Board 8 > I'm looking at an apartment. What should I ask?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Setting aside the fact that it's almost entirely my fault for never having moved out of my parents' house, I'm going to look at an apartment tomorrow. The complex looks it's well maintained, and it's in a good location, so I'm pretty sure I want to live there. I also know that there's rent and a trash fee, and possibly a garage fee if I'm so inclined to get a reserved spot.

What other questions should I ask the rental agent? I've never done any of this before, so I'll need some guidance.

How many spirits can you Expect to be on the premises, and WHich ones are Pissed off

The number of grills you can plug in at the same time for "A Hogs Welcome"

The distance to the nearest SChool (act casual)

Any incels here?
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Ask for an itemized list of your (estimated) monthly charges ahead of time. Make sure youre sure those are the only charges.

Some places like to tack on a maintenance fee, and the place I had to deal with one it was an unexpected $50 bucks a month, and I was very young and only made $8 an hour, so that really sucked.
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Check what the internet options are. You probably aren't moving to a place where it could be a problem but it's good to be sure.

Check if your unit comes with a parking spot. If it does and you don't have a car, ask what the policy is for renting out the parking spot.

Look at what appliances come with the apartment so you know what you need to bring in. Also ask about how responsibility works if an appliance stops working.

Visit multiple units so you get a feel on what they look and how much rent is.

Ask when the first possible move in date is. You don't necessarily have to target that date as the move in date but it's useful to know for planning purposes.

Ask about the damage deposit. How much it is and how it works.

For safety, don't visit locations alone. Bring someone else with you.
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for an apartment
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Team Rocket Elite posted...

Check what the internet options are. You probably aren't moving to a place where it could be a problem but it's good to be sure.

Check if your unit comes with a parking spot. If it does and you don't have a car, ask what the policy is for renting out the parking spot.

Look at what appliances come with the apartment so you know what you need to bring in. Also ask about how responsibility works if an appliance stops working.

Visit multiple units so you get a feel on what they look and how much rent is.

Ask when the first possible move in date is. You don't necessarily have to target that date as the move in date but it's useful to know for planning purposes.

Ask about the damage deposit. How much it is and how it works.

For safety, don't visit locations alone. Bring someone else with you.

@Team_Rocket_Elite

Maybe you should ask them to implement Team Rocket in the story.

More interesting than anything else you bought up.

No point in asking anything. Apartments can't talk YOU IDIOT.
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Everything that TRE said. I'd also ask about notifications of price changes for anything (utilities, rent, whatever). Will rates be locked in for as long as you stay? For the lease period? When will you be notified of any changes?

Also good to know if there's any past damage to be aware of, but it's unlikely that they'll give you much detail on that. If you see something, ask about it.
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Is there a floor you can butter?
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Thank you. This was helpful, and provided some levity I kind of needed.

Yeah, TRE pretty much covered it.

Ask which utilities are covered.

Usually heat and hot water are covered by the rent, and you pay the electricity.

Ask about washer + dryer situation- if nothing in unit, where is the closest laundromat? (Idk, in your area all apts might have them)
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RentUtilitiesBedBathApplicationDeadlineMove in dateRealtor SitePicsPetsBugs/MiceParkingNoiseEthernetFurniture Wall StuffInsulationFlooring Laundry KitchenGeneral SpaceClosetsBasementBackyard

copy/paste of my spreadsheet for rental questions
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foolm0r0n posted...

RentUtilitiesBedBathApplicationDeadlineMove in dateRealtor SitePicsPetsBugs/MiceParkingNoiseEthernetFurniture Wall StuffInsulationFlooring Laundry KitchenGeneral SpaceClosetsBasementBackyard

copy/paste of my spreadsheet for rental questions

Thanks!

TRE's post is a damn gem. One potential question I haven't seen, though, is inquiring about payment methods for monthly rent. A surprising number of places are still "check and money order only," but you may get lucky and have the option to just pay online.

Also:

Uglyface2 posted...

The complex looks it's well maintained, and it's in a good location, so I'm pretty sure I want to live there.

Given this info, this isn't crucial, but it's never a bad idea to visit an apartment complex in the day and night alike prior to striking a deal. Nighttime can be pretty telling. Is the property well-lit across the board? Are nosy tenants sizing your car up as you drive along? Do you feel a weird "gut instinct"? All of these are good questions to ponder.
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Ask where packages get delivered to and how and when you can pick them up
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Washer/dryer in unit? If not, is there a space in the unit to hook your own up? If not, is there laundry onsite? How much does it cost?

Is there dedicated visitor parking? Is it a free-for-all?
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Air conditioning/Heater
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Check online reviews to see what issues previous people have had living in the complex.

Find out what policy is on repairs and how quickly shit gets fixed. The first complex I lived in took days/weeks to fix shit and often used crappy fixes. The second complex I lived in was run by Camden and everything was always fixed within 24 hours, often someone was there within an hour. It also didn't matter what day it was or time of day, callout was the same. You don't want to be somewhere that they only do callouts in normal office hours and don't work weekends etc

What TRE said about internet and appliances is great too. Those are things you might not think about but are really important

Find out how much the rent includes. Some places list one price but then theres a lot of other extras on top. Some places force you into getting their TV/Internet package but don't include it in the initial rent price

Oh and if you are having friends over find out what the parking situation is. Some places are tow/fine heavy but don't offer enough guest parking (or even enough parking for residents)

After all of this, I've got a place lined up starting August 1. It just doesn't feel real, like it's all going to fall apart and I'm going to lose everything. I've got electric set to switch on move-in day, and I'm going to have Internet set up on the second day. I'm shopping for furniture tomorrow since Big Lots is having a sale.

Real mix of emotions.

Grats
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Congrats!
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That's great to hear!
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Can I trust the b---- in appartment 23?
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I'm too late but check the water pressure, being unable to wash your hands or take a shower sucks sometimes
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Bought furniture today. I had no idea I'd become so weak, I needed a lot more help than I'd expected just moving it into my parents' garage. I'm going to hire movers when it's go time next month, there's just no way I'm getting them up two flights of stairs.

(Also need to do something about the "weak" thing, as long as I'm working on the "fat" part.)

mnkboy907 posted...

Any incels here?

Haha!
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Congrats chief. Moving can seem intimidating, but you got this.
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Uglyface2 posted...

Bought furniture today. I had no idea I'd become so weak, I needed a lot more help than I'd expected just moving it into my parents' garage. I'm going to hire movers when it's go time next month, there's just no way I'm getting them up two flights of stairs.

(Also need to do something about the "weak" thing, as long as I'm working on the "fat" part.)

Does your apartment building have an elevator you can rent to help with moving?
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Team Rocket Elite posted...

Does your apartment building have an elevator you can rent to help with moving?

I don't think it does, or at least, I wasn't shown one. I hate to make anyone carry anything up, but there's no way I could do this myself.

It doesn't hurt to ask if the building has one or not. If it does, it will be a huge help.
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Getting a handful of friends together with beer and pizza will be a lot cheaper than movers, man.
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Turducken posted...

Getting a handful of friends together with beer and pizza will be a lot cheaper than movers, man.

The movers are for the truly heavy stuff. I'm getting offers from friends and family to help me move, and there'll be plenty more besides the stuff I bought.

(There's a couch, a love seat, a recliner, and a couple of unassembled pieces of furniture that weigh a lot.

My apartment doesn't have an elevator and I'm on the third floor. I carried everything up with my dad and friend. It was not fun. Gonna get movers for the big stuff when I leave,
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im looking at a place today and uglyface, you're my inspiration to move
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GTM posted...

im looking at a place today and uglyface, you're my inspiration to move

I hope it worked out!

I think I've got most of the high-dollar stuff bought. I've got enough money for the movers and for paying the rest of the first month's rent. I set up renter's insurance, the electricity is set to cut over to me on moving day, and my Internet will be set up on day 2.

I'm sure something will go wrong, but I'm moving pretty close to a lot of shopping so it's not as if I'll have a problem finding what I need.

Are the chimneys filled with dead raccoons?
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