Renting and Buying- A Few Questions

I'm looking to rent a flat in the next couple of months. So I've been looking through the postings on websites. I have a few questions. I'd appreciate if experienced renters could advise me on this. 1) Most of the flats that I see online require 3 months' rent as deposit. Is this a standard practice? It seems too much to me. 2) What are the things one can do to ensure that the landlord returns the deposit fully at the end of the agreed period? 3) Is there a standardized format of rental agreement? If you have any online reference to such a model agreement, could you please provide me a link to that? 4) What terms and conditions do I need to ensure to include in the agreement to protect my interest as a renter? 5) Do I need to involve a lawyer in the agreement making or do I just trust the broker and go as per what he says? I've grown up a single home and stayed there for over 40 years. Since the building is now looking to go into redevelopment, I am forced to explore options outside (renting first and then maybe buying later). So I also have a few questions (rather rants) about buying a new flat. Maybe I am old school; so bear with me. 1) What the hell is a dry balcony? I grew up in a flat that had 2 balconies and one of it was always our default balcony for hanging clothes to dry. But in many flats that I've seen online, the dry balcony seems to be a place adjacent to (and many times even in the) kitchen. Are we supposed to hang our clothes in the kitchen to dry? 2) Where are you supposed to even wash the clothes in the first place? I grew up in a flat that had a separate bathroom and a separate toilet. Bathroom was used for bathing and washing clothes (by hand) and toilet for your potty business. In ALL flats that I see online, this division between bathroom and toilet is completely gone. You get a wash basin, commode and some area to stand and bathe all in one cramped space. Where's even the space to wash the clothes by hand? Do I have to compulsorily buy a washing machine if I buy a new flat? Also, doesn't it feel a little unhygienic and yucky to do your potty right where you bathe (technically separate as they may be)? 3) Why do almost all flats have the open kitchen kinda format where the kitchen is totally visible from the living room?