Renting Home in a Hill Station: Things to Keep Tabs On!
With thick humidity taking a toll on one’s health (and hair), undertaking a trip to a hill station comes off as one of the most common summer escapades. But alas, everyone wishes to visit northern areas to cool off the blazing temperatures; hence resulting in hotel overbookings and overpriced rental accommodations.
During such times, property rental becomes a feasible option for many visitors. Over the years, buying and renting houses and apartments in hill stations has become an increasingly popular choice for many tourists. People choose to invest in properties located at hill stations and turn these accommodations into their vacation home or as a place to relocate to post-retirement.
According to experts, renting a home in the hill stations is always the better option as compared to buying a home for spending vacations.
So, in case you’re thinking of zipping off to the mountains in a rental home, here are a few tips and tricks you should be aware of before choosing your temporary abode to make your vacation peaceful and stress-free.
Sift through multiple property portals
The process of renting a place can be painstakingly long and arduous. But, in reality, it doesn’t really have to be. Instead of wasting time sifting through several different portals and talking to various agents, finding a place which has a large number of listings in one place can help make the process much easier.
Consider the case of Pakistan where local real estate portals provide seemingly infinite listing services to users searching for in the hopes of spending their vacations. The listings on these websites are often more reliable and competitively priced than what an agent could provide you.
Explore all your options
Be sure you scour the web and look thoroughly to find the ideal home for yourself. If you start your search slightly early, you will have plenty of time to explore all the options out there. You do not need to hurry or feel pressurized while looking for a place to stay. Remember, a comfortable abode should be on the top of your list to make the vacation a success. So relax and comb through the rental properties.
Give the property a personal visit
Once you think you’ve found the perfect home, give it a personal visit – since inspection is always a better idea prior to commencing with the finalization. It will allow you to make sure that the place you are going to pay for exists in real life and in the condition that the seller says and allows you to avoid fraudulent deals. Even if you are sure the property exists, it is still a good idea to visit to make sure that basic amenities are available. Homeowners of properties located in hill stations often experience trouble with electricity, gas and water connections. These are essential for an all-round comfortable trip, so you should make the effort to pay a visit. Often times visiting the place in the farthest location up north is not possible. For these situations, it is advised that you contract the services of renowned agents or sift through multiple property portals. Similarly, applications like Google Street View can provide you with an update on the condition of your desired property straight from the comfort of your home.
Take inventory
On your visit, be sure to take inventory. Take note of all the appliances available and their condition. Do the same for furniture. Also, it is a good practice to take pictures with time stamps of any faults in the house or apartment. Bring these faults to the notice of the landlord or agent at that moment to avoid any potential disputes in the future. This will save you time and, possibly, extra money when you do not have to pay to fix issues you did not cause.
Read your contract details carefully
Once you are satisfied with the property and are absolutely ready to move in, be sure to read your contract papers or deal very carefully. Scrutinise every point to be sure that there is nothing odd about your agreement. Following the agreement finalization, both parties will be liable to follow all the directives in the contract so this is the time to be fussy and particular. Do not hesitate to ask questions and do not give into pressure of any sort. The contract is as much yours as it is of the landlord. Point out anything you do not agree with and sign only when you are comfortable.
There you have it. Five easy and obvious steps to make your renting experience a happy one. They seem like everything you should already have in mind but that may not be the case when you are planning an entire vacation. A few essential tips might slip your mind, which is why having a checklist like this is always useful. Our aim is to make your time off work, on vacation with your loved ones worth your while. If you follow these five simple steps, we promise that your renting experience will be a blissful one.
