Finding My First Apartment

nakirush

So I'm moving from Northern Michigan to Los Angeles in about six weeks (first week of January) to attend school. The school is rather small and doesn't have any student housing available, so I have to find an apartment. Being in Michigan, I can't go around and look at places, so I'm resigned to using CraigsList, Rent.com, etc.

I was hoping for some advice on what I should be asking for, looking out for, and things to avoid. What questions should I be asking to find out if the place is really all that good?

Thanks in advance,

-Naki

HK5

In Los Angeles, a lot depends on what neighborhood you're in. Prepare for expensive rent and make sure you research your commute time to the freeway from wherever you're living because that is how you'll most likely be getting around. Craigslist is generally a pretty good bet.

I would try to get an idea from your school of where other students are living. You'll have an easier time meeting people if you geographically locate yourself nearer to them and if rent ends up being too pricey for you, you can find a roommate easier that way. Some school will help you locate housing if you talk to your student services department.

Medopine

First, try to see if your school has any sort of posting site or housing department that could help you find local hookups with other students subletting or renting or w/e.

General tips:

- ask for pictures
- are utilities included in the rent?
- how big is the deposit (usually first and last month's rent)? is there a non refundable deposit?
- parking included or costs extra?
- A/C or no A/C?
- fully read each paragraph of the lease. yes this could take a while. do it anyway and if anything seems off, ask about it.


Also check out stuff like: http://www.caltenantlaw.com/

mugginns

Do you know anyone in the area that can check the place out for you before you rent? Decide on your best place to live and then have someone go there and look at it, that is what I did when I moved back to MI.

nakirush

Thanks for the tips, guys! I have a couple friends out there who'll check out possibilities for me, so I won't be walking into a complete disaster.

Gah, so nervous!

Darkewolfe

Medopine wrote: »

First, try to see if your school has any sort of posting site or housing department that could help you find local hookups with other students subletting or renting or w/e.

General tips:

- ask for pictures
- are utilities included in the rent?
- how big is the deposit (usually first and last month's rent)? is there a non refundable deposit?
- parking included or costs extra?
- A/C or no A/C?
- fully read each paragraph of the lease. yes this could take a while. do it anyway and if anything seems off, ask about it.


Also check out stuff like: http://www.caltenantlaw.com/

If you don't find the answers to these and any other questions that concern you, make absolutely sure you ask them. A friend of mine ended up in an apartment without AC by accident, because there was some fuzzy wording that made him think it was there when it wasn't. Whoops.

amateurhour

I'll add one more thing to that list. Make sure you see pics of an actual apartment and not the "show" apartment.

A lot of times the show apartment will have overhead lighting, ceiling fans, different utilities, etc. that the regular apartments just won't have. I've been burned on that a few times before I finally learned my lesson.

Also, depending on how much you want to save/sacrifice, some apartments in the middle of renovations will lease you an older unit with older stuff (carpet, AC, heater, etc.) for less money a month.

Finally, don't forget to ask about pets, weather you have them or not.

Double finally: Don't forget to check into renters insurance, it's dirt cheap and something you should have.

Darkewolfe

Oh. If there's any chance it'll matter, clarify maximum occupants too. Sometimes they'll put it into the contract that you're the only person who can live in your place, and then toss that around if you get a live-in S.O. (Or even just someone who stays over alot.)

Generally operate on the principle that all landlords/rental companies are truly and sincerely evil people who would delight in tricking you. That's obviously not true, but it's better to go in with that mindset because (as I've come to discover) renter's laws are really tricky. It can be really hard to get out of a bad lease, and it sucks to be stuck living somewhere that you aren't happy with.

Dark_Side

Have lots of options before you go as well. I had a tendency to concentrate on one place I liked during my last big move, which could have been a massive mistake. I left town the morning of the move with 3 places willing to take me, and halfway into the trip, two of them had canceled on me. Luckily, the 3rd ended up being a really cool place. Moral of the story have several leads lined up and always have some sort of backup.

Darkewolfe

Dark_Side wrote: »

Have lots of options before you go as well. I had a tendency to concentrate on one place I liked during my last big move, which could have been a massive mistake. I left town the morning of the move with 3 places willing to take me, and halfway into the trip, two of them had canceled on me. Luckily, the 3rd ended up being a really cool place. Moral of the story have several leads lined up and always have some sort of backup.

Speaking of... it's looking like I'm about to start putting my stuff in storage and enjoying the pleasures of couch surfing! Yay D.C. real estate market ihateyousomuch! Craigslist is the best place to find something in a hurry, but if you're moving to a city where all rentals are default one year leases pretty much ever, be prepared to hunt until you find something that works for you.