Renttas

Before you rent: the tenant checklist

A rental goes wrong in the gaps: something nobody wrote down, something nobody checked, or something paid before it was seen. This checklist covers the gaps that cost renters the most.

Before the visit

Confirm the address and the rent on the phone so the visit is not wasted, and ask who will be there. If the person showing the flat is not the owner, ask for their authority in writing — a caretaker can show a flat, but only the owner can agree a tenancy.

  • Ask whether the rent in the listing is current and whether it includes any charges
  • Ask how many months of advance are expected
  • Confirm the accommodation type: whole flat, shared flat, single room, or a seat in a mess
  • Ask whether the building has water, gas and electricity connections in the flat’s own name

At the visit

Inspect with the checklist below rather than by impression. Photographs hide damp, noise and a weak water supply, so test the things you will use every day.

  • Water: pressure at the taps and the shower, and whether the supply runs at all hours
  • Gas: connected, legal, and whether the stove and geyser work
  • Electricity: own meter, reading taken today, and whether the wiring has earthing
  • Damp and drainage: stains on ceilings, water in the bathroom, smell in the kitchen
  • Security: main door lock, window grilles, stairwell lighting, guard and gate hours
  • Building: lift, generator, water pump, and what happens when the power fails
  • Noise and access: road noise, nearby construction, and the route to the main road
  • Parking, if you have a vehicle, and whether it is included in the rent

Documents and terms

A tenancy in Bangladesh normally rests on a written agreement and proof of identity. Ask for the owner’s identity document and a copy of the agreement, and keep both. Read the clauses about notice, renewal and rent increases before you sign, not after.

  • Owner’s name and identity document, matching the name on the agreement
  • Written agreement with rent, advance, notice period and start date
  • Inventory of furniture and fittings included in the rent
  • Meter readings on move-in day, photographed
  • Receipt for the advance and for every rent payment
  • A phone number for maintenance that actually answers

Never do this

Do not pay an advance before you have seen the flat and met the owner. Do not pay into an account whose name you cannot match to the owner or the agreement. Do not accept a verbal promise that a repair or a facility “will be done” — put it in the agreement or assume it will not happen.

If something feels wrong, stop. A place you do not take costs you a visit; a deposit paid to the wrong person costs you the deposit.

Related pages

Last updated 2026-11-01.