Renter’s Advice and Resources

When your search for an apartment, it’s easy to be swayed by the obvious things we all look for during an apartment hunt–cheap rent, big bedrooms, a great view and, if you live in a real concrete jungle, a roof deck. Finding an apartment with any one of these great features might tempt you to sign the lease as quickly as you can, before it gets snapped up by someone else. But before you sign anything, there are some things you should think about first. Here are five important apartment hunting tips that can help you make sure some trivial issues don’t turn into big problems.

At first glance, living with a friend can seem like a safe choice. You care about one another, enjoy each other’s company and share similar tastes. What could go wrong? Plenty. Many friendships don’t survive the transition to roommate-hood. The very factors that drew you together may push you apart when you share a roof. Marisa remembers what made her want to live with her friend Rebecca during their senior year in college. “Rebecca had the kind of energy that drew people to her; everyone wanted to be around her, including me. I figured that our senior year apartment would be a really fun place to be.” The apartment was fun–maybe a little too much fun. “We had crazy parties that Becca organized. She always had the energy to plan the party, but never to clean up. She didn’t seem to mind if the apartment was always a terrible mess. Or maybe she didn’t know it because I was always cleaning it.” By the end of their senior year, Marisa came to feel that she was being taken advantage of. “It really spoiled the friendship. I talk to her once in a while on IM, but it’s really not the same.”

Everyone knows that there are some things you have to leave behind when you move out of an apartment, like the toilet, refrigerator and kitchen sink. But it’s hard to get attached to any of those things, especially in a rental unit. Your garden is another matter. The product of love, attention and countless hours of work, your garden is something that is hard to leave behind. So hard, in fact, that some people choose to take their gardens with them to their new homes. If the thought of parting with your garden is too difficult to bear, read on for some tips on how to take your garden with you on your next move.

If you’re thinking of moving into a larger apartment complex, chances are that your potential landlord or management company will run a few checks on your rental application. They may ask for character references, run a criminal background check and speak to former landlords. But these things don’t usually present many problems for renters. What will really drag down an otherwise positive rental application is a poor credit score and the problematic credit report that accompanies it.

These days, it seems like you can charge anything on a credit card: bus passes, school tuition, even a pack of gum. One thing that does get people pulling out their checkbook month after month is rent. Even this is slowly starting to change. Across the country, more and more apartment complexes are accepting credit cards for rental payments. We spoke to building managers and landlords across the country to see whether they allow tenants to pay rent on a credit card.

Most of us try to keep our wits about us on the street or while driving through an unfamiliar neighborhood. But the one place we’re supposed to be able to relax and not think about the potential of danger is in our own homes. That’s why it’s so deeply disturbing when we hear about a crime committed by a stranger in the victim’s own home. It’s horrible and it does happen. The chances are slim, but it makes sense to be prepared on the off chance that someone tries to break into your apartment.

How to Secure your Stuff in and Around Your Apartment
Living in an apartment complex can sometimes give you a false sense of security, as if your apartment is safer because your neighbors live so close by. In some sense, it is safer–it’s easier to find a neighbor to come to your aid in an emergency than it is for people in rural areas. But when it comes to keeping your things safe, living in an apartment can be more risky.

Once your apartment starts to feel like home, the rest of the building often follows. While pulling into the building lot after work or running downstairs to take out the trash, you may feel as relaxed and unguarded as if you’re actually in your own unit. While building parking lots, fitness centers, basements and storage areas are generally safe, you need to be aware that they aren’t really home. Here are some things to think about when you walk outside your apartment door.

We often decide to move apartments to help improve our financial situation: for a better job or more affordable housing. Unfortunately, the process of moving always seems to be more expensive than we anticipate. The little costs we don’t think about can really add up. If you want to avoid that unexpectedly low checking-account balance, it helps to make a budget as soon as you decide to move.