A viewing in Da Nang takes half an hour, and the mistakes made at it cost months: an air conditioner that does not cool in July, a window that leaks in November, a meter that does not exist, and a deposit withheld for scratches made before you. Below are forty points in the order you walk through the apartment, and the questions to ask the owner before saying "I'll take it". Print it or open it on your phone; on a video viewing, ask to be shown the same things.

Before the door: the building

  1. The way from the street to the door: how many minutes, whether there is a pavement, where the construction is.
  2. Scooter parking: where, whether it is paid, whether there is a space now.
  3. Lifts: how many work, how fast they come at rush hour.
  4. Common areas: corridor, stairs, rubbish area, clean or neglected.
  5. Security and concierge: present, responsive, do they know the owner.
  6. The pool and gym, if promised: do they work, are they in the price.

Water and bathroom

  1. Water pressure: run the tap and the shower at the same time.
  2. Hot water: switch on the heater, wait, look at the tank size.
  3. Drains: does the water go quickly or stand.
  4. Mould: ceiling corners, behind the washing machine, under the sink, the silicone in the shower.
  5. Sewer smell at the floor drain and under the sink.
  6. Bathroom ventilation: is there an extractor and does it turn.

Air conditioning and electricity

  1. Every air conditioner: switch to cool, wait five minutes, check the airflow and the noise.
  2. Filters: take the cover off and see when they were last cleaned.
  3. The year on the sticker: over ten years old means it will eat electricity and break.
  4. The electricity meter: the apartment's own or shared; photograph the reading.
  5. Sockets: how many, where, do they spark; extension leads instead of sockets is a minus.
  6. The fuse box: where it is, whether it is dry, whether it has breakers.
  7. How electricity is billed: EVN tariff or the owner's flat rate, and which; details in our guide to utility bills.

Windows, noise, orientation

  1. Windows: close tightly, seals intact, handles work.
  2. Traces of leaks on the sill and below the window: stains, blistered paint.
  3. Where the windows face: west means heat after lunch, sea means wind and salt, road means noise.
  4. Noise: stand for two minutes in silence with the windows closed. Come in the evening if there are bars nearby.
  5. What is being built opposite: a crane in the window is a year of noise.
  6. The balcony: drainage, railing, where the rain runs off.

Kitchen and furniture

  1. The hob: induction or gas; if gas, where the bottle is and who changes it.
  2. Fridge, washing machine, microwave: switch on each one.
  3. Kitchen water and drain: same as the bathroom.
  4. Furniture: what stays, what will be taken; the list goes into the report.
  5. The mattress: age and condition; often the dirtiest thing in the apartment.
  6. Internet: is there a line, whose router, speed on a phone test.

Documents and money

  1. Who is in front of you: the owner, a representative or an agent; ask for the title document and an ID.
  2. The price: what is included, what is separate, the building fee.
  3. The deposit: how much, the conditions of return, the deadline.
  4. The lease term and the early-exit conditions.
  5. Temporary residence registration: who does it and when.
  6. A lease in two languages: get the text before any money.

What must be in the lease and what to cross out is in our guide to the lease and deposit; which documents the owner shows and what you receive is on the documents and safety page.

Before the rainy season

  1. The level of the apartment and the entrance relative to the street: ground floors and underground parking are the risk zone.
  2. Windows on the windward side and gaps under the balcony doors.
  3. What happened last season: ask the owner and the concierge directly.

More in our rainy season guide.

What to photograph

Every room from the door, every stain, chip and scratch close up, all the meters, the stickers on the air conditioners and the water heater, the router. These photos are the annex to the handover report at move-in and your deposit at move-out.

Next steps

The agent walks the apartment through this same list with you, and everything that does not work goes into the lease as the owner's duty to fix before move-in, or into the report as "there before us". How a remote viewing works is in our guide to renting before arrival. The whole deal is on the how to rent page, and the apartments available now are in the catalogue.