Renting Tips on Mittiyo

How Much Rent Can You Afford? The 30% Rule and a Calculator

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0530

“How much can I afford?” is the question that should come before “which flat do I like?”, and it rarely does. Rent is usually the single biggest line in a budget, and setting it too high quietly squeezes everything else, saving, emergencies, and the flexibility to leave a job you hate. Set it well and the rest of your money works.

There is a simple, decades-old guideline for this, the 30% rule, and a slightly fuller one, the 50/30/20 budget. Neither is a law, but together they give you a number to aim at and a ceiling not to cross. Below is how each works, a calculator to find your own figure, and the costs beyond rent that people forget until the bills arrive.

Questions to Ask a Landlord Before You Rent

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0530

By the time you are standing in a flat you like, it is easy to focus on whether your sofa will fit and forget to ask the questions that actually decide whether renting it will be a good year or a bad one. Those questions are rarely about the flat itself. They are about the money, the terms, and the person on the other side of the agreement.

The good news is that asking them costs nothing and tells you a lot, not just from the answers, but from how willingly and clearly the landlord gives them. This is the list to run through before you sign, grouped so you do not miss a category, along with the answers that should make you think twice.

Apartment Viewing Checklist: What to Check Before You Rent

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0530

Listings are marketing. The photos are shot at the best angle in the best light, the description highlights the good and omits the rest, and the price is set to get you through the door. The viewing is your one chance to find out what the listing left out, and most people waste it by just walking around and nodding.

A good viewing is active, not passive. You test things, you look in the places a photo never shows, and you ask the questions that reveal how the place, and the landlord, actually behave. This checklist walks you room by room through what to check, what to test on the spot, and the red flags that should make you pause, so the problems surface now, while you can still walk away, rather than after you have signed.