Renting a home
Practical guidance for anyone renting a home: what a deposit is for, how a metered bill should be worked out, and what to keep so a disagreement never comes down to memory.
How to Read a Metered Water or Power Bill
A metered charge is four numbers: previous reading, current reading, the difference, and the rate. If your bill doesn't show all four, you cannot check it, and neither can the person who sent it.
What a Deposit Is Actually For, and How to Get It Back
A deposit is not an advance on rent and not a fee. Knowing the difference, and writing three things down on the day you move in, is most of what decides whether you see it again.
Reporting a Repair So It Actually Gets Fixed
A repair that was mentioned in passing does not exist. One that was reported in writing, with a photograph and a date, is very hard to lose.
Reading a Lease Before You Sign It
Most tenants read a lease once, quickly, while someone waits. Here are the clauses that decide what the next two years feel like, and the questions to ask about each.
Moving Out Without Losing Money
Most of what decides your final bill happens in the last two weeks: notice given properly, meters read, and a handover somebody witnessed.