Of Rent and Apartments

An-D

Hello! Currently I'm a sophomore in college (soon to be junior at the end of his semester) and I am planning on moving off-campus (out of the dorms) next semester with my girlfriend.

Now, being new to this 'real life' sort of thing, I want to ask is there anything I know before I sign up for an apartment? Little tricks people like to pull or whatnot? Or even just simple things that I should know as we hunt for the perfect living spot.

These are ones that we're looking at right now...and it seems pretty clear (aiming for the one-bedroom apartment).

So I ask for any kind of advice people can give about their own apartment hunting experiences or apartment-living experiences that could help guide me into making a good decision about a living area.


Many thanks!

saltiness

I don't think there are really any tricks. Just go look at it and make sure it's what you want. I've always started with a 1-year lease (that's usually minimum) so if it really sucks you only have to put up with it for a year.

(God damn I wish a 2BR was $750 here)

An-D

I'm just trying to avoid getting myself getting stuck in a bad position by making some silly newbie mistake.

Cheap probably because Western Carolina U. is way out in the boondocks...just mountains out here. Rent probably is going to go up in the next couple of years because the school made some stupid mistakes with on-campus housing (one of the reasons I'm getting out while I can).

Thanatos

Read anything you sign before you sign it. Make sure you keep copies of any sort of agreements or anything you sign.

Mad Jazz

Make sure you talk to someone about your rights as far as getting things fixed. My roommate and I had a bitch of a time getting our property managers to fix our moldy AC when we moved in, and nothing came of it until we told them we were having it fixed ourselves with the cost coming out of the rent. If my roommate's dad wasn't a lawyer, we would never have known we could do that. Other than that, make sure you go check out the places before you sign anything, and talk to the people who live there. They'll give you the inside scoop for sure.

Also, echoing the advice to read everything before you sign anything, and keep copies of everything (maintenance requests, letters you send them, everything).

Javen

It's not really a trick, but it's very much worth it to get renters insurance. Also, once you get setup, take pictures of everything, and save the receipts of everything you buy, also for insurance purposes.

An-D

Alright, read everything, keep paperwork (keep it secret...keep it safe) and take pictures of everything.

I believe for this apartment I'm looking at now, they're asking for a $750 security deposit...its that typical for apartments? And what would count as damages to make me loose said deposit...or is it different for every contract?

Peter Principle

Familiarize yourself with the rental laws in your state. Many states have their state legal codes online. Otherwise, your university library should have state codes available. It really really really pays to know what the law says. Knowing the law got us our full damage deposit back, twice.

Reiten

Depending on the size of your university, there might be a Tenants Union or something like that. They'll have all sorts of good advice and know the local laws. One month's rent is often a typical deposit.

An-D

We have a pretty small-sized University, but I'll check out the student's center and see if something like that exists...it would probably prove to be most useful.

mastman

when mentioning price say something like "well if I go to these apartments on the other side of the town they'll give me the first 2 months free" and see if they'll cut you a similar deal.

An-D

Yeah, I was thinking of doing that anyway :P. Apartments (or renting houses for that matter) really isn't that bad in this area....price, despite my earlier fears, is not as terrible I thought it was going to be.

We got a bunch of numbers and addresses, so we're going hunting tomorrow to see if we can find any other opportunities. I'll come back with my findings!

ArbitraryDescriptor

Something to consider with free internet/cable deals: Can you alter them if they suck?

I've never been offered either with an apartment, but I have stayed in more than my share of hotels for extended periods of time. Consequently, I have been forced to rely on a lot of farmed out "high speed internet;" spoiler: it sucks every time. I've also noticed that however many channels they advertised (and 60 is not a lot these days) they were always missing ones I wanted.

MichaelLC

Being a student, they will try to screw you. In the financial sense, and possibly other ways too.

As was said before, state laws differ, but all require the building to have heating/maybe cooling, fire alarms, clear exits, etc.

Don't let then charge you "party fees" or anything like that.

If you have a cat, have it written on the lease that it's ok.

Security depsoits and deposits are normal, usually one month's rent.

JeffH

Javen wrote: »

It's not really a trick, but it's very much worth it to get renters insurance.

Yes yes yes. Coming from someone who didn't have it and their apartment caught on fire the past month, get it. My stuff wasn't badly hurt besides smoke damage, but I'd definitely be sitting on a nice chunk of cash right now if I got the insurance - would've helped a little in the transitioning phase.

Weretaco

MichaelLC wrote: »

Security depsoits and deposits are normal, usually one month's rent.

Just for anyone in BC, Canada. The security deposit can not be more than 1/2 a months rent. Also, in the end if they want to keep any/all of it, they have to meet you within a certain number of days to go through the place with them and make an itemized list of things to deduct the amount from.

Seattle Thread

Before you move in, go through the apartment with the landlord and do a walkthrough--make note of the condition the place in is (walls, doorjambs, molding, lights, outlets, heat, appliances, plumbing... everything). If there's an issue (like a broken doorjamb, or a bit of molding that's been removed), write it down. Have the landlord sign the walkthrough sheet, because if he doesn't fix it during your stay, he'll could try to ding you for it when you move out.

This also doubles as a way to ensure your full damage deposit is returned, since you will know exactly what shape it was in when you moved there.

A few good things to ask about when scouting the place:

• Parking situation. Is there a lot? Does it cost extra? If so, how accessible is street parking? If not, is there room for you?
  
• Storage. A lot of places have storage closets in the basement/laundry room/somewhere for each unit. Is there one, or is it strictly in the aparment?
  
• Utilities. What do you pay, and what does the landlord pay? Water/sewer/garbage/gas (if present)/electricty are common ones. Is the on-site laundry in the unit, or shared between all tenants? If the latter, is it free or coin-operated?
  
• Neighborhood. Is there a lot of traffic noise? Are there any lights that shine near the windows at night? Is the area quiet, or does it have a bit of a reputation?
  
• Plumbing. Does the unit have its own water heater, or is it shared among the building? If it's in-unit, how old is it?* Are the pipes copper, steel or plastic? Are the drainpipes steel or plastic? Does water drain well, or slowly? Is there a garbage disposal?
  
• Other miscellaneous things. Are all the doors, including closet doors, in good shape? The locks? Is there enough counter space in the kitchen for your needs? The bathroom?

Obviously some of this you'll be able to tell from a glance, so you don't have to ask everything. But feel free to ask as much as you want--although landlords aren't obliged to answer truthfully, they're certainly in a world of shit if they say one thing and it later turns out to be false.

Most of all, just get a feel for the place when you see it. The biggest question to ask is of yourself: "can I be comfortable living here?" If the answer is yes, and there's no major faults, then go for it.


*Water heaters typically have a ten-year lifespan, though that's not guaranteed. The reason to ask would be if it's hitting the eight-year mark, then it's possible that it might die on you during your residence. This shouldn't affect your position on the place--replacing them is a cut-and-dry operation, taking a few hours tops (and you won't have to do it). Just don't store anything near it that you want to avoid getting wet, and you'll be fine.

An-D

Wow, thanks Makershot...thats a lot of good stuff. Some of that I hadn't thought of before...I think I may also take pictures of the apartment (dated pictures) before I move in.

My girlfriend and I went apartment hunting today...we were actually surprised by one thing we ran into: some renters didn't want a couple living together in the same apartment. Price we pay for living on the bible-belt. My girlfriend got all: "We can live together, we're adults, not children!" and I got all "Obviously, you don't realize how expensive cootie shots are these days and those infections can spread all around an apartment complex in just a couple of months." To that she was silent.

We did find a couple of potentials, one being a nice complex on top of a mountain that didn't have trouble convincing to let us live together (400 a month I think was the figure we were told). Thats an option.

We found an old guy willing to let us rent out one of his two-bedroom cabins (he had a bunch of them). He said 660 a month.

One of the most hilarious ones we found, though not really an option (super small studio apartment...it looked like a hotel room). It was 450 a month and we were allowed to look around in it. So I look out the window and theres a frickin' graveyard across the street on a hill. Not even a fence to block it off, just BAM! Graveyard. Zombies ahoy. Halloween would've been awesome though.

We also ran into a mobile home area that was renting to students (with a GPA discount...350 a month for good-sized mobile homes). Anyone have any advice/experience living in a mobile home? I would like to avoid it but its still a reasonable option.