Skip to content
CediHomes

What should you check before paying a rent advance?

Answer sixteen questions about a rental listing: the property, the person collecting money, the agreement and how you pay. See which checks are done and what to look into before paying anything. Runs in your browser. No account, no card, no call.

The listing you are considering

Answer for how things are today. Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent.

The property

Have you viewed the property in person, inside and out, or sent someone you trust?

Does the address on the listing match the property you were shown?

Have you checked whether the same photos appear on other listings?

Do you know whether the property is empty, or when the current tenant leaves?

Who is collecting the money

Have you seen documents showing the landlord owns the property?

Have you met or spoken to the landlord, not only the agent?

If an agent is involved, has the landlord confirmed the agent may let this property?

Do you know the agent's office address and someone who has rented through them?

The agreement

Is there a written tenancy agreement naming the landlord, the property and the rent?

Does the agreement state the advance you are paying and the months it covers?

Does the agreement say who pays for repairs, water and electricity?

Does the agreement say what happens to the advance if you leave early?

Paying

Will you pay only after the agreement is signed and a move-in date is agreed?

Will you get a signed receipt for every payment?

Is the money going to an account in the landlord's own name?

Have you been given time to make these checks, without pressure to pay today?

Answer the questions to see your score. It updates as you go.

Method: yes scores a question in full, partly scores half and no scores nothing. Each is weighted from one to three by how much it protects your advance, and the score is the weighted share, as a percentage. It lists what to check; it does not judge the listing, the landlord or the agent.

What should you check before paying a rent advance?

Answer sixteen questions about a rental listing: the property, the person collecting money, the agreement and how you pay. See which checks are done and what to look into before paying anything. Runs in your browser. No account, no card, no call.

Open the free tool

It runs in your browser. CediHomes never sees your inputs.