Apartment hunting

Meyvitch

Hi, I was hoping my fellow Aetolians could help me with this one.

My roommates' lease is up at the end of April, and I have to find a new place to live. Trouble is, I've never had to apartment hunt before (this place fell in my lap 4 days into my search and I moved in 2 weeks later) and so I'm not sure what to expect or what I need to look for in an apt if I'm looking around the place.

What is an "efficiency"? Should I expect utilities to be included in the rent? How much should heating cost? Also those old-fashioned heaters that look like side-by-side metal poles--how are they for heat?

Advice?

Emelle

Look places up both online and in person (if possible).  Read reviews.  Be thorough.  Decide what you're willing to compromise on (it's not very well-insulated so I'll have to buy a space heater or two to make it through winter) or not (it's full of mold and I might die).  Talk to your friends/people that live in the area, find out what their experiences have been, good and bad.  Don't just look at the buildings, but also at who manages them -- sometimes that can make or break your experience.

An efficiency/studio is usually a one-room apartment with small kitchen and bathroom.  It's the cheapest way to go, and can be convenient if you don't mind the lack of space.  The cost of your utilities and whether they're absorbed into your rent or not will vary from building to building; make sure you check on that when you're considering places.  Personally, I like having them included when possible because it's consistent and eliminates most of the guesswork from your monthly bills.  The last place I lived in had one of those old-fashioned heaters.  If they work, they work well, but you usually can't regulate the heat much, so it's either on or off.  I had a window cracked through most of the winter, but it worked for me.

Good luck!

Arbre

As them when the last time they were inspected for bed bugs and how often they check.  Read lease agreements THOROUGHLY before signing.  Don't sign anything that says you're responsible for bed bug pest termination.  Try not to laugh at Arbre's unhealthy obsession with bed bugs.

Ezalor

If it seems too good to be true, it is. That 2 bedroom super loft for $900 per month? Yeah that's a scam.

Make sure to note what is included in your rent. Something might seem a couple hundred cheaper and great up until you find out that it doesn't include laundry, internet, hydro, or electricity.

Eleanor

When you find a place, take very thorough photographs of the condition of everything when you move in, and keep them- you might have a good landlord, but if you have a dodgy one, having proof of what everything was like before you got there can really help in disputes.

Valenae

The best source of heating, to me, is a Rinnai unit. The one I have allows me to regulate and saves me money on gas/lowers my carbon emissions.

EDIT: Also, look up the rights you have in your area and know them implictly. It helps.

Mastema

...$900 a month....bed bugs..... holy fuuuu. That is expensive and ewww! But I do agree with photos of everything that is damaged right down to chipped paint or cracks etc to show what it was like when you moved in. I guess its a classic hold up the newspaper you wasted 50c on, just to protect yourself from bad land agents.

 

Areka

Be aware of the neighborhood and amenities. Keep in mind laundry needs, transportation (if in a city, what is commutable? Often times it's less expensive towards the outskirts than it is in the center districts, I know in Philadelphia it can be as big a difference as 2x the cost). 

Also be aware of the orientation in the building - at least in the east/northeast of the US, south facing units are naturally warmer than north facing, which can save some heating costs. Efficiencies are also good for being more cost effective with utilities, they trend between 200 and 300 square feet, at least out here. 

If you have someone you can bring along, also double check the electrical jacks, and the walls - both for faults, as well as mold (that can be SUPER uncomfortable). Inspect for other vermin too. 

May just be one of my 'particularities', but also knocking along the walls to sort out where the studs are is useful (the vertical supports between dry wall, they both provide structural integrity and are where you want to put in nails if you're going to hang things - they can also be troublesome if there is mold or there is the potential of termites). 

Orisae

Also, be wary of used furnishing. Bed bugs. Ask Arbre all about them.

Enough to give you nightmares.

Mariena

This is part of 'Read your lease!' but make sure you pay attention to all the random little quirky things landlords put in. I had friends who got charged $3 each nail-hole they put in the walls. It was in their contract and at the end of their lease they (the landlords) went through and counted.

Mastema

God you guys have bad rental laws! (I just looked them up and the price of places in the US) My mother rents out apartments in Adelaide and Melbourne to people, and the tenants tribunal over here would not let her rent out a place if it had bugs, vermin, faults lights, broke A/C, smoke detectors or anything. She has to even have the carpets professionally cleaned before people can move in etc.

I am all about fairness and people being treated with respect, so I am just shocked you guys have to put up with that rubbish at all, it seems so unfair and unjust.

(

Arbre

When I had the bed bugs, I could have probably called the health department in if they weren't all over trying to get them out.  As is, I refused to pay rent for a couple of months.  Only about half the population has a reaction to the bugs - I have a -severe- reaction.  I would show up on rent paying days and just pull up my sleeves or whatever and show them the welts all over my skin and then not pay rent.

Ezrax

There really is no excuse to not be overzealous with the photographs in this digital day and age. Every lame phone has a camera in it.

Lianca

When I rented an apartment I took pictures of everything and gave the manager a copy to put in my file even though he already knew of everything that was wrong with it. During the two years I rented in that complex the property management company changed to a completely different company five times. It felt like every time I turned around there was new management in the leasing office. The new people had no clue what was wrong with the apartments when the tenants moved in because the last company didn't keep a record of it. So it turned into a hassle with the tenants wanting to claim everything that was wrong with their apartments was there before they moved in whether it was or wasn't. And that happened five times. I got off easily on it because I had the pictures in my file. So I can't stress enough the importance of pictures.

Also, you could use it to get the price down lower if the landlord is up for haggling and making deals. My apartment had nice big black ink stains in the living room carpet that they couldn't get out so they lowered my rent $55 because of it. It never hurts to ask

Meyvitch

Thank you all!!

Meyvitch

I don't know if I told anyone, but I found an apt a week and a half ago. Move in next month.