How to find housing before moving abroad

Landlords in Munich, Lisbon, Toronto, and New York often will not sign with someone they have not met and who has no local credit. Pretending otherwise wastes a deposit.

What you can do from home is a shortlist inside the school commute, a video walk-through, and a written list of what the lease must allow: a residence registration, children, sometimes a home office. What you should rarely do is wire a large deposit to a listing you have not had checked.

A serviced apartment for four to eight weeks lets you see the traffic and the noise, then sign once. It costs more per night and less than breaking a one-year lease on the wrong street.

If the visa needs an address first, counsel will say what kind of address counts. A hotel sometimes does not. We will not invent a proof of address.

Purchases are slower than families think and, in several countries, restricted. Rent first unless you already know the city.