Questions before signing a lease: a cost and document checklist

Questions before signing a lease should help you establish what property you would receive, what payments are being requested and what remains unanswered. An advertised price does not settle all three. This worksheet helps you compare the rental provider’s or agent’s explanations with the draft agreement. It organises your review without treating a sales explanation as a legal conclusion.

Identify the rental and the relevant location

Record the country, state or region, locality, intended use, whole property or room, and draft version date. Ask whether the documents all describe the same property and arrangement. Do not assume a holiday stay, a main home and a room rental share the same rules. An English-language agreement does not identify the legal system.

Consumer Affairs Victoria provides guidance and a signing checklist for rental agreements in Victoria, Australia. Use it for that jurisdiction, rather than applying it automatically elsewhere. For another location, find the responsible housing or tenancy authority and current guidance before resolving questions about legal rights, payment limits or notice periods.

Separate upfront requests from recurring costs

Ask: “Which amounts are requested before I move in, what is each for, and who receives it?” Then ask: “What repeats each month, and what is outside the advertised price?” Keep rent, utilities, deposits and any service or additional charge separate. Recording a requested payment does not establish that it can lawfully be required.

Copy this worksheet: item | stated amount | one-off, recurring or conditional | requested by | document and section | explanation received | still to check. Write “not stated” when a figure is missing. Do not convert an estimated consumption cost into a fixed monthly bill or count a component twice when it is already included in another amount.

To compare properties, keep three separate totals: upfront outlay, known recurring payments, and variable or unresolved costs. Distinguish a security deposit from rent paid in advance. Ask what payment records you would receive and what stated conditions apply to returning any amount held as security.

Match each date to a specific event

Ask when possession or keys would be provided, when rent would start being charged and what commencement date the agreement states. Request an explanation if those dates differ. Record what the draft says about its duration, continuation and leaving, including the communications it describes for each event.

Do not infer that an end date lets you leave at any time, or that a stated notice period is necessarily correct for your circumstances. Make the uncertainty specific: “Which section covers this departure, and where can I check the applicable rule?” Keep the written term, the explanation and the unresolved legal question distinct.

Check the handover and the missing paperwork

Ask which spaces, furniture, appliances and keys form part of the rental. If an inventory exists, identify its version and how it relates to the agreement. Note visible issues and ask how the handover condition would be recorded. A promise to repair something is different from evidence that the work has been completed.

Prepare another list: full draft agreement | referenced attachments | inventory, if any | messages clarifying terms | missing documents. Ask who is acting for the rental provider and how you can check their identity and any authority to act. The documents and verification process depend on the location and arrangement.

Ask questions that can be checked against the draft

A useful clarification identifies the precise mismatch. Illustrative wording: “The listing says bills included, but I cannot find which bills in the draft. Please identify the included and excluded items and where this will be recorded.” This is a writing example, not an account of a real dispute or proof of a breach.

Number questions by cost, date or document. Keep each reply and mark whether it resolves the question or raises another. When a replacement draft arrives, compare the affected terms and attachments. A clear answer about one payment does not settle the rest of the agreement.

Use AI to organise questions alongside the text

Legal Assistant AI supports document analysis and questions about clauses, dates and missing information. Work with public or authorised material and minimise unnecessary personal information. The tool can help organise questions; it does not verify a rental provider’s identity or guarantee that a term is enforceable.

Prompt: “Organise this extract into payments, dates, referenced documents and questions. Identify the section supporting each item. Separate agreement text from my comments. Write not stated when information is absent. Do not invent amounts, legal rules or deadlines. Draft clarification questions without describing the agreement as approved.”

Before deciding, retain three visible statuses: answer located, document missing, and issue needing local advice. A complete worksheet represents what you know and what you still need to establish. If an unresolved point affects a significant commitment, take the question and relevant documents to an appropriate local adviser or housing guidance service.