Things to Do Before Signing the Rent Lease

Most apartments look similar, but every house gives you a different living experience. It may be a horrible one, if you haven’t done your homework well. To have a pleasant stay, consider these points:

1.    Don’t Select Your Apartment based on a Sample Suite

Don’t make your decision based on the sample suite your renter shows. Ask them to take you to the actual apartment where you will eventually stay. If they deny, check for other options.

2.    Check With Police

There are places where robbery is common. You might not know it, if you are new to the locality. Hence, it’s advisable to check with the police department if the area is safe to live in. Besides, try to select an area that has proper security. I am sure you don’t want your car to be stolen from apartment’s parking area every few months.

3.    Talk to Local Residents

After you have inspected the area with your agent, go back to the locality in the evening, and talk to the local residents. Ask them if there’s something wrong with the area? Have they spotted drug dealers wandering on the roads at night? Is racism common here? Tell them you are planning to move in, and are sincerely bothered about the atmosphere here.

4.    Google Your Apartment

Google your apartment and address to know more about the area. I am sure you will discover something interesting about the place. You will at least find few reviews, which may help you decide whether or not it’s safe to live in.

5.    Pest Control

You may look at the spacious bedroom and remarkable living room, and wonder why the rent is so low. Within few days, however, you will know why. The place might be full of insects.

You don’t want to spend next 5 years of your life spraying and fighting with cockroaches. And trust me it’s very difficult to knock them all down. You kill fifty today, another hundred will be back tomorrow. Hence, make sure the apartment you select has some facility to fight pests.

6.    Check Google News

If something had happened in you building in the past, it must be recorded in Google news archives. If nothing shows up, there hasn’t any significant incident taken place in your locality.

If you don’t find anything related to your locality, you can consider performing an advanced search, and checking out the archives section. Don’t be surprised if you find something had happened in the past. Things always keep happening at a place where many people live together. Yu can chuck the area, if there is a ton of horrible news pertaining to your area.

7.    Staff of the Building

When you visit the place with the agent or the renter, check how the building staff is. You can take a pass if you get any signs of being inconsiderate, snarky, or rude. If they look uncooperative or mean, don’t even bother looking further. If this is the treatment you get before even renting the place, imagine what it would be like when your tap tarts leaking or you have problem with pests. Don’t believe if the agent gives any excuses. No one really like dealing with rude people. Period.

8.    Research About the Property Management Company

You can search on Google: ‘X Property Management Company review’, and check the results. Large companies would have websites and other links. So it would cover the initial few pages of your search results. You will have to filter it out, and explore more about the company. This will also help you know customer service details.

This list may seem to be a bit long and tedious. But if you really want to make sure you live in a nice locality, spending time on these things would be worthy. You may have to compromise on few things if you are on a budget. There would certainly be a difference between amenities provided by $1200 rent house and $600 one.