3 Crucial Things You Should Do Before Signing a Lease | 'I Had to Take My Landlord to Court'

Leasing or renting a new property can be as tricky as it could get. Brokers and landlords often look for ways to get more money out of tenants and avoid paying for any claims. Thus, people need to stay informed before they put pen to paper on a deal. Creators like Milan Singh (@milansinghhh) on TikTok are helping out people to get the right information they need. In a video that has amassed over 2.2 million views, Milan shared 3 crucial things that people should do before signing a lease.

In the video, Singh enacts a situation playing both the customer and the property owner. He advises that customers should take a final walkthrough before signing a lease. He explains that this needs to be done to document the condition of the property and determine if there are any damages or repair work needed. He advises to take pictures so that the landlord can’t accuse the customer of damaging the property later.

If the owner tries to prevent this from happening by any means, Singh suggests a workaround as well. Singh hints that if a customer has already put the deposit down the landlord can’t hand over the property to anyone else without letting them do a walkaround.

The next thing Singh recommends is prorating any freebies towards the lease duration to get more out of it. In the act, when Singh is given a one-month free rent option, he asks the landlord to prorate it towards his lease term as it could save him $100 to $200 in monthly payments.

The third thing Singh recommends people is to have all the proper documentation while vacating a property to avoid getting their deposit claim rejected. In the act, Singh hands over his forwarding address to the landlord in advance as it is a requirement for the deposit claim. This is important as most state laws require tenants to give their landlord a forwarding address within 4 to 5 days of vacating the property.

Comments on the video showed how important Singh’s advice was. The topics Singh touched upon are typical causes for concern. “I had to take my landlord to court for trying to keep my deposit for regular wear and tear. I won and bugged them for my money. they took 6 months,” user @angiebb228 wrote suggesting how difficult deposit claims could be.

However, several people who worked in real estate suggested a better alternative to Singh’s first advice. “Just ask for an inventory condition form - the leasing office can’t do walk-through for EVERY single move lol we busy y’all,” wrote user @fairy.limbs.

Since a lease is essentially a housing contract, tenants should ask questions and take every cautionary step. A blog from UC Davis suggests tenants carefully read through the details of the lease agreements and perform all necessary checks on the property. Thus, Singh’s advice can prove to be crucial for tenants in the long term.

For more such information and useful tips, follow Milan Singh (@milansinghhh) on TikTok.