Renting in Luxembourg
What to check during an apartment viewing
You get twenty minutes and you are usually not alone. What to look at, what to ask, and the details that decide whether you are comfortable a year from now.
By Daniela Pelliccia · Published October 26, 2026 · 7 min read
Updated October 31, 2026
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Twenty minutes, and you are not alone
A viewing in Luxembourg is short and often shared with other applicants. You will not get a leisurely second look, and the details that matter a year from now — the heating bill, the noise at seven in the morning, whether the wardrobe fits — are the ones easiest to skip while someone is talking.
So go in with a list. Not to be thorough for its own sake, but because you are making a decision worth tens of thousands of euros in an evening.
Before the viewing
- Know your budget including charges, not just the rent. Charges are a real monthly cost and vary enormously between buildings.
- Have your application file ready as one PDF. If the flat is right, you want to apply the same day.
- Check the commute at the hour you will actually travel, not on a map.
The five things worth actual attention
1. Heating, and who pays for it
Luxembourg winters are long, and heating is usually the largest variable charge. Ask:
- What is the heating system, and how old is it?
- Is heating individual or collective?
- What did the charges actually come to last year? This is the single most useful question at any viewing, and a landlord or agent who cannot answer it is telling you something.
2. Damp, and the signs of it
Look behind furniture, in corners at floor level, around window frames and inside the bathroom. You are looking for staining, blistering paint, black spotting on sealant, and the particular smell of a room that does not dry out.
Open a window and check whether there is any ventilation at all in the bathroom and kitchen. A flat with no extraction is a flat that will grow mould whatever you do.
3. Water and electrics
Run the taps — hot and cold, kitchen and bathroom — and watch the pressure. Flush the toilet. Check there are enough sockets in the rooms where you will actually need them, and look at the fuse board: a modern consumer unit and an ancient one tell different stories about the rest of the building.
4. Noise, honestly assessed
Ask everyone to stop talking for thirty seconds. Listen for traffic, the lift shaft, plumbing, and the neighbours.
Then ask what is above and below. A flat under an empty attic is a different proposition from one under a family with a toddler, and neither is wrong — you just want to know which you are choosing.
5. Storage and the things you own
Measure, or at least photograph with something for scale. Is there a cellar or storage unit, and is it included? Where do bicycles go? Is there space for a washing machine, and is there a connection for one?
This is the most common regret and the easiest to avoid: the flat that is perfect except that nothing you own fits in it.
Questions to ask out loud
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What did charges come to last year? | The real monthly cost, not the advertised one |
| Are charges an advance or a flat rate? | An advance is reconciled annually; a flat rate is not |
| Is the deposit two months? | Two is the maximum |
| Is the agency commission split 50/50? | It is now shared between landlord and tenant |
| What is the notice period? | Three or six months changes your flexibility a lot |
| When is it available, and is it flexible? | Overlapping rent is a real cost |
| What is being repaired before I move in? | Get any promise in writing |
| Who manages the building? | Response times on a broken boiler depend on this |
Photograph as you go
Take pictures throughout — not for the landlord's benefit but for your own. You will be comparing three flats by Thursday and they will have blurred together.
Photograph anything already damaged too. If you take the flat, those pictures are the first draft of your inventory, which must be done before your furniture arrives.
The same evening
If it is right, apply that evening. In this market, hesitation is the most expensive habit.
If you are unsure, write down the three things you did not like while they are fresh. Doubts fade overnight and reappear after you have signed.
Red flags
- Pressure to sign or pay something immediately. No legitimate letting requires money before you have seen a contract.
- Refusal to say what charges came to. Either they do not know, which is careless, or they would rather you did not.
- "We'll do the inventory later." It has to happen at the latest when you move in, and doing it around your boxes protects nobody.
- A vague charges figure in the listing. "Charges: to be determined" is not an amount.
- Being asked for the whole agency commission. It is shared 50/50.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring someone with me? Yes, and it is worth it. Two people notice more, and one can ask questions while the other looks.
Should I ask to see the actual flat rather than a similar one? Always. In a new building you may be shown a show unit; ask which one you are being offered and whether you can see it.
Is it rude to run the taps and open cupboards? No. It is a home you may live in for years. A reasonable landlord expects it.
How many viewings before deciding? Fewer than you would like. Prepare well enough that one good viewing is enough to act on.
This article is general information, not legal advice. The legal points mentioned are sourced below.
Sources
- Residential lease agreements between tenants and landlords — Guichet.lu
- Particularities of the inventory of fixtures for a residential lease — Guichet.lu
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