It seems to many that the search for housing is the most time-consuming, and therefore the most significant stage. But formalities play a much bigger role in the life of a happy tenant. Real estate transactions are a field of activity for which usually boring and redundant bureaucracy is mandatory and savior. One less letter, one more number, and you are no longer a happy tenant, but a deceived homeless resident. Unfortunately, there are still enough of such cases on the market. Premium real estate agency T.H.E. Capital with his tireless work, he strives to avoid such troubles for our clients. That is why we have prepared our new material for you, in which experts will share their wisdom and talk about how to expose a fraudster.
Documents, documents and more documents!
We think you have already guessed where it all starts, and what we ask you to focus on when looking for real estate for rent on your own. Many fraudsters rely on the lack of awareness and banal inattention of citizens. It is worth admitting that the approach of this worker is because a person who does not have sufficient knowledge of the real estate market rarely shows the desire to dive into its study with his head to conclude just one deal. Such a desire to save time often runs into the equally strong eagerness of an unreliable landlord to get money faster and disappear from your life forever.
If, at your peril and risk, you still decided to rely on yourself, first of all ask for the documents for the apartment. You have every right to examine the ownership rights to confirm the right. :
- certificate of ownership
- extract from the unified real estate register
- sales contract or any other document confirming the origin of real estate (donation, inheritance, mine, etc.)
Of course, the owner's documents must also be reviewed in order to make sure of their authenticity and that the data specified in the passport coincide with those specified in other sources.
Why all this extra gloom? When reviewing the documentation, you may find that:
- the documents are incorrectly prepared
- the housing is on credit and in case of non-payment, no one will pay attention to the temporary residents
- real estate belongs to completely different people
Even if everything is fine, the object of real estate can be partially owned and jointly inherited. In this case, a written and notarized confirmation may be required that the other party has no claims and allows various transactions with the real estate, including its transfer for temporary use to third parties, i.e. renting it out.
🚨 A very low price can be a suspicious alarm bell. Of course, there are also cases when the owner urgently needs money, so he is ready to lose a little of their amount. But this is rather an exception to the rules, so such ads should be treated with extreme caution.
The rental agreement is the guarantor of your safety
Article 811 of the Civil Code of Ukraine clearly states that the conclusion of a lease agreement is mandatory. Although the document does not require notarization, it is still an effective way to protect yourself, so we do not advise you to neglect this important stage, which many consider a meaningless formality. Make sure the contract clearly states:
- names and addresses of the parties, as well as their passport data
- the term of the contract, the dates of its conclusion and expiration
- conditions for contract extension and early termination
- the amount of the monthly rent, the procedure and date of its transfer to the property owner, as well as the possibility of its increase or decrease during the lease
- description of the subject of the contract - rooms, apartments or houses
- the amount of the insurance deposit or advance payment, as well as the terms of their return
💡 The receipt of money must be confirmed not by a verbal agreement, but in a special act of transfer of rent, if it takes place at a meeting and in cash. If you use a non-cash method, keep the receipts. Such precautions will allow you to avoid misunderstandings and resolve disputes if they arise.
A security deposit or prepayment is common practice. Just as you worry about contacting a stranger to rent a house, the owner worries about keeping his property in the hands of an unknown person. As a rule, the size of the deposit is equal to one month's rent. If we are talking about an apartment with a pet, the amount can be slightly increased, since the animal can cause significant damage to expensive furniture, carpeting and textile finishing.
In order to clearly determine the damage caused by you or its absence, it is worth attaching to lease agreement act of acceptance and transfer of the apartment. It provides an accurate list of appliances, furniture and utensils that you receive, and also records malfunctions and damages that appeared in the house before you. Natural wear and tear that occurs with long-term use is a normal phenomenon, so you should not worry about it. But if the mirror was broken due to your fault or the dog managed to bite the leg of the table, you will have to accept monetary compensation.
We want to end with one simple piece of advice that will save your nerves from conflicts and your wallet from fraudsters - Do not refuse the help of experts. We work to make your path to your dream property a smooth and safe one, so there's no need to struggle through thorns when the straight road is already paved.
