Common apartment-hunting mistakes to avoid

Looking for a new apartment? Here are nine common mistakes to avoid when finding a new place to rent.

|
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters/File
A worker paints the wall of a newly constructed apartment building at a construction site in Kiev, Ukraine, July 15, 2015. When you walk into your new apartment, go in with your landlord to document already-existing damage so you don't get the blame.

Looking for a new apartment to rent? Spring and summer are moving season for many renters. It's also a time filled with excitement and hope — the hope that the next place will be better than the last. I've been there.

Fortunately, a lot of the problems that plague renters can be avoided just by choosing that apartment a little more carefully. Here are nine apartment hunting mistakes to avoid while you're looking.

1. Assuming That Moving Will Solve Your Problem

As a renter, it's easy to get used to moving; new year, new apartment. Unfortunately, that new lease often means a new set of problems. Moving is stressful and carries a long list of expenses. Before you decide to move to where the grass is greener, consider whether you're really that unhappy where you are. Every living space has its pros and cons. Decide whether you can live with your apartment's drawbacks before moving on to a new set of problems.

2. Falling in Love Too Soon

These days, apartment hunting usually begins online, where you can browse through photos of apartments for rent in your area. There's nothing wrong with doing a little previewing before you go out to view these places in person; just keep in mind that in many cases, photos tell very little. Not only will landlords do their best to make their rental units look attractive, but photos also lack a lot of detail. A rental unit that looks super cute and cozy in a photo, might turn out to be much shabbier in real life. The problem is, if the photos put stars in your eyes, you might already be in love.

3. Failing to See the Big Picture

Before you set out to look for a new apartment, think about what's really important to you. Are you looking for a short commute to work? Proximity to certain amenities such as shopping, parks, or public transportation? It's important to understand the big picture in terms of what you want out of your apartment, to size up each apartment as a whole. Otherwise, you're likely to zero-in on smaller, less important details, like the size of the unit, the decor, or fantastically cheap rent.

4. Allowing Yourself to Be Wooed by Fancy Fixtures

Fancy fixtures like hardwood floors and granite countertops are great, but when you have a budget to stick to, it's best not to be too fixated on what are essentially details. For one thing, these amenities are purely aesthetic, and will quickly lose their luster if the apartment fails to meet your needs in other key ways. Plus, in many cases, apartments in less desirable locations get the best cosmetic upgrades to entice renters. If you wouldn't live in this apartment if it didn't have fancy fixtures, you probably shouldn't move in just because it does.

5. Going Out of Your League

Before you start looking for an apartment, you have to decide how much rent you are capable of paying. Most financial experts recommend that you spend no more than 30% of your take-home (after-tax) income on housing. Depending on your other financial obligations — and your personal financial goals — you may want to spend even less. But no matter what price point you decide on, once you have a number in mind, stick to it. And do not, under any circumstances, look at apartments that exceed your budget. Chances are they will be nicer. As a result, they will make the places you can afford look much shabbier in comparison. They might also tempt you to blow your budget.

6. Failing to Read the Rental Agreement

I once signed a rental agreement that stated that I was responsible for repainting the apartment before moving out. I was a student and had never painted anything in my life. Of course, I lost most of my damage deposit on that one. Rental agreements lay out, in legal terms, what you as a renter are responsible for. Read every word carefully and make sure you're up for it. If you aren't, move on.

7. Overlooking Existing Damage

Most rental agreements include a damage deposit. This is money that the landlord holds in order to pay for any damage the tenant may cause during the term of the lease. This can get tricky if you don't document any damages that were already there when you moved in. On the day you get possession of your apartment, walk through it with your landlord and document existing damage to ensure you are not charged for them when your lease is up.

8. Not Considering Roommates Carefully

I've been lucky to have really good roommates, but living with other people is still hard. When you share your personal space with someone, you get to know each other on a pretty intimate level. Things can get ugly. So try to choose your roommates carefully. There are different philosophies on this. Some people think it's best to choose a roommate who isn't a friend. Others say it's best to room with a bestie. Either way, make sure you get some references to ensure that your roommate has a solid history of paying their rent.

9. Not Vetting Your Landlord

Some landlords care about their properties and their tenants. They'll take your calls and fix leaking toilets and send an exterminator in to deal with your ant problem. Other landlords treat their tenants like cash machines; money is withdrawn, never to be seen again. If you have problems with your apartment, a bad landlord can make your life hell. I once tip-toed across a bridge of soggy cardboard boxes for weeks until my landlord got around the fixing a leaking hot water tank that flooded my apartment. So, be sure to run a check on your landlord before you sign a rental agreement. Do a Google search, ask if you can contact previous tenants, and check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the landlord or property management company. If you discover serious issues, find another place to rent. Dealing with an uncooperative landlord just isn't worth it.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Common apartment-hunting mistakes to avoid
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2015/0720/Common-apartment-hunting-mistakes-to-avoid
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe