Your Memphis Apartment Lease
Jan 18th, 2008 by Memphis Apartments
One of the most important things in terms of living in a Memphis apartment is your Memphis apartment lease. This is the piece of paper that outlines your rent, how long you are living in the Memphis apartment and the rules and regulations both the landlord and yourself has to follow. The Memphis apartment lease is a very important piece of paper that can protect not only the landlord, but the tenant as well, so it is important that you take everything into consideration and keep it in a safe place
Before you ever think of signing the lease, it is important that you look at it very carefully and make sure you are signing and agreeing to what you want to agree to.
First of all, make sure you know when the rent is going to be due. More often than not, it will be do on the first of the month, but a Memphis apartment landlord can have it due on the 15th of the month or some other time, so make sure you look and do not assume.
You should also find out where you go to pay your rent and who you pay it to. It may not be as simple as giving it to your landlord, you may be required to deposit it into a bank account, or it may have to come directly out of your bank account, so find out.
The amount that can be charged for a damage deposit on the Memphis apartment lease varies depending on your Memphis apartment, so you should look at the lease and find out the exact amount of the deposit, when the deposit is returned and what are the ways in which you can lose a deposit.
If you have any pets, always find out about a pet deposit, how much it is and whether or not it is refundable. Often, pet deposits will not be refundable and you will be left paying possibly hundreds of dollars you will never get back.
There is a misconception that you get your deposit back when you leave your Memphis apartment, however this is not the case. You should find out when you get the deposit back, it could actually be a few weeks.
Always find out what your rent includes. Not all rents include utilities and if you do not do the research before hand, you could be left holding the bag in the end. Related to this is finding out what parking, appliances and repairs are also covered with the lease. If repairs need to be done you want to make sure that they are going to be covered by your rent and not coming out of your pocket.
Usually, one month’s notice is enough for letting your landlord know you are moving, after the lease has expired, but some landlords may require longer and that will be detailed on the Memphis apartment lease, so make sure you take a look. As well, find out what the fees are if you break the lease.
The lease will also tell you what kind of cleaning instructions need to be followed when you move out. This usually includes something like shampooing the carpets.
It is very important that you look at the lease and ask questions because once you sign it, you have signed something that acts as a contract and there will be little you can do to dispute it. Saying, I didn’t read it, is not an excuse.
Memphis apartment leases are usually pretty standard, so you should be fine, but double check and do not be afraid to ask questions.