Should you view a home before paying a security deposit?

TL:DR

During my younger years when I was on the prowl with several roommates to move out of our tiny apartment and into a big kid house, we viewed several housing gems that still live in my head rent free.

One of the houses we toured at was chock-full of what the property manager called, ‘character’.  I guesstimate the house was built sometime in the 1950s based on it’s architecture and fixtures.  It had a basement cellar with dreary, stain oozing cement walls, a single exposed lightbulb dangling in the middle of the room, and several locks on the outside of the door before you entered the basement. It screamed horror film as soon as we started descending the narrow basement stairs to what could’ve been our very deaths.

In the same house we noticed all the walls were painted a neutral eggshell color except for a bedroom located in the very middle of the house, which was painted a strikingly vivid red from top to bottom.  To conclude our tour, we noticed one of the side porches was garnished with a charred squirrel carcass that looked as if it was either struck by lightening or electrocuted. 

We thanked the property manager for showing us the house and kindly declined moving forward with our application even though the house was a cool $1,000 per month. For all those features I mentioned? What a steal! 

This story highlights one of the most important questions to consider when looking for a place to rent:

Should you view a home before paying a security deposit?

The answer should always be a resounding yes!  Once you’ve found a home that meets your criteria, you’ll want to verify the home is actually how it’s pictured in photos and there aren’t any unpleasant surprises, such as a sketchy prisoner basement.  To clarify, when I say “view a home,” I mean physically walk through the property and tour all rooms, bathrooms, closets, the kitchen, yard, etc. 

Most of the time homes turn out to be fairly on par with what their photos display as they should be.  Although, unfortunately there are some deceptive landlords who display misleading photos or intentionally leave out icky photos.  I’m talking about the ‘spacious kitchen’ the landlord used a wide lens to capture but is really a closet with a window that overlooks a very scenic dumpster *cough* my first apartment *cough*.

Or the landlord who happens to omit the bathroom that’s suffered one too many taco hell explosions and bears the permanent stains of its victims throughout. You need to be able to confirm what the home accurately looks like and make sure it’s going to work for you.  

Get a feel for the layout.

In addition, getting a hands-on feel for the layout could be a deal breaker or maker in some cases.  Are you sure you’re ok with the only bathroom in the house being located in one of the bedrooms?  Do you have kids and absolutely require a split bedroom plan (meaning the master bedroom is across the house and separate from the other bedrooms)? 

Maybe your parent-in-law is going to be shacking up with you and the washer and dryer located on the second story via steep stairs isn’t feasible for them.  These are all considerations that photos can exclude that could alter your decision to rent a house.

Should you fill out an application before viewing the home?

This is also a spicy question because on one hand, if the home is #literaltrash then you don’t want to waste time and money filling out an application for it.  On the other hand, if you’re in a hot market with little availability of quality rental homes, it might be sensible to apply first and view the home afterwards.

Be advised that some landlords require you to apply for a home before viewing it.  It makes sense for the landlord because they could show 100 people the home but only 5 might apply actually for it.  Total waste of time for them.  However, requiring an application garners the attention of renters who are more serious.  This gets tricky because typically there’s a non-refundable fee you must pay with an application.  

Fees for multiple applications can add up, so be sure to ask up front if the landlord can refund your application fee if you view the home and are no longer interested after viewing it.  The answer may not be yes, but it could get you a sweet refund if they’re willing to work with you.  At least from there you have another data point to consider if you really want to fork over the money to view the home.  

This is where your best judgement comes in on whether or not you think the home is worth putting in the effort for.  Having a checklist of non-negotiable items you must-have in a home ready on deck will help with initially screening the home.  Does the place have central heat and A/C?  Is the location near your go-to beer haunt?  Does it have a sizable yard for the fur child to roam?  Answering these questions will help you decide if you should fork out the time and money to submit an application.  

As a major rule of thumb, ALWAYS view a home in person before submitting a security deposit for it.

This will save you so much anguish.  Seriously.  If I had a dollar for every time I heard a renter say they previously leased a home without viewing it first and the place ended up being a dump, or had mold, or smelled terrible, *insert awful thing here*, I would have enough money to refund their security deposit.  

We always want to believe the best in a landlord but as the saying goes, trust but verify.  See for yourself that the home has a 50 gallon water heater.  Verify the home doesn’t smell like someone’s chain-smoking grandma just moved out.  Because once the security deposit is paid, oftentimes it’s non-refundable if you decide to back out (more on that later).  

Some landlords try to rush and pressure you to submit a deposit before viewing the home.  This is risky and a red flag.  The only time this would be acceptable is if the company is offering to give you a full refund of the deposit if you view the home and are no longer interested after seeing it.  If this is the case, make sure the offer to refund the deposit is including in writing in the deposit agreement form you’ll be required to sign.

This form also goes along with submitting the deposit and will contain language about the deposit securing the home and any repercussions regarding the lease, withdrawing your deposit, etc. Do not accept a word-of-mouth agreement or handshake promise the landlord will refund you the security deposit if you end up not liking the house after viewing it.
 

Consider having a third party view the home as a last resort.

It’s also worthwhile to note that paying a deposit before viewing a home is a common occurrence with folks who are moving from out of town/state and want to secure a home without having to make a long journey just to view the house.  If this is the case, I suggest having a family member, friend, or even a co-worker who already lives in the area view the home on your behalf to at least verify the home is livable and there aren’t any glaring issues the photos may have omitted. 

While they are viewing it, have them video call you so you can get a second-hand look.  Even a video is better than nothing.  That way you can also ask relevant questions in real time while someone is at the house.  Landlords should not have a problem with this and if they do, it’s another red flag.  Any trustworthy landlord shouldn’t have anything to hide and will welcome more transparency in the form of a third-party viewing the home and/or a video call.  

After conducting a walk through of the home, as long as everything fits your must-have list and there’s no sketchy charred squirrels, you can go ahead and inform the landlord you’re interested in proceeding with your application.  

Godspeed in viewing those spicy homes!