Moving into a new house in Bamenda: a practical checklist

You have the keys. Do these things in the first week, in roughly this order, and the rest of the year is easier.

Before you move anything in

• Photograph every room, empty, and keep the photographs. This is your record of the condition you received it in.
• Note every existing crack, stain and broken fitting in writing, and send it to the landlord the same day.
• Test every tap, socket, light and lock again now the house is empty.
• Check the meter reading and photograph it.
• Change the locks, or at minimum ask how many keys exist and who has them.

In the first week

• Get a written receipt for the advance and the caution, if you have not already
• Confirm in writing what the rent covers and what it does not
• Find out where the water comes from and where the shut-off is
• Introduce yourself to the neighbours — this pays back repeatedly
• Find the nearest health centre and note how to get there at night
• Confirm who to call when something breaks, and how

The conversation to have early

Agree with the landlord, in writing, who pays for what kind of repair. The usual split is that the landlord handles structural and major systems while the tenant handles small day-to-day items — but 'usual' is not 'agreed', and the time to settle it is now rather than when the roof leaks.

Keep a folder

Every receipt, every message about repairs, the photographs from day one, and the written agreement. It weighs nothing and it settles arguments.