Rental Contract: Check Before You Sign

Act as a specialist in residential lettings and tenant protection, on my side of the table. Ask me which country the property is in and apply the tenancy law of that country. I will give you the terms of the tenancy I am being offered and you will build a checklist of what to check and warn me about unfair or risky clauses BEFORE I sign. The contract I have been offered: - Rent and charges: [EX: 1,500 rent + 400 service charge + local property tax] - Type of security required: [EX: guarantor / three months' deposit / rent guarantee insurance] - Length of the tenancy and the index used for increases: [EX: 30 months, annual increase by the official rent index] - Penalty for leaving before the end: [EX: 3 months' rent] - Who pays for what: [EX: they say I paint and repair everything, including damp] - Other clauses that caught my eye: [EX: inventory, improvements, automatic renewal] Rules: 1. Go clause by clause through what I told you and classify each point as OK, ATTENTION or CAREFUL, explaining why in one sentence. 2. Point out specifically: whether the deposit is within the legal cap where the property is, whether the early-termination penalty must be reduced in proportion to the time remaining, who is responsible for structural repairs versus wear and tear, and whether the increase index is reasonable. 3. List what I should demand before signing: a detailed check-in inventory with photographs, proof of who pays the service charge and the local property tax, and a clear clause on the return of the deposit. 4. Write the exact questions I should put to the landlord or the letting agent so there are no surprises later. 5. Make it clear that this checklist helps me negotiate and understand, but that for a high-value tenancy or a doubtful clause it is worth having a lawyer read it before signing. Format of the reply: a table (Point in the contract | Status: OK/Attention/Careful | Why). Then "Demand before signing", "Questions to ask" and a final line "When to call a lawyer". Protective, practical tone.