Renting an apartment in Yerevan: a step-by-step checklist

Renting in Yerevan is usually quick: good apartments in popular districts are often taken within days. A short checklist helps you move fast without missing something you'll regret later.

1. Decide what matters before you search

Write down three things: your budget per month, the districts you'd live in, and what you can't do without (an elevator, a balcony, parking, pets allowed). On realest.am, put them into the filters and save the search: new listings that match will come to you by email or as a notification, so you see them before others do.

Check the rental terms on each listing: the deposit, the agent's commission, how many months are paid in advance and whether utilities are included. They change the real monthly cost a lot.

2. Look at the price, not just the picture

Each listing shows how its price per m² compares with similar homes in the area. A price far below the area's level is either a bargain or a warning sign: ask why before you go further.

3. See it in person

Ask for a viewing at a time when you can see the light and hear the street. Bring a short list:

• Water and heating. Run the taps, look under the sink, ask how the apartment is heated in winter and what that costs.
• Windows and walls. Look for damp in the corners and around windows.
• Electricity and gas. Ask where the meters are and what was paid last winter.
• The building. Is the entrance clean, does the elevator work, is there a monthly building fee?
• Furniture and appliances. Agree which ones stay, and check that they work.

4. Make sure you're dealing with the owner

Ask to see the owner's ownership document, or, if someone acts for the owner, a power of attorney or an agreement with the owner. On realest.am, the "Ownership checked" badge means our moderators have already compared the Cadastre certificate with the listing.

5. Put it in writing

A written lease protects both sides. It should state:

• the rent, the currency and the day it's paid;
• the deposit, and when and how it comes back;
• who pays for electricity, gas, water, internet and the building fee;
• how long the lease runs and how either side can end it early;
• the list of furniture and appliances, and their condition.

For a longer lease, ask a notary whether it has to be notarised and registered with the Cadastre; the rules for leases of real estate are stricter than many people expect.

Take photos of every room on the day you move in, and send them to the owner. It settles most arguments about the deposit later.

6. Pay safely

Never pay a deposit for an apartment you haven't seen, and never to someone who can't show they may rent it out. Pay against a receipt or by bank transfer, so there's a record.

7. Before you hand the keys back

Agree a date to go through the apartment together, read the meters, and settle the last bills. Then the deposit comes back without surprises.

Need a place for a few days instead? Daily rentals on realest.am can be booked right on the listing page.