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Before signing a lease in a newly built high-rise, verify every financial and repair term in writing, inspect the apartment and common areas, ask about safety notices and planned construction, and create a dated condition record. New construction can still have unfinished work, water intrusion, defective components or building-management problems, so treat a viewing as due diligence rather than a formality. Your exact rights and deadlines depend on the property’s jurisdiction.
What should I check before signing a lease?
Start by obtaining the complete proposed lease, every attachment and all building rules before you sign or pay a non-refundable amount. Read the documents line by line and resolve blank, conflicting or unclear terms in writing. A verbal assurance that a repair, cleaning job or amenity will be completed is difficult to enforce unless it appears in the lease or a written undertaking with a clear deadline.
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Confirm the money and dates
- Monthly rent, payment date, accepted payment methods and late-payment terms.
- Tenancy start and end dates, renewal options and notice requirements for ending the tenancy.
- Bond or deposit amount, where it is held, and the conditions for deductions or return.
- Utilities, internet, parking, storage, move-in charges, amenity fees and any other recurring or one-time costs.
- Which appliances, furniture, parking spaces, storage cages and shared facilities are included in the rent.
Check every charge against the law where the property is located. Deposit caps, permitted fees and utility rules vary, so do not import a rule from another state, province or country.
Read restrictions and access terms
Check clauses covering pets, guests, smoking, alterations, painting, fixtures, cleaning, maintenance, deliveries, parking, move-ins and use of gyms, terraces, lounges, pools or other amenities. Ask for the current owners-corporation, strata or body-corporate rules before agreeing to comply with them. Confirm how building staff may enter your apartment, what notice is required, and how emergency access is handled.
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Turn promises into enforceable records
List every inducement that affected your decision: replacing an appliance, repairing a leak, removing construction debris, repainting, deep-cleaning, correcting a door, or providing a parking space. Ask for completion before signing. If that is not possible, have the lease or a signed written undertaking state the exact work, responsible party and completion date. Queensland’s Residential Tenancies Authority advises renters to ensure promises are completed or documented in an undertaking, and not to sign a blank form.
Know the repair contacts
Before committing, obtain the landlord’s or agent’s routine-repair contact, the out-of-hours and urgent-repair number, and the procedure for reporting a problem. Ask who handles defects in common property, lifts, heating systems, water services and security. Save the contacts with your lease rather than relying on a lobby notice that could disappear.
What should I look for during an apartment inspection?
Inspect in daylight where possible, with permission, and test ordinary controls without dismantling equipment or safety systems. You are recording visible and functional conditions, not certifying construction quality or hidden building systems.
Entry doors, locks and windows
- Confirm the entry door latches and locks from inside and outside, and that keys, fobs and intercoms work.
- Open and close each window. Check visible seals, latches, restrictors, screens and coverings.
- Look for gaps, condensation, damaged frames or water staining around openings.
Locks and windows are among the categories included in Victoria’s minimum-rental-standards guidance.
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Water, drainage and damp
- Run hot and cold taps, operate the shower and flush every toilet.
- Watch how quickly sinks and showers drain.
- Look under sinks, around toilets, baths and shower screens, and along skirting boards for leaks, staining, swollen materials, mould or persistent damp.
- Record low pressure, discoloured water, unusual smells or water that remains hot or cold when it should not.
Visible leaks are also addressed in Mississippi’s renter health checklist. A dry visit cannot rule out intermittent leaks behind walls or under floors, so ask whether the building has had water-intrusion or remediation work.
Power, lighting, heating and ventilation
- Use switches and ordinary controls to confirm lights, outlets and installed appliances operate.
- Ask how heating, cooling and mechanical ventilation are controlled and whether filters or other maintenance are the resident’s responsibility.
- Note non-functioning equipment, tripped breakers, flickering lights, unusual odours, excessive humidity or condensation.
- Do not remove outlet covers, open panels or interfere with smoke alarms, sprinklers or other life-safety equipment.
Victoria’s minimum-standard categories include electrical safety, heating, lighting and ventilation. Ask whether the apartment has independent controls or relies on a central system that may still be undergoing commissioning.
Kitchen and laundry
Confirm that every included appliance is present and test normal functions: refrigerator cooling, oven and hob controls, extractor fan, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. Inspect visible hoses, valves, cabinetry and flooring for leaks or swelling. Clarify which appliances belong to the landlord and who arranges repairs.
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Visible construction condition
Look for cracks, loose fittings, unfinished surfaces, doors that do not close, gaps at skirting or sealant joints, damaged flooring, stains, rust and evidence of water ingress. Photograph each issue and ask in writing who will assess it and by when. Newly built does not mean defect-free: a viewing can reveal visible problems but cannot confirm the condition of concealed membranes, pipes, fire-stopping, foundations or structural elements. For potentially structural or recurring water problems, request an explanation from the landlord or building manager and consider independent professional advice.
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Inspect the high-rise’s shared areas
Walk the route you would use every day, not only the staged lobby. Observe the main entrance, access-control points, lifts, corridors, stairs, refuse areas, mail and delivery spaces, parking and any advertised amenities.
- Check that entry doors close and access devices work.
- Look for adequate lighting, trip hazards, damaged handrails, blocked exits, standing water or visible leaks.
- Note lift availability, temporary closures, construction barriers and posted emergency information.
- Ask how residents report faults in common areas and how urgent safety concerns are escalated.
- Ask whether noise, dust, restricted routes or unavailable amenities are expected during remaining construction.
Mississippi’s health checklist specifically calls out common walkways, stairs and lighting; other common-area requirements come from the local building and tenancy framework. Do not assume a polished lobby proves that back-of-house systems are complete.
Questions about building safety, defects and planned work
Send these questions by email so the answers become part of your records:
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- Who is the building manager, and who receives building-safety complaints?
- Are any defect, fire-safety, cladding, building-product or other safety notices, orders or recommendations in force or proposed?
- Has the building or any common property received inspection, enforcement or rectification directions?
- Is major repair, defect rectification or commissioning work scheduled during the proposed tenancy?
- Which apartments, floors, entrances or amenities could be affected, and how much notice will residents receive?
- What resident procedures apply to alarms, evacuation, shelter-in-place instructions, deliveries and emergencies?
- Which safety systems must residents never alter, cover or disable?
- What rules govern shared spaces, parking, pets, renovations, deliveries and move-ins?
England: qualifying higher-risk residential buildings
In England, Building Safety Regulator guidance states: “The building must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator before people live there.” For that framework, a high-rise residential building is at least seven storeys or at least 18 metres high and contains at least two residential units. Accountable persons manage common parts and risks involving fire spread or structural failure. These thresholds and duties belong to the English Building Safety Act framework; they are not a worldwide definition of a high-rise. Ask the agent how the building is registered and who the accountable person is.
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Victoria
Victorian renter guidance addresses minimum standards and disclosures involving certain building-defect or safety notices, building or planning applications and disputes affecting the premises. Ask for copies of notices and applications that must be disclosed and check that the apartment meets the applicable standards for locks, windows, bathrooms, mould or damp, electrical safety, heating, lighting and ventilation.
New South Wales
NSW strata guidance describes disclosure of specified cladding-rectification orders and scheduled rectification work or major common-property repairs. Ask whether such an order or work program applies, what dates are planned, and whether access, noise, dust or amenity closures are expected during your tenancy.
Queensland
Queensland’s RTA materials emphasize reading the full tenancy agreement, documenting promises and using the entry condition report. Ask for body-corporate rules and any known common-property work, then record promised repairs with deadlines.
British Columbia
British Columbia’s condition-inspection process allows a tenant to record disagreement, photograph or video the unit and note required repairs. The province’s process states that the tenant should receive a copy of the report within seven days; follow the current local form and instructions.
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Mississippi
Mississippi health-oriented renter guidance includes visible leaks and the condition of common walkways, stairs and lighting. Use those checks as a practical screen, then verify the lease, disclosure and repair rules that apply to the specific property.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to create a condition record that protects you
- Arrange a joint inspection before moving belongings into the apartment and obtain the official local condition or entry report.
- Walk room by room. Describe each mark, damaged surface, missing item, cleanliness issue and malfunction by location and feature.
- Take dated photographs and, where useful, a continuous video showing room context. Keep the original files rather than only edited copies.
- Write disagreements directly on the report or email your own description promptly if the agent’s version is incomplete. Keep proof of delivery.
- Record agreed repairs and deadlines in the report or a separate signed or written record.
- Keep the signed lease, disclosures, building rules, condition report, photographs, receipts and repair correspondence together.
Queensland guidance says the tenant should return the entry condition report within seven days and recommends dated photographs. British Columbia’s process also uses a seven-day copy-of-report requirement. Those deadlines are jurisdiction-specific; confirm the current local procedure instead of assuming seven days applies everywhere.
How to compare two newly built high-rise apartments
Compare equivalent units using the same checklist rather than judging the newer-looking finishes. A lower advertised rent can be more expensive once mandatory charges, utilities, parking or storage are included.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →| Comparison area | What to record |
|---|---|
| Total monthly cost | Rent plus mandatory charges and the utilities you must pay |
| Included items | Appliances, parking, storage, furnishings and amenities included in writing |
| Repair and defect status | Completed repairs, written commitments, notices and planned rectification |
| Living conditions | Daylight, noise, ventilation, temperature control and visible water or finish defects |
| Building operation | Management contacts, response process, lift reliability and planned access restrictions |
| Lease flexibility | Term, renewal, ending notice, alteration rules, pet and guest restrictions |
Keep personal observations separate from claims requiring professional assessment. “Water stain below the bedroom window on 17 October” is a useful record; “the façade is structurally unsafe” requires competent technical evidence.
Warning signs that justify pausing
- The agent will not provide the complete lease, attachments or building rules before signing.
- Material promises are verbal only, or the form contains blanks you are urged to sign.
- There is active construction but no clear schedule, access plan or notice process.
- Visible leaks, mould, damaged fire doors, blocked routes, unreliable locks or non-functioning essential services are dismissed as normal for a new building.
- The person collecting rent cannot identify who manages common property or receives urgent safety reports.
- You are pressured to waive inspection, disclosure or condition-report rights.
Pause, ask for written answers and obtain location-specific tenancy advice before signing when a safety issue, major defect or unexplained charge remains unresolved.
Quick Recap
Final pre-signing sequence
- Read and save the complete lease, attachments and building rules.
- Verify rent, deposit, fees, dates, inclusions, restrictions and repair responsibilities.
- Inspect the apartment and common areas, testing ordinary functions and documenting visible conditions.
- Ask written questions about notices, defects, safety management and planned works.
- Require repairs to be completed or documented with a deadline.
- Complete the official condition process, submit it on the local deadline and retain copies.
- Sign only when the documents and the physical condition match what you agreed to.
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