First time apartment hunting - what do I need to know?

Hikkins

The title says it all really. A few more details about my situation:

I'm living in the UK. This is my first time looking for a proper place - but I have lived away from home for a number of years now. Mostly in student accomodation, but for the last 6 months I've been in a house with a friend of mine.

However, this is the first time I've ever actually sought out a place myself. And whilst I'm sure a lot of this is going to be common sense - finding out how much things like council tax are, is the house energy efficient, etc. - I'm sure there are plenty of things about this process that I'm going to be unaware of.

So that's it in a nutshell, any and all advice is welcome on what to do, what to look for, what to avoid, whatever.

Thanks guys.

FeatherBlade

Is this a rental you're looking for or would you be buying?

I'm in the US, so I can't post anything about the UK specifically, but in general:

Read the lease agreement/occupancy contract thoroughly.
Take pictures of any pre-existing damage to the apartment.
Know who is responsible for paying for maintenance and repairs.
Get insurance (if available/applicable), renters' or homeowners'.

milehigh

I got good results by doing some door knocking or wondering around the pool/gathering area on a weekend at prospective apartments can be extremely beneficial.

Just walking around the complex and telling people that you're thinking of moving in and wondering what their experiences have been. If there's a consistant issue with the management, or the parking lot takes 30 minutes to get in/out of at rush hour, or 6 of the 7 apartments in building 10 are rented by loud party frat members, you can find this stuff out before you commit to a lease. Sure you'll get some people who won't want to talk to you, but in my experience most people are happy to share their experiences and this brings out the things you probably wouldn't see on a tour of a complex.

Hikkins

Sorry - should've mentioned that I'm looking to rent. Thanks for the advice thus far guys. Keep it rolling!

FeatherBlade

I guess... know what you absolutely can't live without, know what you think would be nice but can do without, and know what you absolutely don't want.

I, for example, have two cats, so when I was looking for an apartment, I knew that it absolutely could not have carpet. I also wanted a place with easy access to the outside. So I looked for some place on the ground floor, with hard floors throughout. The place I found also didn't charge extra for the cats, which was a bonus.

Badly-designed kitchens (especially those with corner cabinets) are a pet peeve of mine, but I can live with them if I have to. The place I found has cabinets in one corner, and they smell constantly damp, but they are out of the kitchen's work triangle, and I have other shelves for storage, so I mostly ignore them, and it works for me.
......

Utilities are another thing. Sometimes (and this varies by location, landlord, and whether it's a rainy Tuesday) various utilities are included in the rent. It would be useful to find out which ones are, and what the average monthly cost is for those that aren't. This also may not be applicable in your neck of the woods.

Cognisseur

Also worth considering how much light you'll be getting into your apartment, if you care about that sort of thing.

Also figure out the general neighborhood, like if there's a bar right next door and you'll never get peace and quiet until like 4AM.

Erios

If you have broker's fees in the UK, be mindful of fee vs. no-fee apartments. Broker's fees can range pretty high in the US and are cash/check payments at lease signing, so be careful of your monthly rent vs. overall budget when looking into places categorized by monthly rent.