A promising villa, apartment or kost can move quickly in Bali. The useful outcome is not simply finding a home: it is reaching payment day with the right person identified, the real cost clear, the property checked, and a written agreement that matches what you saw. These questions to ask a Bali landlord before you pay follow that order.
Allow enough time to compare the listing, inspect the home, gather answers in writing and read the lease before transferring a deposit or rent. You will need a phone or notebook for evidence, your expected move-in and move-out dates, your monthly or yearly budget, and a list of everyone who will occupy the property.
- Set your non-negotiables and budget. Decide your term, occupancy, work needs and maximum all-in cost.
- Identify the person offering the home. Establish whether they are the registered right-holder or have written authority.
- Inspect the actual property and its running costs. Check meters, access, building paperwork and what is included.
- Get the payment and deposit terms in writing. Do this before sending money to any account.
- Match the lease to the answers. Sign only when the document names the parties, home, dates and responsibilities clearly.
- Keep a payment and handover record. Obtain a receipt and preserve the condition evidence from move-in.
Questions to ask a Bali landlord before you pay: prepare your brief
Start with dates, occupants and permitted use
Tell the landlord the exact dates you want, whether you need a monthly or yearly arrangement, how many people will stay, and whether you expect pets, visitors, home working or any business activity. Then ask: “Is this use permitted under the lease, and is subletting prohibited or allowed?”
This matters especially where a renter hopes to place guests in the property later. Permanent monthly or annual residential leasing and short-stay tourist accommodation are classified differently in Indonesia’s business classification system, so do not assume that a residential lease allows tourist stays or listing the home elsewhere. Ask for the restriction or permission in the agreement, not just in a chat message. A kost label does not establish that the actual use is authorised: Badung’s May 2025 inspection identified residential premises being commercialised as tourist accommodation as an enforcement concern.
Build an all-in budget before comparing advertised rent
Ask: “What is the rent, what is paid separately, and can you list every recurring charge?” Your comparison should separate rent from electricity, water, internet, security, rubbish collection, pool or garden care, housekeeping, maintenance and any service charges.
There is no official current Bali-wide asking-rent dataset that reliably benchmarks every neighbourhood or kost type. Use comparable live long-term rentals in Seminyak or another relevant area to frame questions, not to treat a median as the correct price for every home.
| Before you start | Have ready or request | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Your rental brief | Dates, occupants, pets, work needs and intended use | Tests whether the home and rules fit your actual stay |
| Cost checklist | Rent plus every recurring charge and one-off payment | Prevents a rent-only comparison |
| Authority evidence | Owner ID, certificate details or written authority | Shows who can validly offer the lease |
| Property evidence | Viewing notes, photos, meter details and condition record | Creates a baseline for occupancy and checkout |
| Lease and payment record | Signed agreement, payee details and receipt | Connects the agreed terms to the money sent |
For a wider search, compare Bali rental homes using the area, rental type, price, stay-length, bedroom and amenity filters. A consistent shortlist makes it easier to ask each landlord the same cost questions.
Confirm who can lease the Bali property in the first conversation
Ask who the legal landlord is, rather than relying on a familiar name
Open with: “Whose name is on the land certificate, and are you that person?” If the speaker is an agent, relative, staff member or company representative, ask: “Can you provide written authority from the registered owner to lease this property and receive payment?”
Then ask to see the original land certificate and identification, and ask whether an independent PPAT can conduct an electronic certificate check before payment. The electronic check compares a certificate’s physical and legal data with Land Office records, and identifies the recorded right-holder. It is a meaningful check, but do not treat a certificate alone as an absolute state guarantee against every competing claim. Read the official guidance on electronic land-certificate checking before treating a scan as proof. Existing paper certificates remain legally valid during the phased electronic-certificate rollout. Do not equate girik or Letter C-type papers with a registered certificate: after the 2 February 2026 deadline under PP 18/2021, Article 96, written evidence of former customary ownership serves only as a registration pointer, not proof of land rights.
Ask about land rights and restrictions that could affect your term
Use direct questions:
- “What land-right type is recorded, and when does it expire?”
- “Is there a mortgage, dispute, seizure, expired right or other restriction affecting the property?”
- “Will the person named as landlord sign the lease, or will an authorised representative sign with their authority attached?”
These questions are not an accusation. They are basic due diligence before a material payment. A calm landlord with clear documents should be able to explain the relationship between the certificate holder, the signatory and the bank account receiving funds.
Keep the conversation on the record
After a call or viewing, send a short written recap: the property address, proposed dates, quoted rent, inclusions and the documents promised. Ask the landlord to correct anything that is wrong. This creates a practical trail before a lease exists.
On Livuma, guest-host arrangements can stay in in-app chat rather than being scattered across separate messages. That does not replace your own questions, but it gives both sides one record of the answers and booking discussion.
Inspect the Bali rental and ask for evidence during the viewing
Confirm that the home you view is the home described
At the gate, ask for the precise address and confirm the unit, parking area, entrance, furnishings and facilities promised in the listing. Walk through every room. Test practical items such as locks, air conditioning, taps, internet equipment and appliances where possible. Photograph existing wear, stains, missing items and meter readings with the landlord or representative present.
Ask: “Can we attach a dated inventory and condition record to the lease?” The goal is not to make a perfect survey. It is to prevent disagreement later about what was supplied and what was already damaged.
Ask the electricity and water questions at the meter
Do not settle for “electricity is extra.” Ask: “Is there a dedicated electricity meter and water meter, or will I pay a shared bill or an owner-set rate?” Request the PLN customer number, meter capacity, tariff class and the last three bills or token records.
PLN household pricing depends on the meter capacity and tariff class. PLN’s 3 November 2026 announcement confirms that October–December 2026 tariffs remain unchanged for 13 nonsubsidized and 24 subsidized customer categories; confirm the applicable tariff schedule and meter class. With prepaid electricity, the money paid for a token is also not identical to the kWh ultimately credited after applicable electricity tax and administration charges, as PLN’s token calculation guidance explains. Check the PLN tariff information and compare it with the meter you are being shown.
Ask what building documents cover the address and function
Ask: “Can you provide the PBG or applicable older IMB and, for this completed building, the SLF? What address and building function do they cover?” Under PP 16/2021, PBG authorizes specified building works, while SLF certifies fitness for use before a building is utilized. Article 346(2) preserves IMB permits issued before the regulation took effect on 2 February 2021 until those permits expire; absence of a newer PBG alone does not establish that an older property lacks valid building authorization. This is particularly important where a new villa, a converted building or a multi-unit property is presented as a straightforward residence. See the SIMBG guidance for the role of those documents. Check that PBG/SLF QR codes resolve to SIMBG’s official government domain, not merely that a QR code is present. SLF renewal intervals are 20 years for single and row houses and five years for other buildings, so check the building classification and certificate validity.
Set deposit, bills and tax questions before sending any money
Turn every included item into a written line
Ask: “Is the advertised rent inclusive of security, maintenance, pool and garden care, rubbish, internet, service charges and taxes?” Do not assume an item is included because it was mentioned in the tour. For rental-income tax purposes under PP 34/2017, gross rent includes amounts paid for maintenance, security, services and facilities even when they are separately contracted. That is one reason to request a clean breakdown of what you pay and why.
Also ask: “Will you issue a receipt or invoice, and has the quoted price accounted for the landlord’s tax?” Qualifying rental income from land and buildings is subject to final income tax at 10% of gross rent; where a tenant is an ordinary individual not designated as a withholding taxpayer, the recipient or landlord pays it directly. Specified business and government tenants have withholding obligations. This is tax on the recipient’s rental income, not automatically a separate tenant surcharge. The official rental-income tax regulation is useful context, but it does not replace obtaining a clear invoice. Lodging-service income, including qualifying rumah kos services, is excluded from this 10% regime and follows applicable business-income tax treatment, as explained in DJP’s August 2026 clarification; do not apply one tax explanation to every villa, kontrakan and kost.
Make the deposit return mechanism specific
Ask these questions as one package:
- “What is the deposit amount and which account receives it?”
- “Which deductions are permitted, and what evidence will support them?”
- “What is the fixed refund date after checkout?”
- “Will final utility charges be evidenced by meter readings or bills?”
No Bali-wide statutory residential-rental deposit cap or mandatory refund deadline was identified in the official sources reviewed. That makes the signed lease and move-in condition record more important, not less. For a fuller checkout-focused checklist, read Bali rental deposit rules and how to get it back.
Match the payee to the deal
Before transferring, ask: “Why is this the receiving account, whose name is on it, and will that same payee appear on the receipt?” A different payee is not automatically improper, but it needs a documented explanation and authority. Do not let urgency replace an answer. A deposit is part of the transaction, not a fee for skipping the verification steps.
Questions to ask a Bali landlord before you pay: read the lease line by line
Check that the agreement identifies the people and property precisely
Ask: “Will I sign a written lease naming the legal landlord, exact property, term, rent, deposit, utilities, repairs, renewal and termination?” The document should state the full identity of the parties, the address and unit, the commencement and end dates, and the amount and due date of every payment. Ask for the contractual rent and payment amount in IDR: Bank Indonesia’s rupiah requirement covers domestic residential-rent payments by residents and nonresidents, in cash or noncash form, subject to specified exceptions. Businesses must also quote prices only in rupiah, not simultaneously in rupiah and a foreign currency.
Indonesian contracts made lawfully bind the parties, with valid consent, legal capacity, a definite object and lawful cause among the core conditions. A vague agreement is harder to rely on because the object and obligations are unclear. The contract-law reference is available here. Under Article 26 of Presidential Regulation 63/2019, agreements involving Indonesian individuals or private institutions require Indonesian; agreements involving foreigners must also be written in their national language and/or English. Do not rely on an English-only lease.
Ask the practical questions that verbal promises leave open
Read each clause and ask:
- “Who handles structural repairs, appliance failure, pests, pool equipment and garden issues?”
- “What counts as tenant damage, and how is the cost evidenced?”
- “Can the landlord enter, and what notice applies except in an emergency?”
- “What happens if either side ends early?”
- “How does renewal work, and are any rent increases already agreed?”
- “Which house rules, inventory and condition photos form part of this lease?”
Ensure the answers are inserted into the lease or an attached schedule before signing. A landlord’s assurance is useful only when it is capable of being checked later. For clause-by-clause reading help, see what to check before signing a Bali rental contract.
Pay, collect proof and document check-in only after the answers match
Use a payment sequence that preserves evidence
When renting directly, once the documents, viewing and lease align, sign the agreement, pay only to the confirmed payee under the written schedule, and save the transfer confirmation. Ask for a dated receipt or invoice that states the property, period covered, amount received, deposit if any, and balance due. Retain the signed lease, authority evidence, meter photos and pre-move-in inventory in more than one place.
Make check-in a final verification step
On arrival, photograph every room, key, remote, furnishing and meter again. Send the completed condition record to the landlord immediately and ask for written acknowledgement. Confirm who to contact for urgent repairs and where to report routine issues. If a promised item is missing, raise it before the handover is treated as complete.
The final habit is simple: if the person, property, price, payment account and paperwork do not all tell the same story, pause. Asking for clarity before paying is easier than trying to reconstruct the deal after money has moved.
Checking a Bali landlord and payment terms through Livuma
- Compare the listing with your brief. Search Bali rental homes on Livuma; check photos, pricing, availability, minimum stay, house rules, booking conditions and verified guest reviews against your intended use.
- Read terms before committing. The booking-specific payment schedule, deposit or balance rules, deadlines, cancellation rules and refund logic make the payment questions explicit.
- Secure the request. Before the host sees it, use a card reservation or held Indonesian bank-transfer prepayment. Decline, withdrawal or expiry triggers automatic full release or refund.
- Check approval and viewing conditions. Hosts answer within a limited window; approval charges the card reservation and confirms the booking. For eligible monthly or yearly rentals, “view property first” secures only a small deposit; after an in-person or virtual viewing, pay the rest in the app to confirm, with no deadline or automatic confirmation, or cancel free for full deposit release or refund.
- Keep answers and documents together. Use in-app chat for viewing and move-in arrangements. Hosts verify identity, legal details and an Indonesian bank account before paid bookings; guests complete KYC before agreement issuance. Supported bookings receive digital rental agreement details and receipts.
- Verify arrival. Confirm check-in or report a problem in the app. A reported problem holds the host payout while resolved; payout is released automatically about 24 hours after successful check-in under the booking’s terms, never while a reported problem remains open.
