The questions people ask on viewing day are mostly about money. The trouble that shows up after they move in almost always comes from a line in the agreement nobody read closely.
This piece has no numbers in it. CityHome’s rent, deposit, minimum term and how utilities are billed are things to ask us directly — the quote we give you is the one that counts. What follows is the sequence: what order things happen in, what to ask at each point, and what has to end up in writing.
Before signing: three things to settle
One: the date it’s available. This is the most commonly skipped question and the one that most often kills a deal at the last minute. The room suits you, the price suits you, and it frees up mid-month while you have to move at the start of it. Ask the date first, then discuss everything else.
Two: the term, and the minimum term. How long you intend to stay and the shortest term they’ll sign have to match. If you need something short — a three-month summer internship, say — say so on the first call.
Three: what sits outside the rent. Water, electricity, internet, management, cleaning: which are included, which are billed separately, and how they’re calculated. Ask item by item rather than assuming.
What a deposit is, and isn’t
A deposit is not the last month’s rent. That misunderstanding is the single most common cause of an argument at move-out.
A deposit is security: against damage, against unpaid charges, and against losses from ending the tenancy early. It comes back after you move out, settle up and the room is inspected — it isn’t there to cover the final month. Using it that way needs written agreement in advance; without one, it’s a breach.
So ask: how it’s taken, how it’s returned, roughly how long that takes, and what gets deducted from it.
Move-in day: twenty minutes of inspection
Four out of five disputes at the end come from skipping this on day one.
The first thing to do after you get the keys isn’t unpacking — it’s recording the state of the room:
- Photograph it. Walls, floor, worktops, bathroom, appliances; anything already marked, in particular
- Switch everything on once. Air conditioning, hot water, extractor, every light, every socket
- Write down what you find and give it to management, keeping a copy of what you handed over
Not to be difficult — so that months later nobody has to argue from memory about who made that scratch. Wear that already exists doesn’t land on you, as long as it was recorded that day.
Moving out: count the notice period backwards
Leaving isn’t a matter of packing up. Most agreements require written notice in advance, and that period is in the contract you’re about to sign.
The arithmetic is simple: the day you want to leave → subtract the notice period → that’s the last day you can give notice. People moving between places forget this constantly and end up paying for an extra stretch.
While you’re at it, ask:
- Where the line falls between fair wear and damage. Hook holes and normal use are usually fine; burns, holes and missing parts are not
- Whether the room has to be restored, and to what standard
- How early termination is handled, and whether subletting is allowed
Get the verbal promises written down
Everything agreed out loud on viewing day — moving in a week early, an appliance being replaced, a charge being waived — belongs in the agreement, or at least in writing somewhere.
Not because anyone plans to renege, but because the person who promised it may not be the person you deal with later, and memory is unreliable. One line added to the agreement outlasts three people’s recollections.
In one line
- Ask the available date and the minimum term before you discuss price
- The deposit isn’t the last month’s rent — ask how it comes back and what’s deducted
- On move-in day: photograph, test, and hand in a written record
- For moving out, count the notice period backwards rather than remembering it a week before
- Anything promised out loud goes on paper
For CityHome’s rent, deposit, minimum term and how charges are calculated, ask us directly — our quote is what counts, and anything quoted second-hand online may be out of date.
Before that, work out which kind of place you want and when to move: renting in Hong Kong and when to start looking cover both.