Rental checklist: how to find a home, office or space to rent

Start with a clear brief, not endless browsing

To make finding a place to rent easier, write down your preferred area, total monthly budget, move-in date and must-have features before contacting landlords. Separate essentials from preferences so you can compare offers without starting from scratch each time. This rental checklist covers homes, offices and other spaces; local rules and commercial lease terms still need their own checks.

• For a home: bedrooms, accessibility, pets, transport, parking and furnished or unfurnished.
• For an office: usable space, team capacity, internet, visitor access, opening hours and room to grow.
• For another space: its intended use, access, utilities, storage or equipment needs, and any required permissions.
• Choose a realistic search area and move-in window, with acceptable alternatives.

Budget for the full cost of renting

The advertised rent is only one part of the cost. Ask what is included and what you pay separately: utilities, internet, service charges, parking and any taxes or fees that lawfully apply. Also plan for a deposit, moving costs, furniture and possible overlap between your old and new rental.

For business premises, ask about fit-out work, insurance, maintenance responsibilities, business rates or local equivalents, and reinstatement costs when leaving. Compare the same cost categories across each offer rather than comparing headline rent alone. Do not assume residential deposit protections apply to an office lease.

Share your search with people who know the area

Tell friends, family, colleagues and trusted local groups what you need. People who know you and the neighborhood may be able to suggest suitable spaces, introduce you to an owner or point out practical issues that listings miss. If you are moving from far away, a trusted local contact can help inspect a place when you cannot attend yourself.

A specific, shareable request is easier to pass along than a vague ‘looking for somewhere’ message. State the area, type of space, move-in window and budget if you want to disclose it. Ask contacts to forward the same request to someone with a suitable property, rather than retyping your requirements. Personal introductions can help, but they are not proof that an offer or landlord is genuine.

Create one rental request on Rentaer

Rentaer lets you describe what you are looking for in one request: property type, location, minimum bedrooms and bathrooms where relevant, optional maximum monthly price and currency, move-in date and notes. Choose Other when the available property types do not describe the space. You also provide your email and phone number.

After submitting, check your email and click Confirm. The confirmation page tells you the request is active. Sign in using the same email address to see your request and its offers in Requests. Creating a request does not reserve a property or guarantee you will receive offers.

• Keep your requirements together instead of rewriting them for every introduction.
• Give potential landlords a public page showing what you need, without displaying your email or phone number there.
• Review offers in Rentaer, including the sender's message, price and any attached image or document.

Share the request by social network, link or QR code

Once confirmed, open Requests after signing in. Use the social-sharing options to post your request to a relevant community, copy the link into a message or email, or print its QR code for a noticeboard where posting is allowed. Each opens the same public request page, so contacts can pass on your requirements without needing your account.

Start with people you know and groups connected to your target area: colleagues, neighborhood communities or a local business network for office space. Add a short personal message explaining your timeframe and asking for suitable introductions. A landlord who follows the link can choose Make an offer, sign in and send you an offer to review.

The public page hides your email and phone, but the location and notes you enter are public to anyone with the link. Do not include identity documents, account details, sensitive routines or unnecessary personal information in your notes. A landlord who sends an offer can see your contact details inside the signed-in app, so public-page privacy does not mean anonymity throughout the process.

What to check at a rental viewing

Inspect the actual space rather than relying on photos. Check its condition, damp or leaks, ventilation, water, heating or cooling, security, noise and available utilities. Visit at a useful time for your daily routine and check the journey to work, school or customers. Ask which repairs or furnishings will be completed before handover and record any agreement in writing.

For an office or other business space, confirm that your intended activity is permitted and that access, internet capacity, safety requirements and any necessary alterations suit your plans. Check permissions with the relevant authority and seek qualified advice where needed; a landlord's description alone is not approval for your business use.

• Check who owns or manages the property and who has authority to rent it out.
• Confirm the exact unit, available date, included facilities and total charges.
• Ask about repair reporting, maintenance responsibilities and access arrangements.
• Keep comparable viewing notes so you can judge fit, not just the best photo.

Review the lease and watch for rental scams

Before signing, read the rent, deposit, duration, renewal terms, notice periods, repair duties and any restrictions. Make sure promised work and included items are written down. Check the rules for your location; for commercial premises, have an appropriately qualified adviser review obligations such as rent reviews, break clauses and alterations.

The US Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers copy real listings and pressure people to pay before they can verify the property. See the place in person, or ask someone you trust to do so. Verify the owner or agent independently, be wary of unusually cheap offers and pressure to act immediately, and do not send money just to secure an unseen listing. Demands for payment only by gift card, cryptocurrency or money-transfer service are warning signs.

Treat an offer received through Rentaer as a lead to investigate, not a verified listing, identity check or legal endorsement. Share identity or financial documents only with a verified recipient through an appropriate secure process.

Keep the move-in process simple and documented

Once you choose a place, confirm the signed agreement, payment arrangements, handover date and keys. Record the condition and inventory with dated photos, agree how any existing damage is documented, and keep copies of the lease and receipts securely. Arrange utilities, internet and address changes as appropriate.

Close your Rentaer request when you no longer need offers. A clear brief, help from trusted contacts and one shared request can make the search more organized, while careful checks remain essential before you commit.