind when the frame is under load.
Entry doors and common access
- Close and latch the apartment entry door without lifting, pushing, or pulling it. Test the deadbolt, latch, chain or limiter, peephole, closer, and any keyed or electronic override.
- Use the intercom or video entry system to call the lobby or another test location. Confirm that you can hear, speak, and release the entrance.
- Test every supplied access fob, key, garage remote, mailbox key, and building-app credential. Ask how lost credentials are deactivated.
- Check that the mailbox closes and locks, and that the apartment number is correctly identified.
- In common areas, locate the route to the street, stairs, lifts, refuse rooms, and any fire or emergency exits. Do not block or prop open fire doors.
Look at wall-mounted handrails, shelves, towel bars, mirrors, and other fixtures. They should be firmly attached, with no movement, exposed fasteners, or sharp edges.
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Water problems can damage a new building before stains become visible. Run cold and hot water at each tap, use every shower, flush every toilet, and watch what happens beneath and around the fixtures.
Supply, pressure, and hot water
- Open taps fully and partly. Note weak flow, sputtering, discoloured water, unusual odour, or a delay that is unreasonable for the building’s system.
- Run hot water long enough to establish that it becomes hot and remains usable while another fixture operates. Record a weak or fluctuating supply.
- Operate shower controls through their range and check that water stays inside the shower area rather than escaping around a screen or door.
- Flush toilets several times. Check that the bowl refills, the valve stops running, and the base remains dry.
Drains, traps, and hidden leaks
- Fill sinks and basins, then release the water. Slow drainage, gurgling, or backing up into another fixture requires investigation.
- Run the kitchen sink and dishwasher connection while looking under the cabinet. Check supply valves, flexible hoses, traps, and cabinet floors for drops or swelling.
- Inspect the washing-machine supply and drain connections, floor drain, and any accessible valve. Do not start a machine if it is not safely connected.
- Use a dry paper towel around joints to reveal a small leak. Do not dismantle plumbing.
Search for damp, mould, and staining
Look at ceilings, corners, skirting or baseboards, window reveals, cabinet backs, floors, and service penetrations. Fresh paint over a local patch, bubbling paint, swollen flooring, a musty smell, dark spotting, or soft drywall merits a written defect entry. Photograph the surrounding area as well as the close-up so the location is clear.
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Test the kitchen, laundry, and supplied appliances
Record the make and model of each supplied appliance if the lease identifies them as part of the rental. Run a basic, safe function test rather than assuming a new appliance works.
Kitchen
- Turn each cooktop element or burner on briefly, following the manufacturer’s controls. Check that indicator lights respond and that controls are labelled.
- Run the oven through a short heating cycle if permitted; check that the door seals, the control display works, and there is no abnormal smell or smoke.
- Operate the exhaust hood on each speed. Confirm that air is drawn toward the filter and that the light works.
- Run the dishwasher through a short or rinse cycle if it is connected. Inspect the door seal and the floor beneath it afterward.
- Check refrigerator and freezer doors, seals, shelves, lighting, controls, and temperature display. A newly powered appliance may need time to reach operating temperature, so record what could and could not be confirmed.
- Open every cabinet and drawer. Check alignment, hinges, runners, handles, interior shelving, and the seal between counter and wall.
Laundry
- Check that the washing-machine valves, drain standpipe, and power outlet are accessible and labelled.
- If a machine is supplied and safely connected, run a short fill or rinse cycle and inspect for vibration, leaks, and drainage.
- For a supplied dryer, confirm that the vent connection is present and secure, the lint filter is accessible, and the controls operate. Do not disconnect ducting.
Check electrical outlets, lighting, heating, and ventilation
Electrical and lighting
Switch every light and test each accessible outlet with a safe method. A simple plug-in tester can identify some wiring faults, but it cannot replace a qualified electrical inspection. Do not remove cover plates or open panels.
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- Check ceiling fixtures, under-cabinet lights, bathroom lights, balcony lights, and any dimmers or occupancy sensors.
- Test outlets in every room, including those near counters, desks, beds, and laundry equipment. Note outlets that are loose, dead, warm, cracked, missing cover plates, or controlled by an unexplained switch.
- Locate the consumer unit or breaker panel. Confirm that circuits are labelled and that the panel is accessible, but do not reset repeatedly tripping breakers.
- Check smoke alarms, carbon-monoxide alarms where required, heat detectors, and emergency lighting indicators. Ask who maintains and tests them.
Heating and cooling
Turn each system on using the installed control. Allow enough time to confirm airflow or heat rather than merely seeing a display illuminate. Check vents, radiators, fan coils, thermostats, filters, and condensate lines that are visible without removing equipment.
- Verify that each room advertised as heated or cooled has an operating outlet or radiator.
- Listen for banging, rattling, grinding, persistent clicking, or vibration. Note unusual odours when a system first starts.
- Check that controls respond and that the system can be turned off. Ask who replaces filters and how to report a failure.
Ventilation and condensation control
Run bathroom and kitchen extraction fans. Hold a tissue near the grille to observe airflow without inserting anything into the fan. Note excessive noise, no airflow, condensation that remains on mirrors, or odours that move between apartments. Ask where exhaust air is discharged and whether windows are intended to provide supplementary ventilation.
Examine finishes, windows, and everyday operation
Walk through each room in daylight and with the installed lights on. Newly built interiors commonly contain small finish defects, but a defect still needs to be recorded so it is not later attributed to you.
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Floors, walls, ceilings, and trim
- Look for cracks, dents, scratches, hollow or lifting tiles, uneven transitions, gaps at skirting, and flooring that moves or squeaks excessively.
- Inspect paint for drips, unpainted edges, peeling, bubbling, patch marks, and differences in sheen.
- Check ceilings for joints, stains, sagging, open penetrations, and unfinished access panels.
- Run your eyes along corners, tile grout, silicone or caulk joints, and the junction between counters, walls, tubs, and shower trays. Gaps can allow water behind finishes.
Windows, blinds, and doors
- Open, close, latch, and lock every window. Confirm that stays, restrictors, screens, blinds, and handles are present and secure.
- Check for drafts, damaged seals, condensation between panes, cracked glass, and water marks on sills.
- Operate every internal door. It should swing freely, latch without force, and have the promised handles, privacy locks, and stops.
- Ask whether windows are the designated means of escape or ventilation and whether any restrictors affect those functions.
Built-in storage and fixtures
Open all wardrobes, cupboards, drawers, and utility enclosures. Check shelf supports, hinges, runners, hanging rails, and ventilation around appliances. Photograph missing shelves or hardware. Confirm that the usable storage matches the lease description; a space shown in a plan may be a service shaft or a locked facility rather than tenant storage.
Inspect balconies, parking, storage, and shared facilities
Inspect every space that affects the value or safety of the tenancy, not just the living room. Verify that the space you are shown is the one assigned in writing.
Balcony, patio, or terrace
- Check the surface for ponding, cracks, loose tiles, damaged membranes, and blocked drainage.
- Inspect railings, gates, screens, and privacy panels for movement, corrosion, sharp edges, or missing fasteners.
- Confirm that doors latch, weather seals are intact, and thresholds do not allow water into the apartment.
- Ask about weight limits, permitted furniture, grilling rules, and access for maintenance.
Parking, storage, and building areas
- Match the parking bay, charging point, storage locker, and bike space to the numbers in the lease. Check dimensions, lighting, locks, and clearance.
- Walk the route from the apartment to the entrance, lift, stairs, refuse area, mailboxes, and parking. Note doors that do not close, standing water, poor lighting, or blocked routes.
- Check lift operation, call buttons, emergency communication, and whether the lift serves your floor without a separate key or fob.
- Look at refuse and recycling areas for odour, pests, leaks, ventilation, and a practical route for carrying waste.
Shared-area observations should be written down even when they are outside the apartment. A promised facility that is inaccessible or unfinished changes what you are agreeing to rent.
Create evidence that protects both sides
British Columbia’s Residential Tenancy Branch describes a move-in inspection as a chance for landlord and tenant to agree on the unit’s condition, and recommends that both parties take many photos and videos. Use that approach even where local law uses a different form.
Use a room-by-room record
- Start each photo sequence with a wide view showing the room, then take close-ups of the defect. Include a door number, window, fixture, or other landmark when possible.
- Write the room and exact location, the observed condition, and whether the item is working. “Scratch” is less useful than “35-centimetre scratch on the laminate beside the balcony door.”
- Record the date, inspection time, names of people present, and the apartment identifier.
- For a failed test, write what you did and what happened: for example, “Bathroom basin drained slowly after a full basin was released; water remained for several minutes.”
- List who will correct each issue and the agreed target date. Separate cosmetic completion from safety, water, heating, or access work.
Get a signed condition report
Ask the landlord or agent to sign and date the report, including any disagreement. Do not sign a statement saying the apartment is in perfect condition when it is not. If the form has no room for a defect, attach a numbered schedule and have both sides initial each page. Keep the signed copy, photographs, videos, emails, and receipts in a location you can access after move-in.
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Report newly discovered defects promptly. A new leak, failed lock, loss of heat, or electrical hazard should be reported through the emergency channel specified in the lease, followed by a written record. Do not wait for the next routine inspection.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Put money, utilities, and promises in the lease
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development advises tenants to ask which utilities are included and, when they are not, to find out their likely cost before signing. Convert every verbal promise into a lease clause or attached schedule.
| Item | What to confirm in writing |
|---|---|
| Rent and recurring charges | Base rent, service or amenity fees, billing dates, permitted increases, and the method for allocating shared costs. |
| Utilities | Included services, separate meters, estimated or actual billing, internet charges, connection fees, and responsibility for repairs to meters or equipment. |
| Deposit and other payments | Amount, permitted deductions, receipt, return process, application or administration fees, and any non-refundable charge. |
| Parking and storage | Space or locker number, access rights, fee, charging costs, replacement-fob charges, and what happens if the facility is unavailable. |
| Repairs and unfinished work | Each defect, responsible party, completion date, access arrangements, and the remedy or rent treatment if the date is missed. |
| Possession and delay | Exact handover date, condition required at handover, notice of delay, temporary accommodation or termination rights where applicable, and refund handling. |
| Renewal and ending the lease | Fixed term, renewal process, notice periods, break clause, early-termination costs, and rules for assignment or subletting. |
Consider renters insurance
HUD’s tenant guidance says renters insurance can protect belongings, provide liability protection, and potentially cover additional living expenses if the home is destroyed or damaged. Check the policy’s exclusions, deductible, coverage limits, temporary-housing conditions, and whether the landlord requires a particular minimum. Insurance does not make an unsafe or unfinished apartment acceptable; it is a separate risk decision.
Decide what to do when the apartment is unfinished or defective
Classify findings by effect rather than by appearance. A missing trim piece and a non-working smoke alarm should not receive the same deadline.
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Pause signing and seek local advice if you find an unsecured entry, no safe access route, active water intrusion, exposed electrical parts, failed heating in a required season, sewage backup, significant mould, or another condition that prevents ordinary use. Ask for written confirmation of the repair and a new inspection date. Do not accept an informal promise that a serious defect will be fixed “after move-in” without a clear remedy.
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Material but potentially repairable defects
For a non-functioning appliance, failed ventilation, damaged window seal, missing storage access, or substantial finish damage, require a numbered repair schedule. The schedule should state who performs the work, when access is needed, the completion date, and how you will verify completion. Photograph the item again at handover.
Minor cosmetic defects
Record small paint marks, minor scratches, or loose hardware on the condition report. They may not justify delaying a lease by themselves, but written evidence prevents a later claim that you caused them.
Can you back out?
The answer depends on local law and the contract. Consumer Affairs Victoria states that a renter who has signed but has not moved in may end the agreement without fees when the property does not meet minimum standards. British Columbia has specific rules about inspection reports and the consequences for deposits when required inspection procedures are not followed. Those examples cannot be generalized to another state, province, or country. Before signing, contact the applicable tenancy authority or a qualified local adviser and ask about minimum standards, cooling-off or termination rights, deposit consequences, and remedies for a delayed or uninhabitable handover.
Compare two acceptable apartments consistently
When both units pass basic safety checks, compare them using the same tests and the same questions. A cheaper advertised rent can cost more once utilities, parking, storage, service fees, and insurance requirements are included.
| Decision axis | Questions to ask | Evidence to record |
|---|---|---|
| Safety and habitability | Are locks, alarms, exits, water, heating, electrical systems, and ventilation functional? | Test results, defects, required repairs, and deadlines. |
| Defect risk | Are there leaks, damp signs, unfinished work, repeated patches, or unresolved common-area issues? | Photos, written history supplied by management, and the signed condition schedule. |
| Total monthly cost | What is the rent plus utilities, internet, parking, storage, service fees, insurance, and likely seasonal costs? | Lease figures, utility method, estimates, and one-time charges. |
| Sound, privacy, light, and ventilation | What can you hear with windows closed and open? Does the apartment receive useful daylight and fresh-air flow? | Visit at different times when possible; note traffic, mechanical noise, overlooking, and window operation. |
| Storage, parking, and access | Are assigned spaces usable, secure, and reachable without extra permissions? | Space numbers, measurements, fobs, rules, and photos. |
| Lease flexibility and remedies | What notice, renewal, break, repair, and delay terms apply locally? | Exact clauses and the name of the authority that explains local rights. |
| Management response | How quickly does the team answer written questions and document repairs? | Response times, named contacts, and a sample written request. |
Ask the same questions of both landlords and run the same appliance, water, window, and ventilation tests. A unit with fewer unresolved defects and clearer written remedies can be the better value even when its advertised rent is similar.
Use a final sign-off and handover checklist
- Revisit the exact apartment after scheduled repairs and before taking possession.
- Repeat tests for water, drains, toilets, appliances, outlets, lights, heating, cooling, ventilation, windows, locks, intercom, and access fobs.
- Check that every repair on the schedule is complete, clean, and safe; record anything outstanding.
- Confirm keys, fobs, mailbox access, parking, storage, appliance manuals, emergency contacts, and waste instructions.
- Photograph meter readings if you are responsible for utilities and note the handover date.
- Sign only a condition report that accurately lists remaining defects. Obtain a copy immediately.
- Send a written notice of any new problem as soon as you find it, keeping proof of delivery.
Official tenant guidance consistently places the inspection before the rental agreement: British Columbia describes the inspection as a joint record of move-in condition, Consumer Affairs Victoria advises inspecting a property against minimum standards before signing, and Boston’s tenant guidance tells renters to view both the apartment and building before signing. These principles are practical everywhere, but the legal effect of a missed inspection or defect remains local.
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