Never sign a lease for a rental unit that you have not seen. Since COVID-19, many landlords have been offering to do virtual viewings of units. Try your best to see it in person, and if you cannot make it have a friend go for you. It’s very hard to get out of a lease if you find the unit isn’t what you were expecting.

For all viewing types, ask the landlord if the unit they are showing you is the actual unit you will be moving into, or if it is a “sample/model unit”. This is more common in large apartment buildings than smaller rentals. If it’s a model unit, ask when you will be able to view the unit you will actually be moving into. Also ask why the actual unit is not available for viewing. The landlord has a right to enter an available unit to show it to prospective tenants, so there should be no reason for them to refuse to show you the place they want to rent to you.