The renter's inspection bible
A Houston lease is a twelve-month relationship with a building's plumbing, parking, and drainage. Fifteen minutes of due diligence beats twelve months of regret. Here's what's worth paying for, what to walk away from, and what depends on you.
Read the verdictsThis is Houston — drainage is destiny. Pull up the county flood-plain maps, then ask the leasing office directly: "Has this property or its parking taken water?" Watch the face, not just the answer. Ask a current resident too.
Cheaper for a reason: flood risk, foot traffic, and windows you'll never open. Fine on high ground with good drainage; a false economy anywhere that puddles.
Hail, summer sun that bakes dashboards, and the occasional biblical downpour. In this climate the carport is not a luxury — it's insurance with a roof.
Granite countertops don't cool a bedroom in August. Judge the building on AC, water pressure, windows, and management response time — the word "luxury" is paint.
Ask for the true monthly total in writing: base rent, valet trash, package lockers, "amenity" fees, mandatory internet, parking. Houston's advertised rent and actual rent can be a hundred dollars apart.
Drive the route at 8am on a weekday before signing, not Sunday at noon. In Houston, two miles can mean five minutes or thirty-five depending on which freeway is involved.
1990s square footage is glorious — if the AC system and water heater have been replaced this decade. Ask the age of both. An old compressor is a summer horror story with your name on the lease.
Renewal notices are opening offers. Check what new tenants are being quoted (it's on the website) and negotiate with that number. Loyalty is worth fifty bucks a month — theirs to you, not yours to them.
Do these during the tour, not after the ink.