The process of apartment hunting can be a whirlwind! Looking at multiple places, meeting tons of leasing agents and you may be in a pinch to find a place immediately depending on your situation. Sometimes in the rush and stress of things, you may forget to ask questions about a detail or two during your searching process. In this blog post we will be covering the top question you need to be asking!
1. What are your leasing terms?
You will need to determine how long the lease contract will be for your new apartment before signing anything. You should add your move in and move out date to your calendar. Be sure to add in calendar reminders too! Most complexes require a written notice if you will be moving out or renewing your lease within a certain period before your lease is up. While most management teams will remind you of these dates, you should always be on the safe side with those deadlines.
Along with your leasing terms, you should know exactly what rent cost will be per month. Don’t forget to ask if utilities are included and discover if there are other line items covered by your rent such as valet trash or cable. See if the complex can provide you with a line sheet with all of this information for you to keep in your records during your searching process. Lots of times all of the numbers can end up running together after you look at a few places!
2. What is the application process?
Depending on the management team, submitting your application can be a simple process or a little bit more complicated. Ask for details about all of the materials are required to properly fill out an application. Each screening process is different!
3. Are there any fees to move in?
Every property handles this topic differently. Will you have to pay first and last month’s rent up front? Do you have to put down a security deposit? If it is not possible for you to pay these costs, the place you are looking at may not be the right fit.
4. How do you pay rent?
Does your apartment property have an online portal to pay your rent or will you need to provide a check via mail? Make sure the option for payment works for you!
5. How will maintenance requests and repairs be handled? Don’t forget to ask about emergency repairs.
Sometimes the roof leaks or the air conditioning stops working - how will your complex handle these issues? Are they available 24/7 for emergency requests? While things may look great in your unit when you first tour the place, things can come up. You have to make sure your property is prepared to handle those issues accordingly.
6. How secure/safe is the property?
Do you have an entrance gate? Patrol that circles the property? Ask your leasing agent about the security and safety. If you are new to the neighborhood you may want to also ask about the surrounding areas. Take time on your own as well to navigate the area to see if you feel safe. Check out the neighborhood during various times of the day - morning and night if possible.
7. Is there parking available?
If you own a vehicle is this certainly a must-ask question. If you are looking in a larger city, sometimes they only offer one parking spot or a lot off property. There also may be an added cost for a parking spot, so ask about this too to include that fee in your total cost of the apartment.
8. What is your pet policy?
If you live with a furry friend, you will need to find out the costs of having them live with you or if pets are even allowed in the unit. There may be an additional pet fee to your rent, so write this number down too with your other information.
9. What is your guest policy?
Most times this question will be covered in your leasing agreement, but some properties are more strict about guests than others. For example, if you have an extended guest (such as past 2 weeks stay), this may not be allowed. If you see this as a potential issue in the future, be sure to gather all of the details of their policy.
10. Do you have a lot of availability on your property?
Depending on the time of the year, some properties may have many available units or a very limited amount. This is important information to consider because it will determine how quickly you will need to act on a unit you like. If availability is really limited and all of the boxes are being checked off for you, it may be a good move to go ahead and start the application process to reserve your unit.
Wherever you are in the apartment hunting process, keep these questions bookmarked for future reference. These will be extremely helpful for making sure you are fully covered!