Document checklist for tenants
When Rahul started living in Delhi on rent, he had no idea of how things work. Since he was ignorant about the legalities he agreed to take a house on rent, without reading the clauses written in the rental agreement. The result? He ended up losing the deposit amount since there was no clause about the payback of deposit while leaving the house. Before moving into a rented house, a tenant should always read all the terms & conditions specified in the agreement.
MakaanIQ brings to you a checklist of the all documents that a tenant should expect from his owner, lest he is fooled or is charged for the facilities he is not told explicitly:
Rental Agreement: This document is a must as it has all the clauses related to monthly rents, deposit amount and period of lease. Always read the terms that are related to the total deposit amount and the period after which the deposit shall be returned. The other thing that the agreement should mention is the bearer of other costs such as electricity bills, maintenance charges, telephone charges, property tax,etc for the clarity on both sides.
Ownership Document: Before taking a house on rent always check the names of the real owners of the property. This information must be clearly mentioned in the document. In case of a transfer of property to another person, the full name of the new property owner should be clearly written in the document. Many a times illegal touts give out property on rent whereas the actual owner is unaware about it.
Safety and Security Papers: It is always better to be safe than sorry, just in case in the future if the house is sold or gets mortgaged, the rights and security of the tenants must not take a backseat. All tenant should make a note of this and safeguard his interests.
Authorization Documents: In case a landlord is not able to sign the rent agreement himself and sends a broker or a representative then one must check the authorization documents or power of attorney documents, to make sure that the representative is legally present on behalf of the landlord.
Property papers and approvals: Many people may try to give a house on rent that unauthorized or build on an unauthorized location or which does not have proper approvals. Ask for the property papers and make sure that the Indian property is legal and is not under any problem.