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Finding a rental home you really love takes much more than luck, a fat budget and a good broker. It also needs a wee bit of tact on your part. After all, you don't want to land up in a great house but have your landlord telling you who should be visiting you and what time you should be coming home. To save yourself from the mess, we suggest you put your landlord under the scanner just so that you're not in for a rude shock later. We tell you what you need to do to ensure that your flat is worth a bang for your buck:
 >>Grill the inmates: For starters you need to find out who was living in the flat before you. Speak to neighbours or ask the landlord directly. Find out why they left. It would be great if you could get hold of their contact number too. That way you'll know the story as it happened without leaving room for the landlord to spin tales. Very often problem landlords are the reason for tenants vacating homes. Make sure you don't fall prey to their unreasonable demands.
>>Fake disinterest: If you're in love with the flat, you better not show it. If you do, you will be conned into paying a handsome rent. So, ask all the questions you need to, like who are the neighbours, does the flat get 24 hour water supply, does it leak during the monsoons, what's the deposit amount, what's the rent, but do not start oohing and aahing about the flat. Don't tell your broker that you love the flat or call up a friend to tell him / her how successful your house hunt has been. Stay neutral and don't betray your real feelings.
>>Get it registered: Always get your lease agreement registered no matter what your broker or landlord says. Spell out the term of your duration, the amount you're paying, the possible hike, possession date and the notice period before either party decides to discontinue the agreement. That way your landlord can't do a flip-flop later. He can't kick you out of the house without a notice and he can't hike up the rent till the time specified in the lease.
>>Find out the terms and conditions: If you're not smart enough to find out the landlord's terms and conditions prior to taking possession of the flat, you're going to be giving him a chance to boss over you. Many landlords don't like their tenants coming in late or calling friends to party over or (as bizarre as it may sound) cooking non-veg food at home. If you're not okay with his demands, now is the time to speak up. If you do it later, you'll only be shown the door, literally. Reach a middle path so that there is no unpleasantness later.
>>Find out if he has intentions of selling the flat: Most landlords are open to the idea of selling their flat when a lucrative deal comes along. If that happens you'll be left high and dry, which is why you need to have a lease agreement that spells out a substantial notice period. But most importantly, as a prospective tenant, you have every right to know whether your landlord intends to sell the house or not. Because if he does, it means that you'll have prospective home-buyers coming to see the house regularly in your presence. And that exactly isn't the best way of spending your weekends or evenings. | 
