How to check a lease agreement before signing
Property, term, rent, deposit, and termination — a shared checklist for an apartment and non-residential premises
How to check a lease agreement: first lock down the property and the basis for letting it, then the money (rent, deposit, indexation), then duties on repairs and utilities, and only after that the terms of an early exit. An overview of this contract type is on “Lease agreement”. Checking a lease online against the same checklist saves time before you sign. Below is a general frame; for an apartment lease there is a separate walkthrough on how to check an apartment lease and the related tenancy wording.
Upload the lease and get a breakdown of the risks:
1. Property and parties
- Address, area, purpose (residential / non-residential), and cadastral details if they are given
- Who is letting it: the owner, an attorney-in-fact, or a landlord under a sublease
- A handover certificate and an inventory of the property
2. Term, rent, and deposit
- Start and end dates, and renewal
- Amount of rent, payment deadline, and indexation
- Security deposit: amount, deductions, and return
Dangerous: a landlord’s right to change the rent “at any time,” and a deposit with no rules for its return.
3. Utilities, repairs, and use
- What is included in the rent, and what is paid separately
- Routine repairs and capital repairs — whose responsibility
- Permitted use of the premises, sublease, and alterations
4. Early termination and disputes
- Grounds for unilateral withdrawal and notice periods
- Penalties for moving out early / for downtime
- Venue and the claims procedure
For a work contract covering repairs inside the leased property, also see how to check a work contract.
Bottom line
Checking a lease means a clear property, transparent money, and a predictable way out of the deal.